Before the pandemic began and the Canadian border was closed to tourists, we were able to visit Fundy National Park in New Brunswick with our humans. We traveled all the way from Austin, Texas and it took quite a while to get there. Once we finally arrived, we were happy to find that it was nice and cool, compared to where we live.
Our first camping spot was at the Headquarters Campground at Fundy National Park, just outside of the town of Alma. After our people set the tent up and cooked some dinner, we took a walk into town, down a long set of stairs and through the woods. From up on the hill we could see the little town below and all the boats sitting high and dry at low tide.
We were told that this town has some of the highest and lowest tides anywhere in the world! A times the ocean may be 52 feet higher or lower, at the head of the bay! At low tide, we walked far out from the shoreline, where the ocean would’ve been way over our heads just a few hours earlier. The smells were amazing. I tried to eat a dead crab, but it got taken away from me by my mom.
The next day, we walked all around the little town of Alma and finally came back to eat at a restaurant where somebody, whose name I won’t mention, got to eat lobster and didn’t give us any! There was a big fiberglass moose in front of one of the shops, and Lulu Belle was very suspicious of it, until she realized it wasn’t real.
A Concert In The Park
One of the best things about our trip to Fundy National Park in New Brunswick was going to an outdoor concert at the park’s amphitheater nearby. A band called “Acres and Acres” was playing in the outdoor theater and they had one of the best songs we dogs had ever heard! The concert at the Fundy National Park’s stage was dog-friendly, and there were lots of them there.
One of our doggie friends, who was sitting next to us, was singing along to the song! If you have Spotify (sign in for free) you can listen to the song “Dirty Dog, By Acres and Acres”, but please come back here for more of our story after you do.
Sunrise Walk on The Beach
The humans woke Lulu Belle and I up way too early, but we were glad we’d gotten an early start to our day, because there are so many things for dogs to do at Fundy National Park. We went for a walk on the beach just as the sun was coming up. The tide was just coming in, and the smells for us dogs to investigate were amazing. There were seabirds all around and we saw lots of little fish in the tidal pools along the rocky part of the shore.
Dog-Friendly Things To Do at Fundy National Park
If you ever take a road trip to New Brunswick, you’ll find lots of dog-friendly activities at Fundy National Park. There are lots of nice trails to hike on and dogs are welcome in most areas of the park, but just to be sure, check with the park ranger when you enter.
With more than 70 miles of trails there to explore, you’ll find plenty of places to hike with your dogs. We only got to check out about five miles of trail before we had to leave. You can explore the ocean at low tide – this is awesome! – and you can stargaze at night on the beach. Be sure to bundle up though, because it gets cool here at night, even in the summer.
In the town of Alma you can rent a kayak and go for a tour with a group, which looked like a lot of fun. We saw some people who were already out paddling on the water early that same morning. Check the park website for more things to do at Fundy National park, “home of the world’s highest tides”!
You can check out some of our photos on the gallery page.
Fundy National Park Tips
- Pick Up Poop – Always carry poop bags. Pack out your poop bags too!
- Bears at Camp – Be Bear Aware! There are black bears at Fundy National Park. Keep food locked up and put your campsite trash in the bear-proof trashcans.
- Bears With Cubs – Watch for mother bears with cubs when hiking. If you see a bear, slowly back away and retreat in the opposite direction
- Tides – Watch out for the tide coming back in. If you’re walking out to explore the seafloor, you may be able walk to a mile or more from shore. When the tide starts returning, make sure you and your dogs don’t get cut off from land.
- Mosquitos – There are lots of mosquitoes and black flies here at times and they’ll bite both people and dogs. Human insect repellent is toxic to dogs. We use Wondercide mosquito repellent and it works pretty well.
- Ravens – Crows and ravens will steal your food at your campsite! There are lots of hungry crows and ravens here. They even took our hot dog buns!
