Looking out from the coastal viewpoint you can see small treed islands bathing in a sea of calm water. Imagine, just a few hours later, the water is gone and you are able to walk on the sea floor beneath those same islands that are now tall pinnacles. This amazing landscape change is the result of the Bay of Fundy’s World’s Highest Tides.
The Bay of Fundy is a long narrow bay in the Atlantic Ocean. Its borders are New Brunswick in the west and Nova Scotia in the East. The shape and depth of the bay as well as the rocking motion of the water that is timed with the tides results in huge differences in water levels between high and low tides. The difference in water levels can be as much as a remarkable 16.3 m (53.6 ft). These are the largest tidal ranges in the world. In comparison the average tidal range in the world is about 1 m (3 ft) or less.
Anyone in Canada who has taken a sailing course has probably read about the tides in the Bay of Fundy. As part of Our Great Canadian Road Trip we visited a few sites in the Bay of Fundy to see for ourselves the amazing phenomena caused by the world’s highest tides.
Tidal Bore
Early in the morning we set off to see the tidal bore at Bore Park in downtown Moncton, New Brunswick. The wide Petitcodiac River was almost devoid of water, exposing its muddy bottom.
Petitcodiac River, Bore Park, Moncton, New Brunswick
We weren’t sure what to expect or where to look so we followed the lead of others at the park and waited on a platform near the river. Almost on schedule a 1 metre high wave was making its way up the Petitcodiac River. The long wave extended the entire width of the river and continued to come toward us. As it got closer, we saw a surfer riding the wave. He was able to surf on this continuous wave for almost a kilometer! This was our first introduction to the fascinating world’s highest tides.
Tidal Bore, Bore Park, Moncton, New Brunswick 
Tidal Bore, Bore Park, Moncton, New Brunswick 
Tidal Bore, Bore Park, Moncton, New Brunswick
A perfect tidal bore happens here because the Petitcodiac River is a flat river with a gentle downstream slope making it higher than the level of the lowest tide on the coast. The river is almost empty of water at low tide. When the tide comes in, water from the bay travels into river and a wave is created as the tidal water travels against the current. The wave in Moncton ranges from 0.5 to 1 m high. Another tidal bore is located in Truro, NS but we weren’t able to get to see it during the tidal bore. We only saw the muddy river at low tide.
Hopewell Rocks
A 45 minute drive away from Moncton is Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park. We arrived at the viewpoint at full tide and saw what we thought was a number of small islands with trees and grass on their tops. Kayakers were in the water, paddling between these small islands. The rocks are called flower pots which will make more sense when you see them at low tide.
Flower Pots at High Tide, New Brunswick
Three and a half hours later the area looked completely different. What we previously saw as islands in the ocean, were now tall rocks above a muddy seafloor. These rocky sea stacks are huge, ranging from 12 – 21 m (40-70 ft) tall.
It was stunning to see the difference from the same viewpoint we were at only a few hours ago. The difference in water level from high to low tide is between 10 to 14 metres (32 to 46 feet). That is roughly as high as a 5 story building. Imagine that much water coming in and out of the bay, twice a day.
The pictures below are arranged to show the difference in water height at high and low tides. Each pair was taken from the same location.
We walked along the seafloor, jumping over tide pools, walking around mounds of sea grass and avoiding muddy sections below these giant pinnacles. Now we could see why they’re called Flower Pots. The ebb and flow of the tides have eroded the sandstone pinnacles into different shapes. Many resemble flower pots and the greenery on top completes the look. We walked almost 2 km up and down the beach seeing many interesting sea stacks in each cove. In some we saw faces and one even reminded us of a sculpted rock from Phra Phubat Historic Park in Thailand.
Hopewell Rocks at Low Tide, Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park, New Brunswick 
Hopewell Rocks at Low Tide, Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park, New Brunswick 
Hopewell Rocks at Low Tide, Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park, New Brunswick 
Rock Formation, Phra Phubat Historic Park, Thailand
Further up the bay, also in the park, is Demoiselles Beach. We visited the beach at full tide when it appears to be a normal beach with muddy sand and a gentle surf. It was fairly cold when we were there so we weren’t tempted to swim. When we returned to Demoiselles Beach during low tide, the water was at least 1 km out from shore and left behind a convoluted beach with sand bars, streams and mud.
Demoiselles Beach at High Tide, Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park, New Brunswick 
Demoiselles Beach at Low Tide, Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park, New Brunswick 
Demoiselles Beach at Low Tide, Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park, New Brunswick
Burntcoat Head
A similar site is located in Nova Scotia on the other side the bay. Although not as spectacular as Hopewell Rocks, Burntcoat Head Park actually has the highest tides of them all. The range in water levels at this part of the Bay of Fundy averages 14.5 m (47.5 ft) and can be as much as 16.3 m (53.6 ft). We only visited it during low tide, but after seeing Hopewell Rocks, we could more easily imagine how the area would look full of water.
Near Burntcoat Head, Nova Scotia 
Burntcoat Head Park, Nova Scotia 
Burntcoat Head Park, Nova Scotia 
Burntcoat Head Park, Nova Scotia
Shediac
Just north of Moncton is a cute town that seems more prepared for tourists than Moncton. Shediac is a resort town with a quaint downtown where you can find plenty of hotels and restaurants. Pointe-du-Chene Wharf is a popular spot for swimming and windsurfing. Although it would be 20 minutes further to drive, you may want to think of staying in Shediac instead of Moncton.
Shediac, New Brunswick
Tips for visiting The Bay of Fundy
- It is not possible to visit all of these sites in one day, but you could see both of the New Brunswick or both of the Nova Scotia sites in the same day. There are many more sites along the bay, but we believe these are the most spectacular.
- Make sure to check the tide charts available on the cities and parks’ web sites before your visit. Entry tickets to Hopewell Rocks are valid for 2 consecutive days so you can visit high and low tides on different days. There is usually a time span of 3 – 4 hours when you can visit the sea floor. There is no fee to visit Burnthead Coat Park.
- If you walk on the seafloor your shoes will get very muddy. There are shoe washing stations at both Hopewell Rocks and Burntcoat Head. We wore flip-flops and found them much easier to clean.
- There are a few hotels in Moncton, but the prices seemed quite high for what they offer. Instead look at staying in one of the small towns between Moncton and Hopewell Rocks. Another alternative is to stay in the cute seaside town of Shediac. It would be a longer drive, but a more enjoyable stay.
- New Brunswick is bilingual (French and English). We found are quite a few English speaking people, especially at tourist sites. English is the official language in Nova Scotia and the rest of The Maritimes.
- There is HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) in both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. An additional 15% will be added on to most purchase prices.
- Getting to Moncton is easy as it has an international airport and is located along the Trans-Canada Highway. Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park is a 30 minute drive south of Moncton.
- Getting to Truro, Nova Scotia takes a bit more effort but it’s still not difficult. The nearest airport is in Halifax, 90 km away. Truro is located on the Trans-Canada Highway near the border with New Brunswick. Burntcoat Head Provincial Park is 60 km south. You will need your own car or join a tour group to see these sites.
Coming Next – Charming Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island
For more pictures from our travels around the world visit Gallery on monkeystale.ca
To read stories from other parts of the world visit Destinations.
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Monkey's Tale 
Reminds me a little of mudflat hiking in the Wadden Sea in northern Germany. At low tide, you can (almost?) hike from one island to another in shallow water. But you have to be aware of when high tide is coming!
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That would be fun to do too, until you get stranded 😊
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Hundreds of years of tidal abrasion happened and the rocks responded with breathtaking shapes. Amazing.
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It’s true! A better sculptor than me😊 Maggie
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The high/low tide pictures are terrific. Really interesting rock formations.
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Thanks Ken, nature is remarkable isn’t it😊
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It took planning and patience to capture both tidal states at all those sites. Congrats and thanks
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It did take a bit of planning and an entire day, but that was the only thing we wanted to see in the area so it wasn’t wasted. Thanks for your comments! Maggie
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What a road trip. Those rocks are amazing!
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They are! Thanks Nes!
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The tidal differences are amazing! I hope to visit someday.
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It was much more impressive than we expected. We’re so glad we went, hope you get there too 🙂
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A phenomenal part of Canada. We have been to the “Flower Pot” Rocks at Hopewell many times and they are still amazing. As to the Tidal Bore, we saw it in Truro, Nova Scotia, where my brother lives. Here, it is usually just an barely discernable ripple or as we call it the “Tidal Boring”. There is also a lovely place to stay right at the end of Fundy near New River Beach NB, where your motel room looks right out at the Bay of Fundy. Fingers crossed, we get back next year to see the sights and family. Thanks for sharing. Allan
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Thanks for the hotel tip Allan. We throughly enjoyed Hopewell Rocks and the Tidal Bore. The wave on the river was much more dramatic than we expected it wasn’t boring at Moncton’s site 🙂 Maggie
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We’re hoping to go out East next summer and see the Bay of Fundy and Hopewell Rocks. I’ll have to make note of some of these viewpoints and to wear flip flops when exploring during low-tide.
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It’s such a fascinating place. Fredericton has a backward waterfall that’s supposed to be good too. Allan G. left a comment about a good hotel near Hopewell.
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This is such a special place!
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I just saw the show Race Against the Tide that was done at the Bay of Fundy. Incredible place!
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I saw the commercials for it, but didn’t watch. Was it good? Bay of Fundy is so incredible! Hope your mom is ok. Maggie
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It was a really cool show! My Mum is finally doing better. She had a rare, fatal complication but she had emergency surgery to save her life. Now my Dad is here to help out for this week
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Oh my gosh! Glad to hear she’s better and that you dad was able to be there.
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Thank you. Our healthcare workers are heroes!
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Your descriptions and depictions of the tides are great. I like the sliding panels to show the huge difference. I’ve not noticed the redish colour of the rocks and sand/mud in other photos I’ve seen of this area. Your Great Canadian Road Trip is giving me lots of inspiration for travel to eastern Canada.
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Thanks so much Caroline. It is such a fascinating place, almost unbelievable. The rocks and mud are very red in person. We’ve studied these tides in sailing courses and I was never able to get my head around how huge the tidal difference is. This is a must-see for your Canadian Roadtrip!! Maggie
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Looks like an awesome place to visit! I haven’t spent nearly enough time on coastlines like these.
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Neither had we. It’s very impressive and almost unbelievable that the water can change so much in a few hours. Thanks for reading Chelsea! Maggie
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Brilliant. Loved the split photos, to see the changes.
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Thanks! It’s quite remarkable 🙂 Maggie
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WOW! That is simply amazing!
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It’s really a fascinating place!
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An awesome place to visit, and it’s been 10 years since we visited it🙂 We stayed in Shediac, near Parlee Beach, such a cute, resort like town. Thank you for bringing me back fond memories!
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We stayed in Moncton one night and didn’t find much to do. Shediac is so close to Moncton but much nicer. Glad we brought you back to your trip there 😊 Maggie
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Indeed, other than the Magnetic Hill in Moncton, I can’t recall having much to do; we went straight to Shediac😊 Happy Sunday!!
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Wow, those rocks in Thailand seem gravity-defying. A few years ago we were in Wales and experienced the tides, which is rather new to me as a middle-of-the-continent person. Fascinating stuff.
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The Tides in Bay of Fundy were incredible and left the rocks with interesting shapes. The one that looked like the Thailand rock was quite funny. Maggie
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Maggie and Richard, A fascinating post! Great photos. I had heard of the Bay of Fundy, but now I have a much better idea of what it is like. Thanks! 🙂
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Thanks Cheryl, The tides are really quite spectacular. I’m still baffled by how much water goes in and out in the bay during tides. Maggie
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What a spectacular place. That is certainly one incredible tidal sweep.
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Certainly, I have never heard of a difference of 53ft! This is humongous. Also, I’m not even aware that Canada claims to have this site. Interesting read, Maggie.
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Thanks Arv, I had only read about it before, but to see the difference in a couple of hours was mind boggling. Maggie
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So neat! We visited NB a few years back but didn’t know about the tides until we arrived and unfortunately our timing wasn’t right to see the changes. Looks like a return trip to Hopewell Rocks is in order. I loved seeing the high/low tide photos side by side.
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Oh too bad, I wasn’t sure how good the sites would be but they were much more interesting than I imagined. The slider app worked really well for these before and after pics. Maggie
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Beautiful photos. I love the photos you can slide back and forth. Looks like a wonderful trip!
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Thanks Katelon, the slider app really works well for these before and after pictures.
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wow fascinating! Love the swiping feature it really shows the difference, great idea!
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Thanks Andy. It’s my first time using that feature. It works really well for these types of pictures. Maggie
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Such an iconic site of Canada! I remember seeing pictures of these in a book about Canada back in elementary school and being fascinated by them. Incredible that you can observe such a difference in only a couple of hours! Love that you include the maps with the blogs to show where you’re travelling. That standalone rock with the tree on top is perfection. The more I see your cross-country posts the more I want to make this trip one day. Can’t wait to see more of the Maritimes with your photos!
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We tend to forget how great our country is don’t we? There are so many fascinating and beautiful places in Canada that we could have spent much longer than 40 days. We studied about the tides in a sailing class but the massive differences seemed almost like a made-up example not a real phenomenon. Seeing the difference in just a few hours was fascinating. Maggie
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Really interesting, we hope to sail there next year.
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We studied about these tides during a sailing class. In reality it’s probably too complicated for my sailing skills to handle. I hope you get there, it’s a fascinating place! Maggie
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I’ve heard of Bay of Fundy before, but I didn’t realize that it has the largest difference between high and low tides in the world. Your photos of how the same places look like during the two tides really give me a better understanding of the scale of this. This is really amazing! It’s interesting how one of the rock formations resemble the one you saw in Thailand. I wonder if both were created under similar circumstances.
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It really is fascinating to see the difference in just a few hours. I think many of the rocks in the Thailand site were formed by the sea, millions of years ago, so maybe by the same type of tidal waves. You know Bama, Quebec City is not that far away from Hopewell Rocks, at least by Canadian standards for distance. You may want to include it on your trip to Canada. 😊 Maggie
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Ha! Maybe I should. 😀
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The rocks are amazing – they’ve all got their own hairstyles 🙂
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I know they’re so funny! Nature has a sense of humour 😊
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Great and Perfect captures, Maggie! Great sharing!
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Thanks Jyothi!!
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Amazing. 16 meters is quite a tide. The maximum that I’ve seen in India is 11 m
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11 m is still quite a lot. It was really impressive to see the before and after in just a few hours. Thanks for your input. Maggie
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You have captured the difference in the tides so perfectly in your comparison photos. I would be afraid to get too close to some of those eerily balanced rocks!
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Thank you! The rocks do look quite unstable and a few have collapsed over the years. The park keeps a pretty good eye on them though. Maggie
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Thank you for pointing me towards this post. It all looks fascinating and those rock formations at Hopewell Rocks are amazing! A must if/when we visit this area 🙂
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Yes, I would see it again, it was so fascinating. 🙂
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Awesome! We visited that same spot! We also found a location near a bridge where we could slide down the red mud bank at low tide. It was so smooth, it was like wading in melted chocolate. Our bathing suits were never the same colour after, but well worth it!
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Oh I missed that spot, Sounds like messy fun!! Maggie
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