Hopewell Rocks ~ Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick

Hopewell Rocks is an incredible place to visit! The Hopewell Rocks are located in New Brunswick in the Bay of Fundy where some of the highest tides in the world happen. We walked on the ocean floor at low tide to see these magical rock formations created by the daily flow of tides. 

After a short walk from the interpretive centre, we reached the Staircase Cove to reach the beach and walk on the ocean floor at the lowest tide time. 

Lots of seaweed every where! 

Once on the beach, we walked as far as we could in each direction. We saw many rock formations and some of them have been named, like Lovers Arch, Diamond Rock, and Castle Cove. Each was amazing to look at! 

Flower Pot Rock

The Flower Pot Rocks are the most amazing because they have full size trees growing on the very top of the rock formations. 

The interpretive centre had really interesting displays. I particularly liked reading the ones explaining how the Flower Pot Rocks were formed and the Mi'kmaq legends about them. 

"In ancient times, there were unfortunate Mi’kmaq who were enslaved by angry Whales living in the Bay. There came a time when some tried to escape their captors. They managed to flee as far as the beach, but were captured by the angry Whales, and turned to stone. Their images remain today, encased in rock." Mi'kmaq Legend. 

Castle Cove

Amazing walk on the ocean floor! 

This one made me think of a person

We stayed until the tide started coming back. We noticed some of the parks staff heading to the far end to make sure no one was left behind.

Diamond Rock (I thought it looked more like a face profile!)

My husband made marks in the sand near the water's edge and we timed how quickly the water came up. It was really fast, about one minute to cover his mark. The Bay of Fundy has some of the highest tides in the world. High tide at Hopewell Rocks can be from 10 to 14 metres high. "The amount of water flowing in the Bay of Fundy in one tide cycle is equal to the outflow of all freshwater rivers in the world combined" (information from the touring companion brochure). 

So amazing! 

Walking in between rocks

After our time on the ocean floor, we headed back up and walked to the some of the lookouts for a different view. 

Diamond Rock from higher up! 

The "Chocolate river" effect is because the mudflats get stirred up by the movement of the water with the tides. 

The Bay of Fundy Mudflats were amazing to see as well, and to learn about. There are several areas in the Bay of Fundy and they, along with the marshes nearby, are vitally important to many migrating shorebirds and other wildlife. You can read more about this on the Hopewell Rocks website here.

Mudflats 

We loved our visit to Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick and for me, it was my first trip off island since moving to PEI three years ago! I am looking forward to exploring more of Atlantic Canada!