New Brunswick has a rightful reputation as a province with a remarkable array of natural phenomenon, and that’s easy to see when you’re setting eyes on the the Fundy Biosphere Reserve and Stonehammer Geopark. That’s precisely what We Explore Canada contributor Carol Patterson did, and she gives you all the details and background you need for your own journey there.
A biosphere reserve is intended to be a learning place for sustainable development. Is it also a good vacation destination? Tucked into a sea cave in St. Martins, New Brunswick, low tide letting me venture across rocks submerged only hours earlier by Bay of Fundy tides, I intended to find out.
I was standing in the only place in Canada where it’s possible to stand in a UNESCO biosphere and a UNESCO geopark at the same time with the only person on the continent who manages two UNESCO World Heritage sites simultaneously. Jennifer Dingman is the Executive Director of Fundy Biosphere Reserve and Stonehammer Geopark.
Understanding the Bay of Fundy’s UNESCO Biosphere and Global Geopark
There are 738 biosphere reserves across the world in UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves, nineteen of them in Canada. A UNESCO Global Geopark uses geological heritage and natural and cultural features in an area to enhance people’s understanding of key sustainability issues. Canada has five of 195 Global Geoparks currently in existence.
Dingman’s words drifted above the sea breeze as she led the way towards the ruby-red rock arch, her wide smile and glowing eyes conveying her enthusiasm for this part of New Brunswick.
And why not?
I was quickly learning in this biosphere you can indulge your inner rock hound, gape at legendary tides, wander through one of last coastal forest wildernesses on the eastern seaboard, and stay/eat/play with tourism businesses building community. The Fundy Biosphere covers 430,000 hectares of the upper Bay of Fundy coast from St. Martins to the Tantramar Marsh and inland to Moncton.
I’d been given the chance to spend two days touring the biosphere reserve with Dingman and she explained why travelers should take time to visit the Fundy Biosphere:
“I think it’s important for visitors to know about the UNESCO designation and that the people and places they are visiting contribute to the global diversity of natural and cultural heritage and should be protected for generations to come.”
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Diving Deeper into the Bay of Fundy
The night before I’d stayed at Beach Street Inn in St. Martins. Beth Winkle’s family had a cabin nearby when she was a child but now, with her husband, owns the lodge that is perfectly located for an exploration of the Fundy Biosphere and the Fundy Trail Parkway. She’d provided a hearty breakfast before I headed out to meet Dingman.
The Quaco Museum
“I thought we’d start with a visit to the Quaco Museum,” Dingman suggested, “there’s a good biosphere exhibit and a large map.”
An enthusiastic interpreter greeted us at the museum entrance and pointed out relics from the region’s shipbuilding history but it was the biosphere display that drew my attention. While I’m familiar with other UNESCO sites, I wasn’t as familiar with biosphere reserves and their role in fostering biodiversity while people enjoy sustainable livelihoods.
Dingman explained that each biosphere has a core area that strictly protects landscapes and species (in the case of Fundy Biosphere, this is Fundy National Park), and a buffer zone around the core area that are used for sustainable activities that according to UNESCO “can reinforce scientific research, monitoring, training and education.” A third component is the transition area where communities undertake socio-cultural and ecologically sustainable economic and human endeavours.
The Fundy Trail Parkway
We started our tour with a day trip down the Fundy Trail Parkway. For years people drove the 30-kilometer parkway out and back from St. Martins before dark but in 2020 a second entrance was completed at Alma so now visitors can explore the parkway without backtracking.
There are twenty-one lookouts, sixteen observation decks, twenty-seven hikes, seven beaches, and nine points of interest, more than you can visit in a single day (there’s no accommodation and the parkway is closed overnight). Dingman suggested we stop at some notable sites and leave the rest for another trip. First up was Fownes Head lookout with a view of Flowerpot Rock. Or what’s left of it.
From the observation platform, I could see far down the Bay of Fundy, long unbroken stands of forest atop rocky cliffs poking into the deep blue ocean. Dingman pointed to the stacked rock formations below us and rocks resting on the beach. Strong winds and high seas toppled the well-known Flowerpot rock in February 2022.
Sea stacks are taking a beating with larger storms but erosion is a natural process. Dingman observed, “When I think about it (destruction of sea stacks) from a biosphere perspective, we need to plant trees (to slow erosion) but when I look at it from a geopark perspective, this is part of the natural process, more likely accelerated by climate change.”
Fuller Falls
Next up was a stop at Fuller Falls. A sign indicated this veiled-type waterfall was an “Amazing Place.” Water cascading down fifteen metres looked amazing to me but the Amazing Place designation is a curated list of recommendations.
People were asked to share their favourite hikes in the biosphere and fifty exceptional experiences were profiled, each site marked with a smartphone-enabled sign. “We wanted to get communication out and have people understand why this is a biosphere. What makes it special. Amazing Places started here,” elaborated Dingman. Since then, the Amazing Places project has expanded to UNESCO reserves in Ontario and British Columbia.
The Interpretive Centre
We continued on to the Interpretative Centre near Salmon River. The wooden walls held signs describing the area’s human and physical background and a friendly staffer offered to play a short background video for us. It was interesting and popular. Another group of travellers was waiting their turn when we left the theater and headed to Long Beach.
Here you can walk on the ocean floor during low tide. We settled on a picnic lunch as the waves rippled across the sand.
With time limited, we stopped to admire the view at Martin Head and then headed to Walton Glen Gorge, a feature some have called the “Grand Canyon of New Brunswick.” An undulating 2.3-kilometre hike took us from the trailhead to the observation platform. It was an impressive view to the horizon and time to turn back.
Albert County Museum
Dingman, who is passionate about supporting tourism that generates bigger returns, not bigger crowds, for the communities in the biosphere, suggested I squeeze in a late-day visit to Albert County Museum. A small attraction that tells the stories of “the people of the tides”. I learned how New Brunswick’s first provincial geologist, Abraham Gesner, discovered kerosene and saw its potential as a lamp oil. He pushed for its use in homes across North America and significantly reduced demand for whale oil, probably averting extinction of some whale species.
I also learned more about an Albert County resident, Prime Minister R. B. Bennett, who created the Canadian Wheat Board, the Bank of Canada and the forerunner of the CBC. He mailed $5 and $10 bills to people who wrote for help during the Great Depression. According to Janet Clouston, Managing Director, Bennett gave away more than one million dollars of his own fortune during his term.
There was a lot to learn in this small attraction, and it was another reminder that fun facts in New Brunswick can be found almost anywhere.
Nature as a Humbling Force
As dusk crept over the bay, I checked into Innisfree Bed & Breakfast, one of the Bay of Fundy’s first carbon neutral B&B. It’s owned by Darren Mahussier, a Red Seal chef who was looking for a new business during the pandemic. He moved from Ontario to the Bay of Fundy, greening the inn with geothermal heating and cooling, and adding gourmet cuisine, guaranteeing my stomach and my conscience felt good as I called it a night.
The next morning, I met Dingman at the parking lot for Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park. This is one of New Brunswick’s most popular tourism attractions but it’s not immune to climate change and natural forces.
As we descended the stairs to the muddy beach at low tide and admired the sea stacks towering above us, Dingman, pointed towards recent erosion of cliffs near the water, yellow caution tape keeping visitors away. Noting some formations had crumbled, Dingman observed, “The power of the Bay of Fundy is not going to be stopped. But the people who come later will see interesting formations too.”
I realized my visit to Fundy Biosphere and Stonehammer Geopark was but a speck in time and that natural environments are more powerful than anything I could muster. I was humbled. I’d set eyes on some of the greatest wonders in New Brunswick, after all.
I climbed the stairs past the sea cliffs, my time in the biosphere almost over, but I realized a biosphere reserved was indeed a great place to holiday.
Carol Patterson was a guest of Tourism New Brunswick but they did not review her story and the opinions are her own.
Carol Patterson is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and an award-winning journalist seeking out North America’s best wildlife viewing experiences. You’ll often find her and her camera following the seasons and the birds that come with them. She’s been a pilot, an accountant, a university professor, and an avian tourism consultant, but says her best gig is writing stories for curious travelers.
Thanks for this interesting glimpse into a site I was not aware of. It’s on my list for a future visit now.