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
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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
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  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
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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
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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
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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
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Saint Croix Island International Historic Site–US

 This is the only International Historic Site in the US. The island is on the US side of the border line which runs down the center of the Saint Croix River but it’s historically significant to Canada.

 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, Nova Scotia and, even though most of original men returned to France soon afterwards, this marked the start of the French presence in the New World.

 The historic site consists of a small visitor center and a short trail leading to a view of the island. Life size statues of the settlers and natives plus informative signs are located along the trail.

  The visitor center is accessible. The trail is crushed stone and fairly easy to roll along.

  RV parking is directly in front of the visitor center in the area  painted with diagonal lines.  Site
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Shalom Orchard Organic Farm & Winery

   Shalom Orchard is a family owned and operated farm that grows all kinds of organic vegetables and makes organic fruit wines. The farm looks a bit rough around the edges but the owners are super nice. Charlotte dug up new potatoes for us and even scrubbed them clean – the best potatoes we’ve ever had! We also bought fresh eggs, lettuce and free range chicken.

  Harvest Hosts visitors park behind the house and winery, surrounded by vegetable plots. The space is narrow and not very long so it’s only suitable for RVs 27’ or shorter. There’s also a tree with low branches overhanging the road. Farm
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Reversing Falls Park

  Reversing Falls is really just a series of rapids but the difference between high and low tide is about twenty feet so the water really rushes in and out of the channel. A complete tidal cycle takes about 12 hours. It’s fascinating to watch the whole process especially  the slack tide when the water appears to be completely still and smooth. Swimming is not permitted because of the dangerous currents.

  We stayed overnight. There are no signs prohibiting camping and I found reports from tent campers on the internet. It’s very quiet at night except for the sound of the tide coming in. A few people drove in and out of the parking area but I think we were the only ones who stayed the night.

  There are two lots – a large upper lot and a smaller one closer to the water. We stayed in the smaller one which had a great view of the bay. Check out the small family cemetery near the lot. Edmund Mahar settled here in the 1700s and a few descendants are buried in the cemetery. There’s also a memorial for three crew members of the Bottom Basher, a sea urchin fishing boat that sank in the bay in 2009.  Falls
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Shore Path

 
  Shore Path was constructed around 1880 during the “Gilded Era” when wealthy industrialists built summer homes along the shoreline on the outskirts of Bar Harbor. The first portion is paved then it becomes hard packed dirt and gravel with a few slightly steep sections. Out and back is a little over a mile.

   RVs are not allowed to park on most streets in Bar Harbor. Follow the signs to RV parking which is just past the corner of Main St. and Park St., next to the ball fields. It’s a short easy walk to the north end of the path but many of the sidewalks and curb cuts are in bad shape so if you’re rolling you may want to use the side streets where’s there’s little traffic instead of the sidewalks. The south end of the path starts at Wayman Street which is a few streets north of the RV parking area.  Path
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