Adventure Guide to Canada's Atlantic Provinces

632 Pages·2002·14.375 MB·English

by  Barbara Radcliffe Rogers, Stillman Rogers

dventure Guide to
Barbara Radcliffe Rogers
& Stillman Rogers
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©2002,BarbaraRadcliffeRogers&StillmanRogers
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tronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the
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tionalpurposesarepermitted.
Thisguidefocusesonrecreationalactivities.Asallsuchactivitiescontain
elementsofrisk,thepublisher,author,affiliatedindividualsandcompa-
niesdisclaimanyresponsibilityforanyinjury,harm,orillnessthatmay
occurtoanyonethrough,orbyuseof,theinformationinthisbook.Every
effortwasmadetoinsuretheaccuracyofinformationinthisbook,butthe
publisherandauthordonotassume,andherebydisclaim,anyliabilityfor
lossordamagecausedbyerrors,omissions,misleadinginformationorpo-
tentialtravelproblemscausedbythisguide,evenifsucherrorsoromis-
sionsresultfromnegligence,accidentoranyothercause.
Cover: Cormorantcolony,CapeTryoncliffs,PrinceEdwardIsland
©Barrett&MacKayPhotography,Inc.
Backcover: StanleyBridge,PEI,©RogersAssociates
Allotherphotos©RogersAssociates,unlessotherwiseindicated.
MapsbyLissaK.DaileyandToniCarbone,©2002HunterPublishing,Inc.
IndexingbyNancyWolff
5 4 3 2 1
Authors’ Foreword
OuradventuresinNewBrunswickandPrinceEdwardIslandgobacktothevery
firstdaysofourmarriage,whenwechosetoexploretheseprovincesonourhoney-
moon.WesetoutfortwoweeksinAugustinagutsylittleTR-4,withouthotelres-
ervations,butwithagoodroadmapandasenseofhumor.Ourcar’sbiggernow–
toholdallthecampingequipmentandtocarryracksforthebikesandkayaks–
and the growing popularity of the provinces has made reservations wise in the
summer,butwestillcarryagoodmapandthesenseofhumor.
We’vetraveledmuchoftheworldtogether,andwiththefamilythatgrewfromthe
marriagewecelebratedonthathoneymoonintheTR-4.Butnoplaceonearthhas
constantlyofferedallofussomanyadventuresorsomanychancestobroadenour
repertoireofoutdooractivities.Inthesetwoprovinceswefirstwentdeep-seafish-
ing,dugourfirstclams,sawourfirstwhales,foundourfirstfossils,paddledour
firstkayaksandhandledourfirstdogteams.Herewe’vehikeddeepintotheonly
remainingstretchofcoastalwildernessontheAtlanticsideofNorthAmerica.
Anexperienceneednotbea“first”tobeanadventure,andMaritimeCanadacon-
tinuestosurpriseanddelightuswithitsvarietyafteralltheseyears.Untilwe
were writing this book, for example, we had never seen the tremendous sand
dunesalongthenewsectionofPrinceEdwardIslandNationalPark,nearSt.Pe-
ters,takeonthecontoursoftheSahara.Thewildlifeweseeisacontinuingsource
ofsurpriseandwonder:swirlingcloudsofsandpipersatMary’sPoint,deerinthe
backyardoftheHiramWalkerEstateinSt.Andrews,moosebesidetheroadin
Keswick, harbor porpoise in Charlottetown, salmon jumping in the Miramichi,
sealpupsinMurrayRiver,OspreynestingatPointEscuminac,puffinsoffGrand
Manan,baldeaglesontheTobique,thecontinent’slargestgreatblueheroncolony
atSouris,cormorantsontheseastackatPokeshawandanislandsolidwithbirds
in Malpeque Bay. And, of course, the Fundy whales. Other places in the world
boasttousoftheirwhalepopulations,butwetrytobegoodguestsandnotremind
themthatwehavethebestrightinourbackyard.Wedon’tevenhavetogooutina
boattoseethem:ourfavoritespottingpointisfromalighthouseonCampobello
Island.
BarbaraandTimRogers
Dedication
ToWayneKidney,withoutwhomNewBrunswickjustwon’tbethesame.
A Word of Thanks
Evenwhenithasonlytwoauthors,atravelbookisagroupproject.Notwohu-
mans could possibly gather all the information, sample the activities, hike the
trails,tastethefoodandpaddlethewatersrequiredofareliableguidebookwith-
outalotofhelpfromotherpeople.We’vebeensingularlyblessedinwritingthis
one.Helphascomewhereverwetravelandmorehelphasawaitedusathome.
Twopeoplestandoutfortheircontinuingroleinourwork:ValerieKidneyinNew
Brunswick and Carol Horne in Prince Edward Island. Their knowledge, diplo-
macy, perseverance and good humor makes them each a pleasure to know and
workwith.Othersstandoutaswell,joiningValerieandCarolinsmoothingthe
road before usand putting usintouchwith justtheright people toanswer our
questions (or answering them themselves) – Percy Mallet, Lee Heenan, Nancy
Sears, Candee Treadway, Ralph Johansen, Dick Griffiths, Monica Campbell-
Hoppe,andLoisGerber.
Throughoutthetwoprovinces,wehaveneverfailedtobeamazedatthewealthof
knowledgeandinformationthatwaitsfortravelersineachofthelocalandprovin-
cial tourist information offices along the way. What the people who staff these
don’tknowthemselves,they’llfindoutwithinacoupleoftelephonecalls.Their
enthusiasmfortheirhomelandandtheeagernesswithwhichtheyshareitisone
ofthegreatpleasuresoftravel,nottomentionmakingourworkaloteasieraswe
trytoferretourobscurebitsofinformation.Wecan’tlistthemall–weoftendon’t
even know their names – but remember especially Lisa Cormier and Philip
Barnhill,thegood-humoredduointheinformationofficeinBathurst.
Otherpeopleseemtoappearrandomly,ingesturestypicalofMaritimehospitality
–werememberespeciallyaconversationonthedockatShippaganwithMuriel
Savoie,aswewatchedaveritablefleetoflittlepuk-a-pukssetofffortheBlessing
oftheFleetonemorning.
Therearethetravelcompanions,too,withwhomwehavesharedthelaughsand
wondersoftravelsthere.PaddlingcompanionsDarrellMesheauandGlenLarsen
cometomind,andtheever-laughingMelanieCoates.
Innkeepersingeneralarearichsourceoflocalinformationfortravelwriters,and
weexploitthemmercilessly.Whileallwehavemetinthesetwoprovinceshave
goneoutoftheirwaytobehelpful(andaresupremelyhospitablebynature),some
havegonesofarbeyondthedemandsofhospitalitythatwethinkofthemwhen-
ever someone uses the word. Elizabeth Cooney in St. Andrews, Katherine Van
WestoninSt.MartinsandIdaandLarryAdair,whoarenevertoobusytodrop
whattheyaredoingtoshowussomenewwonderinthevastFundywilderness
theycallhome.
Fellowtravelwritersarejustasgenerousoftheirtimeandknowledge,especially
Tom Bross, who shares discoveries made as he travels in New Brunswick and
PrinceEdwardIsland,andLuraRogers,whotooktimefromwritingherownbook
tohelpuspreparethismanuscriptwhentimegrewshort.
Whilewe’dsometimesprefertobewritingwithourfavoritefountainpens,reality
requiresmanyhoursatacomputer,andoursseemtowaituntilamanuscriptis
almost due, then either develop highly eccentric habits or stop working alto-
gether.ToTracyPillsbury,computerguruextraordinaire,whohopsintohistruck
andmakeshousecallsfromtwohoursaway,goesoureternalgratitudeforsetting
themrightatamoment’snotice.
We’velefttheever-patientLissaDaileyforlast,althoughshe’stheonewhoactu-
allymadethisbookreal.Asoureditorandourfriend,she’satreasure,andtoher
goestheheartiestthanksofall.Itis,afterall,thefriendshipsthatwillendure,
longafterthetravelsareover.
About the Authors
TimandBarbaraRogershavebeenwanderingaroundCanadasincetheveryfirst
daysoftheirmarriage,hikingitstrails,campinginitsparks,climbingitsmoun-
tains,kayakingitswatersandskiingitssnow.Untilrecently,theysavedtheAt-
lanticProvincesforthemselves,goingthereforfamilyvacationswhiletheywrote
aboutotherplacesintheworld.Theirbookshavecoveredsuchwidespreadloca-
tions as the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, African safari parks, Portugal, New
EnglandandtheriversandseasofEurope.Theirarticlesinmagazinesandnews-
papers have described their adventures on several continents, from climbing a
volcanoonthebackofacamelto“driving”theirownhouseboatthroughthecanals
ofEngland.Exotic,theyinsist,issimplyamatterofperspective,andtheyfinda
lioninthebushnomoreexcitingthanlookingaFundywhalestraightintheeye.
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Contents
Introduction
Geography&Terrain 1
History 3
GettingAround 5
ExchangeRate&Taxes 6
Adventures 7
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 14
Fauna&Flora 15
Sightseeing 16
WhereToStay&Eat 17
InformationSources 20
New Brunswick
Introduction 21
NewBrunswick’sParks 22
DayAdventures 24
Fishing 26
InformationSources 26
TheQuoddyShore 27
Geography&History 28
GettingAround 28
InformationSources 30
Adventures 31
AdventuresOnGrandManan 38
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 44
Sightseeing 48
WhereToStay&Eat 52
TheFundyCoast 57
Geography&History 59
GettingAround 60
InformationSources 62
Adventures 62
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 77
Sightseeing 85
WhereToStay&Eat 89
TheLowerRiverValley 96
Geography&History 98
GettingAround 98
InformationSources 99
Adventures 100
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 104
Sightseeing 107
WhereToStay&Eat 109
TheUpperRiverValley 112
Geography&History 112
GettingAround 113
InformationSources 113
Adventures 115
viii (cid:1) Canada’sAtlanticProvinces
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 120
Sightseeing 122
WheretoStay&Eat 123
TheMountains 126
Geography&History 126
GettingAround 128
InformationSources 128
Adventures 128
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 133
Sightseeing 134
WhereToStay&Eat 135
TheAcadianCoast 137
Geography&History 137
GettingAround 137
InformationSources 139
Adventures 139
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 152
Sightseeing 157
WhereToStay&Eat 160
TheMiramichi 166
Geography&History 166
GettingAround 167
InformationSources 168
Adventures 168
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 178
Sightseeing 179
WhereToStay&Eat 182
TheEastCoast 184
Geography&History 185
GettingAround 185
InformationSources 185
Adventures 187
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 198
Sightseeing 203
WhereToStay&Eat 206
Nova Scotia
Introduction 215
GettingtoNovaScotia 216
NovaScotia’sParks 218
Fishing 218
InformationSources 220
Chignecto 220
Geography&History 221
GettingAround 221
Adventures 223
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 230
Sightseeing 233
WhereToStay&Eat 236
TheEvangelineTrail 239
Geography&History 239
Contents (cid:1) ix
GettingAround 240
InformationSources 240
Adventures 240
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 254
Sightseeing 257
WhereToStay&Eat 260
TheSouthernShore 265
Geography&History 265
GettingAround 266
InformationSources 266
Adventures 268
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 275
Sightseeing 276
WhereToStay&Eat 279
Halifax&Environs 284
Geography&History 284
GettingAround 285
InformationSources 286
Adventures 286
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 295
Sightseeing 297
WhereToStay&Eat 300
MarineDrive&TheEast 305
Geography&History 305
GettingAround 305
InformationSources 306
Adventures 306
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 312
Sightseeing 314
WhereToStay&Eat 317
CapeBretonHighlands 321
Geography&History 321
GettingAround 322
InformationSources 324
Adventures 324
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 336
Sightseeing 338
WhereToStay&Eat 341
CapeBretonLakes 347
Geography&History 347
GettingAround 348
InformationSources 348
Adventures 349
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 356
Sightseeing 359
WhereToStay&Eat 363
Prince Edward Island
Introduction 369
Geography 370
History 370
GettingAround 372
x (cid:1) Canada’sAtlanticProvinces
InformationSources 373
Adventures 374
CentralPrinceEdwardIsland 380
GettingAround 382
InformationSources 382
Adventures 383
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 395
Sightseeing 397
WhereToStay 405
WhereToEat 410
EasternPrinceEdwardIsland 413
GettingAround 414
InformationSources 414
Adventures 414
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 425
Sightseeing 426
WhereToStay 431
WhereToEat 434
WesternPrinceEdwardIsland 436
GettingAround 436
InformationSources 437
Adventures 437
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 445
Sightseeing 448
WhereToStay 454
WhereToEat 457
Newfoundland
Introduction 461
ASeparateHistory 463
GettingAround 464
Newfoundland’sParks 468
Flora&Fauna 470
Fishing 471
InformationSources 472
TheAvalonPeninsula 473
Geography&History 473
GettingAround 475
InformationSources 476
Adventures 476
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 486
Sightseeing 494
WhereToStay&Eat 497
Bonavista&TerraNova 500
Geography&History 500
GettingAround 502
InformationSources 502
Adventures 502
Cultural&Eco-TravelExperiences 510
Sightseeing 512
WhereToStay&Eat 513