The Maritimes is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick. We were lucky enough to visit all three provinces.
Nova Scotia
24 August Trenton, Maine - Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
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| Joe backing up |
We took The Cat ferry from Bar Harbor to Nova Scotia in Canada. The ferry that is used is the super ferry that was in Hawaii years ago. It's still named Alakai. We had a wonderful ride over. It was a very smooth ride, and you could sit wherever you wanted. There were different sections, up front was a bar area with comfortable seating and entertainment. In the back section, there was a place for kids. The rest of the area had different seats with tables, comfy seats that reclined so you could rest and watch a movie.
We took the RV and truck. I drove the truck on and Joe had to back up the RV over a hundred yards onto the ferry. The cost was a little over $600. It was an awesome experience, we're glad we did it.
We arrived in Yarmouth about 7pm and it took another hour to clear customs.
We spent the night at Tusket Falls Brewing Company, a Harvest Host location.
25 August Yarmouth - Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia 187 miles
We're staying 5 nights at Woodhaven RV Park of Halifax. It's full hookups $51 per night, total $255. Pretty nice park. Convenient location to explore Halifax and Peggys Cove.
We spent a day exploring Halifax. First stop was Fairview Lawn Cemetery. It is best known as the final resting place for over 100 victims of the sinking of the Titanic. It was interesting to walk along the graves and see the ages of those that perished on the Titanic. So many young lives were lost. The graves were beautifully laid out in the shape of a ships hull.
Next, we went to the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market. There were crafts, jewelry, and lots of prepared foods. We ate our way through the market. Interesting because a lot of different ethnicities.
Then we took a long walk on the Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk. A bustling hotspot in the city, it's one of the world's longest urban boardwalks spanning the length of the waterfront. It's a working port, filled with tours, restaurants, museums, and shops.
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| Crooked lamp post |
Peggy's Cove is an active fishing village and home to Peggy's Point Lighthouse. This quaint little village is truly amazing. There's a small inlet where the fishing boats are anchored, it captures the real charm of Peggy's Cove.
The Lighthouse stands amongst giant rocks that are smooth enough to walk on. There are warning signs to stay off the black rocks. This means its wet and people have been swept out to sea by the crashing waves. There were a lot of people from tour buses there but it was still very beautiful.
We took a ride out to Lunenburg. Post card perfect Lunenburg is a fishing village of brightly painted British Colonial buildings built in the 1750s. Now, it's a charming, walkable town. We enjoyed the colorful wooden homes and buildings, the 19th century churches, and the tall ships docked along the waterfront.
St Johns Anglican Church has been a place of welcome in Lunenburg since 1753. The church has been restored after a serious fire in 2001. It's a beautiful church with all the stained glass windows.
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Mahone Bay was another picturesque town. We stopped for the traditional picture of the 3 churches.
Burntcoat Head Park is home to the world's highest recorded tides and located on Fundy Bay. Here you can experience the most extreme tides on earth. The tidal range reaches 53 feet at its greatest from low tide to high tide.
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We went at low tide and walked along the ocean floor. Hard to imagine in a few hours the tide will rise over 50 feet, amazing!
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We're staying 5 nights at Linwood Harbour Campground. It's full hookups, $42.50 per night, total $212.54. Very nice campground with views of the water.
We took a drive to Arisaig Lighthouse and Cape George Lighthouse. The lighthouses in Nova Scotia are very different from U.S. lighthouses. In Nova Scotia the lighthouses are short and squat but still beautiful.
The Cabot Trail is one of Canada's ultimate scenic highway on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. It is a 185 mile loop around the northern tip of the island, passing along and through the Cape Breton Highlands and the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
We started the trail in Baddeck and went counter clockwise. Scenery is breathtaking. We stopped at some lookouts to enjoy the views and did a couple of short waterfall hikes.
We didn't want to rush so we planned to spend the night in Pleasant Bay. I booked a room at Mountain View Motel. This motel is something from the 60's. The pastel flowery wallpaper, the slope in the floor, the toilet that was about a foot off the floor, the uncomfortable, soft, lumpy bed that squeaked...all this for $108. We got up very early the next morning and hit the road.
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| Pleasant Bay Sunset |
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It's a good thing because after a few minutes on the road, a black bear ran across the road. Then a couple minutes after that, 2 young moose was in the road so we had to stop. Mama moose came out and they all crossed into the bushes. Great way to start the day.
The Skyline Trail was the highlight of the Cabot Trail. A dramatic headland cliff overlooks the rugged coast from the end of this trail. You can enjoy an eagles view of the Cabot Trail as it winds its way down the mountain.
The boardwalk stairs and platforms were like no other hikes we've been on, Incredible views from them.
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We made a stop at Aucoin Bakery in Cheticamp. We bought some goodies and ate outside on the tables. It was so good we went back in and bought more goodies for later.
We really enjoyed our two days on the Cabot Trail. We saw spectacular valley and coastal views all along the way. This is a definite must do if you're ever in Nova Scotia.
Prince Edward Island
04 Sept Linwood, Nova Scotia - Harrington, Prince Edward Island 245 miles 5 hours 30 minutes
To get to PEI we drove on the Confederation Bridge. This 9-mile bridge joins Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick and is the longest bridge over ice covered waters in the world. It takes approximately 10 minutes to cross the bridge.
Cars are not able to see over the sides but because of our height we can see everything. Awesome views but at the same time a little scary.
Basin Head Provincial Park is best known by its nickname "Singing Sands", in reference to the pure white sand that "sings" when stepped on, due to a high silica content. This sand is geologically unique to the area.
When we visited it was cold and windy. We walked around the bridge and dock area but didn't walk on the sand to see if it really sings. The water was really choppy because of the weather but I can imagine on a sunny day it would be very nice.
East Point Lighthouse has the distinction of being Canada's Confederation Lighthouse, as it was built in 1867 and is the only lighthouse that is still operating today. It's the easternmost point on PEI. The lighthouse and red cliffs make for a picturesque setting.
Charlottetown is the capital of PEI. The boardwalk around Peak's Wharf is pretty scenic. It's a nice place to sit and relax or just go for a walk. It winds its way along the wharf area to where the cruise ship is docked.
This National Historic Catholic Cathedral is located in downtown Charlottetown. The cathedral is quite impressive with its twin 200-foot Gothic Revival towers.
We took a drive to Brackley Beach. It's located in PEI National Park but it's off season so no fee to enter. Very nice park with bicycle trails all over. It was pretty windy and rainy when we visited. I wish we had another day so we could ride our bikes.
We continued our drive to North Rustico Harbor and Cavendish Beach. We made fast stops because the weather was pretty bad but if it was nice and sunny, this is the place to be.
New Brunswick
08 Sep Harrington, PEI - West River, New Brunswick 158 miles
We had to cross the Confederation Bridge to leave Prince Edward Island. Coming over is free but when you leave, there's a toll. For our motorhome & truck it cost us $50 US.
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I've read about this area prior to our trip but nothing is quite like being there. There is a little hike through the woods to get there. Then a platform with a lot of steps to get down to the beach. There are no words to describe walking out on the ocean floor at low tide. It was one of those incredible views of natural beauty that you just can't capture with words or photos. A truly fascinating and beautiful destination to explore.
The tickets to get into the park was $16 per person but it was for 2 consecutive days. This is so people can experience both high and low tides. We were able to just do low tide. If we were there for high tide, I would've done the kayak tour.
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We're staying for 1 night at West River Camping. It's a small, beautiful campground. Besides RV sites, there are cabins, yurts, a dome, and wood fire hot tubs that you can reserve. We paid $50 for full hook ups.
09 Sept West River - St. Martin, New Brunswick 76 miles
We're staying at Century Farms Family Campground for 5 nights. It's full hook ups, total price $175. Pretty nice campground with awesome views of the Bay of Fundy. Yes, still experiencing the Bay of Fundy. It's a huge area that covers part of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
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| Sunrise from our campsite |
We can walk out to the beach from our campsite. Pretty cool to experience both low and high tides everyday.
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| All of this is covered at high tide |
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St. Martins Sea Caves were formed by the constantly changing tide cycle of Fundy Bay, which has the highest tides in the world. During high tide, the caves are completely submerged in the waters of the bay. However, at low tide, this entire landscape transforms into beautiful scenery with these magnificent caves and small streams.
The cave walls are gorgeous shades of red and you can see water dripping down the walls.
There is no fee to visit the caves. We went there several times to enjoy the views.
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The Fundy Trail Parkway is a park featuring a 20 mile drive hugging the Bay of Fundy coast with stunning views in every direction. It cost $ 8.50 per person and totally worth it. A very scenic drive with lots of look outs.
There was a short walk along the Salmon River to a suspension bridge.
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Then you see the beautiful waterfall in a deep gorge.
We decided to leave New Brunswick a day early because Hurricane Lee is headed straight for this area. But I had to have one last lobster roll.....
We enjoyed our visit to the Maritimes. The weather was not the greatest but we still managed to see a lot during our three week stay.
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