Tucked along the southeastern shore of the charming Grand Manan Island, The Anchorage Provincial Park opens up onto the crystal waters of the Bay of Fundy, where it meets the Gulf of Maine. This New Brunswick park can only be reached by ferry from the Canadian mainland, but it’s well worth the trip: with a unique combination of whale-watching, birding, hiking, cycling, sea kayaking, and more in a picturesque landscape, The Anchorage Provincial Park makes for an unforgettable RV vacation.
This Canadian park has something to offer every kind of visitor who makes the trip. Hikers, cyclists, and mountain bikers can take advantage of the park’s many multi-use trails, which wind through breathtaking scenery and along the rugged shore. Birdwatchers can look out for some of the 275 species of birds that have been spotted on the island, and whale-watchers can hope to spot breaching whales in the nearby ocean. Swimmers and sunbathers can soak up the sun on the park’s stunning coastline, and then comb the beach for barnacles, clams, snails, and other sea life. When snow hits the ground, winter adventurers can take on the park’s trails with snowshoes or cross-country skis and enjoy the park in its snow-covered glory.
Visitors eager to make the most of their trip to this provincial park by staying overnight will have plenty of sites to choose from, as the park offers 100 campsites spread across two campgrounds. The park’s campgrounds are made up of a mix of serviced and unserviced sites, with some featuring electric hookups, and some offering more limited amenities, but all boasting gorgeous surroundings. The Anchorage Provincial Park experiences cold and snowy winters, so camping is available from mid-May to mid-October, and visitors eager to stay at this Canadian park should make sure to reserve a campsite in advance.
The Anchorage Provincial Park is situated on the picturesque Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick, Canada, just 12 miles (19 km) off the coast of Maine. Its stunning location in the Bay of Fundy gives it incredible scenery, diverse wildlife, and breathtaking views—but also requires a bit of effort to reach.
This Canadian park can be reached by taking the ferry from Blacks Harbour, which is located off of Route 1 from the cities of Saint John or Saint Stephen in New Brunswick. After taking the ferry to Grand Manan Island and landing in the community of North Head, visitors can follow Route 776 for about 15 miles (24 km) to reach the park. The park sits between the communities of Grand Harbour and Seal Cove. The ferry runs daily throughout the year, with a couple of exceptions for holidays, but visitors should check the ferry schedule to find a good time for their trip. RVs and trailers are charged according to vehicle length.
For food and other supplies, visitors can head into the nearby towns of Grand Harbour and Woodwards Cove about three miles (five km) and five miles (eight km) northeast of the park, respectively. In these towns, visitors can find a small range of restaurants, shops, a grocery store, and a gas station.
The Anchorage Provincial Park offers 100 campsites and a handful of rustic shelters, spread across two campgrounds. Campground 1 is home to sites #1-49, and is located just a short walk from the Bay of Fundy. This campground offers serviced and unserviced sites, with the serviced sites offering 15/30 amp electrical hookups. Drinking water is available in a few locations throughout the campground, and visitors can also take advantage of a kitchen shelter, firewood, garbage, showers, restrooms, and pit toilets. The sites do not offer sewer hookups, but campers can make use of the dump station located within the campground. Visitors eager to stretch their legs can also enjoy easy access to Red Point hiking trail right from the campground. Some of the sites offer pull-through access, while others are back-in only. The sites can accommodate rigs of at least 32 feet (10m), but visitors with larger rigs should call ahead to confirm that the park has a suitable site. The campsites in Campground 1 can be reserved online, and are available from mid-May to mid-October.
The second campground in The Anchorage Provincial Park, Campground 2, is located just northeast of Campground 1, and is home to sites #50-100. These sites are all unserviced—offering no water, electric, or sewer hookups—but visitors can make use of the kitchen shelter, drinking water, firewood, garbage, showers, restrooms, pit toilets, and dump station located nearby. Visitors can also enjoy easy access to Long Pond trail when they are eager to unwind with a scenic hike. A handful of rustic shelters are also located on either side of Campground 2, for visitors who want a different type of accommodation. The campsites in Campground 2 can be reserved online, and are available from mid-May to mid-October.
In the warm summer months, The Anchorage Provincial Park has no shortage of beach activities for visitors to indulge in. Visitors can enjoy soaking up the sun on the beach, cooling off in the cool ocean waters, and searching the flats at low tide for snails, clams, barnacles, and other ocean life. Beachcombers will find plenty of treasures along the rugged coastline at this island park, especially while on Anchorage Beach trail and Ox Head trail.
Situated on Grand Manan Island, where the Bay of Fundy meets the Gulf of Maine, this New Brunswick park also offers incredible opportunities for visitors eager to explore the park and its surrounding waters by kayak or canoe. Paddlers can enjoy great ocean kayaking from Anchorage Beach, and should be on the lookout for breaching whales and other ocean dwellers. With its prime location on Grand Manan Island, this provincial park allows visitors to paddle up the coastline to Grand Manan Bird Sanctuary, or further out to some of the other islands dotting the water.
Visitors who would prefer to explore this island park on two wheels can rest easy knowing that the park also offers opportunities for cycling and mountain biking throughout its diverse landscape. In particular, cyclists and mountain bikers should check out Ox Head trail, which will take bikers through a grassy sand dune that lies in between the beach and Great Pond. The trail stretches for about half a mile (one km) one-way, and offers sightings of several different species of ducks on the pond along the way.
The Anchorage Provincial Park is well-known as a birdwatcher’s dream come true, with sightings of up to 275 species recorded on the island. This island park features interactive displays, birdwatching blinds, and lookouts that birdwatchers can use to spot seabird nests, several species of ducks, and the hundreds of other birds that frequent the park. Avid birdwatchers should come prepared with binoculars. Wildlife enthusiasts hoping to spot other animals can also enjoy looking out for breaching whales and salmon cages in the nearby ocean.
Visitors eager to stretch their legs and explore the park’s varied landscape of beaches, bogs, and boardwalks on foot can take advantage of the many hiking trails that wind through the park. For a short 10-minute stroll, hikers can check out Long Pond trail, which leads straight to the bird blinds. There, visitors can peer through the small openings in the blinds to get views of various birds out on the pond. For a longer but still easy hike, visitors can hop on the Anchorage Beach trail, which stretches for about two and a half miles (four km) and takes visitors along the sand and twisted sedimentary rock cliffs along the beach.
In the snowy winter months, visitors can enjoy The Anchorage Provincial Park in a totally different way as the snow transforms the trails into a winter adventurer’s paradise. Visitors can bring their snowshoes and cross-country skis and check out Great Pond trail and Bagley trail for snowshoeing, and Red Point, Ox Head, and Long Pond trails for both snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. For the longest trek, snowshoers and cross-country skiers should hop on Red Point trail, which stretches for about one mile (two km) one-way, and offers scenic ocean views along mixed woods.
