9 Best Things to do with Kids at the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick

Get the kids jumping up and down learning about tides and marine life on the seafloor. Load them up and head for New Brunswick in the Canadian Maritimes to see the place that boasts the highest tides in the world. As a mainstay from kids’ educational programming, your kids probably know more about it than mom does. Same thing happened to the National Parks TravelingMom. Read on for her 9 best things to do with kids at the Bay of Fundy National Park.

Make learning about oceanography cool as kids see the water level rise and fall 50 feet in the course of a few hours at the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, the Canadian province next to Maine. With both a national park and a provincial park showcasing the dramatic scenery, make the Bay of Fundy your destination for cool summer learning with the kids.

Best Things to do with Kids at the Bay of Fundy National Park

• Take Beach Walk—A must for everyone, take a walk along the beach and the seafloor during low tide. See barnacles, rock crabs, whelks, limpets and periwinkles. Another site, Hopewell Rocks offers the best place to walk on the seafloor at low tide.
• Find a Red Chair—Find 12 different locations across the Bay of Fundy National Park to sit and savor a special view in a red Adirondack chair.
• Swim with Salmon—See the return of the Atlantic salmon in September. Or cannon ball into the swimming pool at the Bay of Fundy National Park.
• Visit the Historic Molly Kool Home—Experience a unique Maritimes tradition, a kitchen party where friends and family gather for music, food and good cheer. Held in the childhood home of the Maritime’s first female sea captain.
• Take the Fundy Photo Safari—Head out with a photographer and your camera to take the best photos. Best suited for teens and older.
• Milky Way Madness—The Bay of Fundy is a Dark Sky Preserve so attend its night sky program where a guide will find planets, nebulae and galaxies with a tracking telescope.
• Golf and Tennis—Tee off at the 9-hole, par-70 golf course at the Bay of Fundy National Park. Or enjoy a tennis match with the kids at the court near the park’s headquarters.
• Take a hike—Find trails for families at the Bay of Fundy National Park.
• Yoga—Find your flow next to the Bay of Fundy with a yoga class, offered seasonally.

Swimming at the Bay of Fundy National Park

Along with the annual Swim with Salmon opportunity in September, find more water fun in the Bay of Fundy National Park. Since the Bay of Fundy’s water is a tad too cold for swimming, check out the following.

Swimming Pool – Jump right into the heated saltwater pool near the park headquarters.

Lake swimming—Head to Bennett Lake or Wolfe Lake for swimming.

Bay of Fundy Hiking

The Bay of Fundy National Park offers 100 kilometers of hiking trails. For family-friendly trails, try one of the following.

• Caribou Plain—2.1-km loop
• MacLaren Pond–.5-km loop
• Shiphaven—1.0-km roundtrip

Kid Fun at Bay of Fundy National Park

Similar to the National Park Service’s Junior Ranger Programs in the U.S., Parks Canada offers the Xplorer Program.

Kids receive a booklet at the visitor center to complete. It takes about an hour and kids receive a collectible dog-tag charm with the parks’ name imprinted on it.

Hopewell Rocks

For the best place to walk on the ocean floor, head east out of the Bay of Fundy National Park. Near the town of Moncton, find Hopewell Rocks, the home to the highest tides in the world according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Hopewell Rocks, or The Rocks Provincial Park, is 27 miles east of the Bay of Fundy National Park. Before arriving take a look at the tidal charts to find low tide so the kids can walk on the ocean floor. During low tide the Bay of Fundy is about 50 feet lower than at high tide.

Hopewell Rocks is featured in a lot of educational programming so kids probably know more about it than mom. First stop by the Visitor Center to learn more about the tides. Then see how the marine life adapts to the changes in water level.

At low tide climb down a series of rugged industrial staircases to get to the seafloor. Look for marine life, like limpets, barnacles and masses of seaweed.

For high tide the staircases will be submerged in water so take in the view and snap a picture. Or arrange a kayak tour to see the rock formations up close.

To walk on seafloor head to the beach area or take a shuttle bus ($2 each way). Or walk downhill, like us, and take the shuttle back uphill.

If the kids need a break, visit the High Tides Café at the Visitor Center or the Low Tides Café for snacks close to the beach.

 

Where to Camp at Bay of Fundy National Park

Parks Canada sites offer unique camping options and the Bay of Fundy features several options.

• oTentiks—A-frame structures featuring sleeping for five or six, including a series of platform beds, along with a table and four chairs and a bench. 
• Yurts—Traditional round dwellings from Central Asia that include a bunk bed with a double and twin bunk along a propane heater and solar lights.
• Rustic cabins—One-room structure with a pair of twin-sized bunk beds and a central wood-burning cooking and heating stove along with a table and two benches. Firewood is provided.
• Goutte d’Ô-A round tear-drop structure keeping it cozy with just enough space for a sofa bed and a hammock above.

Find the permanent structures across the four Bay of Fundy campgrounds.

Or pack a tent for more family fun at the following campgrounds.

• Cannontown— 30 camping spots
• Chicinecto–261 camping spots
• Headquarters–154 camping spots
• Point Wolfe—154 camping spots

Campgrounds feature sites with a combination of electricity, water, and sewer, or no services. Find a central area including a bathhouse with showers, toilets and a self-service laundry, along with a kitchen shelter for cooking and cleanup. Most camping sites include a picnic table and a fire ring.

Lodging Near the Bay of Fundy National Park

When we visited the Bay of Fundy National Park we originally planned to stay in an oTENTik. Then the Parks Canada Ranger called to tell us our reservation had been cancelled due to wind.

As a courtesy, the ranger called the closest hotel for us to ensure we had an alternative place to stay. Then Parks Canada issued a full refund.

We stayed at the Parkland Village Inn, located at 8601 Main St. in the tiny town of Alma. Next to the Bay of Fundy National Park entrance, Alma offers a self-serve laundry, a fish and chips shack and a couple of souvenir shops.

The Parkland Village Inn sits along the shore of the Bay of Fundy and features 15 rooms with views of the bay. From the windows watch the fishing boats bob up-and-down with the tides at the neighboring Fisherman’s Wharf.

Where to Eat near the Bay of Fundy National Park

When visiting the Canadian Maritimes, I recommend sampling seafood from across the region. At the Parkland Inn we dined at the Tides Restaurant, serving up local seafood. We love seafood and that’s what is on the menu. I ordered the local scallops and my chef-husband sampled the local lobster. Both were exceptionally fresh and satisfying.

Where’s the Bay of Fundy?

The Bay of Fundy National Park is in New Brunswick in the Canadian Maritimes, about 115 km from Saint John, NB. Bay of Fundy National Park is open 365-days a year and 24-hours a day. Admission is $7.80 CAN for adults and in 2018 youths 17 and under enter for free.

Hopewell Rocks, near Moncton, NB, is an additional 43 km east from the Bay of Fundy National Park. It’s open from mid-May to mid-October every year from 8 p.m. to 5 p.m. During the summer it’s open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is $10 CAN for adults, $8 CAN for students, $7.25 CAN for kids 5 to 12 and free for 4 and under.

I road tripped to the Bay of Fundy, after visiting Anne of Green Gables on Prince Edward Island. Saint John is a frequent cruise port-of-call, like for Regent Seven Seas Cruise.

Tips from a TravelingMom

• Pack the water shoes for beach walking.
• Scan kids for ticks that might carry Lyme Disease.