Fundy National Park

  Fundy's tides are the highest in the world with a difference of more than 50’ depending on the time of year and the location. The boat harbor in the little town of Alma at the eastern entrance to Fundy National Park is a good place to observe the phenomenon.

 The park itself is fairly small. A paved road travels through the center providing access to many interconnected hiking trails.

  Very little is wheelchair accessible – two viewpoints, one at Alma Beach and one at Point Wolfe, and a very short boardwalk trail at Caribou Plain. The accessible campsites are close to the restrooms. 

  Most of the parking lots are large enough for RVs. The campgrounds have sites for large RVs. Park
 45.59619, -64.95177

Sackville Waterfowl Park

  Crushed stone and boardwalk trails make a one mile loop around the lake, traveling through a variety of plant communities including birch forest and cattail marsh. We’ve not birders so I’m not sure about the species of birds that we saw but there were many ducks and also a couple of muskrats.

  Most of the trail is accessible but wheelchair users will need to have help to complete the entire loop due to a very steep ramp on one of the bridges, uneven boardwalks, and loose stone in several spots.

  We parked at the information center on Mallard Drive. The parking lot is large enough for any RV.   Park
45.9074, -64.36932

Monument-Lefebvre National HS

 Father Lefebvre, a Catholic, priest, founded Saint Joseph's College in 1864, the first French-language college in the Maritimes. The college has since moved to a new location and the original school is now a small museum where the story of the deportation of Acadians from Nova Scotia and their resettlement in New Brunswick is told. The exhibits also cover Acadians living in New Brunswick who are influential in politics and business.

  A long ramp leads to the accessible entrance where pushing a buzzer should alert the museum personnel to open the door. No one noticed the buzzer when we visited so you may have to call instead. The displays are all accessible.

  The parking lot is large enough for any RV. Museum
  45.97898, -64.56662
           
           

Musée Acadien de l’Université de Moncton

   The story of the Acadians is complicated and sad. During the 1600s French settlers immigrated to Nova Scotia where they established farms. Their unique culture, which developed through their isolation from other European settlements, flourished for almost 80 years until the Conquest of Acadia when Nova Scotia came under British control. A uneasy peace between the British government and the French settlers lasted until 1755. Britain decided that the land should belong to British subjects and began raids on Acadians villages that continued for nine years.  British soldiers rounded up all of the French, burnt their farm buildings, and loaded them onto ships. The Acadians were allowed to take clothing, money, and a small amount of household goods. The ships had no destinations. Some sailed for months before finding a spot, mostly in the US, where the Acadians were welcome to live.  Over 10,000 people were deported and approximately a third of them died. In 1764 British policies changed and Acadians were permitted to move back to Canada but not to their former villages. Many settled on the east coast of New Brunswick.

  The small museum focuses on the French who returned to live in New Brunswick but also touches on the ones who emigrated to France or settled in Louisiana to become Cajuns. The admission price includes entrance to the art galleries with displays of student artwork.

  The museum is accessible.

   The parking lot is large enough for RVs. $1.00 per half hour.  Museum
46.10392, -64.78625

Casino New Brunswick

   Follow the signs for RV parking which is located in a back lot. The lot is very big with plenty of room for everyone. A list of rules is posted at the entrance – sign up for a players cards and you may stay for seven consecutive days. There’s some traffic noise but other than that it’s fairly quiet. The 24 hour quiet period keeps generator use down. We were able to use free internet from the casino and one of the hotels.

  The casino entrance is accessed by walking under the covered passageway between the hotel and casino then along a slightly steep, short length of sidewalk. The casino is nonsmoking and not very large but it has a good selection of slot machines plus table games and a poker room.  The chairs are fairly easy to move and most of the card and money slots are easy to reach.  Casino
46.12874, -64.8778
            
            

Irishtown Nature Park

  The trail makes a loop through a young forest, opening up for a lake view a couple of times. The surface is hard packed, crushed stone so rolling is fairly easy.  It’s about three miles long and has a very steep bridge halfway in. Most wheelchair users will need to have some help or else turn around at the bridge. Go counter clockwise for the best views if you can’t make the round trip. The loop trail is marked with red. The yellow trail is closed because it hasn’t been maintained.

  The parking lot is large enough for RVs. Park
46.14184, -64.77245
             
            

Agricultural Museum of New Brunswick

  Local families have donated all sorts of old equipment and other articles that were necessary to operate a farm in the early days of settlement but the museum has few descriptive signs or historic information. Without that it’s more of a collection than a museum so this is a pretty quick stop.

  A couple of pieces of equipment partially block the front patio so wheelchair users will have to cut across the grass to get to the entrance. There’s a short step up to the patio and another at the threshold. Some doorways in the museum are narrow but there are ways to get around most of them.

  The parking lot is large enough for RVs.   Museum
  45.72397, -65.50104
         
         

New Brunswick Museum

  The museum is inside a small shopping mall along with a few stores, restaurants, and businesses. It has a little of everything - human and natural history, artwork, and hands-on children’s exhibits. Photography is not allowed anywhere in the museum.

  The museum is accessible. An entrance with a push button door is located on St. Patrick Street. Getting there from the parking lot involves a street crossing and an uphill climb. It’s not very difficult but wheelchair users may need a hand.

  RVs can be parked in the public parking lot on Water Street just south of the museum – $1.50 per hour.  Museum
45.27211, -66.06441

Carleton Martello Tower National Historic Site

  In 1812 the US declared war on Great Britain. The British navy had been boarding US ships and taking sailors whom they believed had deserted from their navy. Britain desperately need men to fight against Napoleon and the French navy. The US believed the sailors were American citizens plus they saw a chance to claim more territory of British North America for the US. Since New Brunswick could provide an overland route to the rest of Canada some type of coastal defense was deemed necessary. Construction started on the tower however the war was over before it was finished. A concrete observation post was added during WWII.

   The visitor center has good exhibits explaining the reasons for the war and the techniques used to construct the tower. The tower is furnished as it would have during the War of 1812 - if it had been completed.

  The visitor center is accessible. The crushed stone trail to the bottom of the tower is accessible with help. The tower entrance is on the second floor and is not accessible.

  The parking lot is large enough for any RV.  Tower
  45.25172, -66.07712
 
  If you are planning to visit more than one Canadian national park or historic site consider getting a Discovery Pass. Canadian NPs have a daily per person entrance fee. The daily fee is also charged for each person when camping in a park.

Irving Nature Park

  The park, which was conceived to protect the marshland, is located on a peninsula of volcanic rock and forest that stretches out into Fundy Bay. A dirt loop road follows the shoreline. The road has some sharp turns and is closed to vehicles longer than 24’ but there are parking areas before the loop road where RVs will fit.

  Since our RV is 25’ long we didn’t drive the loop road. We walked up a short distance to the turnoff for an accessible parking lot at the marsh boardwalk and walked/rolled along the short boardwalk.  The parking lot is big enough for several cars. A sloped trail leads down to the boardwalk.

  Wheelchair users may need to have help to get to the boardwalk. The other trails that we saw were not accessible but driving along the loop road should lead to some good viewpoints.  Park
45.22388, -66.12765

Lepreau Falls Provincial Park

   Short boardwalks lead to views of the falls. There are several picnic tables and a vault toilet.

   The boardwalks are accessible but the parking lot is very rough with large gravel. Park at the start of each boardwalk for easy access. One is just before the toilet, the other just after.

   Don’t turn before the sign. The correct turn goes to a fairly large lot which loops around to exit. RVs should go out the same way as they went in to avoid low branches. Falls
45.16862, -66.46101
          
          

Kingsbrae Garden

   Formal, display and demonstration gardens along with sculptures, ponds, and a maze fill 27 acres that were donated by local philanthropists, John and Lucinda Flemer.

  The garden is not accessible due to steep paths surfaced with loose gravel.

   Follow the signs for RV/bus parking. Garden
45.07857, -67.04656

Saint Croix Island International Historic Site–Canada

   This is a view of the island from the interpretive site on the Canadian side of the river.

  A small group of Frenchmen landed on Saint Croix Island in 1604 with a mission to claim the land for France, bring religion to the natives, and search for precious metals. Pierre Dudua, lieutenant-general in charge of the group, chose the island for it’s defensible position in the middle of the river but this proved to be a detriment when a much colder winter than they expected froze the river. Slabs of frozen ice, broken up by the tides, made crossing to the mainland impossible. 36 of the 79 men died, most likely from scurvy. With the coming of warmer weather the settlement was moved to Port Royal and, even though most of original men returned to France soon afterwards, this marked the start of the French presence in the New World.

   A trail with informative signs makes a loop from the picnic shelter. The trail is steep with loose crushed stone so it’s not wheelchair accessible but the view can be seen from the parking lot.

  RVs can park lengthwise across the spaces.  Site
 45.13477, -67.1121