2019 New Brunswick - part 18, Hopewell Rocks on Bay of Fundy - Travel With Us

Hopewell Rocks at the north end of the Bay of Fundy in Hopewell Cove used to be a Provincial Park but is now privately run—and it is run well. Two trips are required to take in the full picture of the area: high tide and low tide. We were here twice for each view, but I’ll combine them in this post for ease of reading.

This lovely flower area greeted us as we walked in. See the flags in the distance? Yes, it’s windy.

Here’s a good description of the movement of the tides here. If you’re the kind of person who like more details, go to the end of the post for the ins and outs of the tides, how this phenomenon came to be, and lots more information.

At low tide visitors can walk on the ocean floor and explore the rocks close up, which we’ll be doing! At high tide visitors can view some of the world’s highest tides as they surge up the bay.

Diamond Rock view

This was the first lookout deck we came to while we were walking the 1/4 mile to the high (and low) point of Hopewell Rocks.

Off to our right as we were standing on this deck is Daniels Flats, an immense mud flat that is 4 km wide and stretches as far as Grindstone Island (in the distance) that had a grindstone quarry on it in the 1800s.

I didn’t get a high tide picture since it’s just water, so we’re giving you 2 low tide views. This view is closest to land.

And this view looks out at the mud flats.

Off to the left is this small cove.

At low tide people are walking around, and the gap between the 2 rocks is so much bigger.

Big Cove view

This 2nd stop gave us some more amazing views.

Sean is our tour guide during the morning walk to see the bay at high tide. He slowed us down enough so we could really “see.” Otherwise, we (I) would tend to snap some photos and walk to the next stop.

Off to the right is this cove.

Flower Pot Rocks view

This is the our destination. Can’t wait to see this part of the bay at low tide! But high tide first.

But first some information on what we’ll be seeing.

The rocks we’ll be seeing have been formed over thousands of years from erosion from tides, snow, ice, and winds.

But the cliffs actually started forming about “330 million years ago when fast-flowing streams deposited thick layers of sand and gravel at Hopewell Cape from the nearby Caledonia Mountains. Over time these layers compacted into layers of conglomerate rock and sandstone. Forces from within the earth thrust and tilted the rock layers, creating large, vertical and horizontal fractures. These cracks were further sculpted by erosion to create the works of art now found upon the shoreline.”

Now to these “fractures.”

view at high tide from the top of the stairs

our view as we started walking down the stairs to the next landing

When we got as low as we could get on the stairs, here’s what we saw.

See, we couldn’t walk any lower at high tide.

And here are the views when we came back at low tide.

View from top of the stairs—looks so different!

Now you can see the 3 levels of stairs we walked down before we got to the ocean floor.

And this rock looked small when we were looking down at it!

Our view looking out to the bay. See those people sitting on the rocks?

Now we’re looking into the Big Cove area that we saw from the 2nd lookout deck. We walked on a ways and then started walking back.

3rd look showing Nova Scotia way in the distance

Just as we were ready to retake the stairs, we met Buzz and Karen from Columbia, South Carolina. We walked with them all the way to the visitors center and enjoyed hearing about their lives. Karen is my hero since she loves to camp in a tent. Not my style, but I admire any woman who not only will put up with sleeping that way, but chooses to do so.

As we left, we saw this sign that we liked: Hopewell Rocks is where we can walk on the ocean floor.

Now to all kinds of background information on the Bay of Fundy that we saw in the visitors center. Since I’m not a science-type of person, my descriptions are in terms that I can understand.

This post is our last look at the Bay of Fundy until we get to Nova Scotia.

the rocks

Many of these rocks on the beach are as high as 100 feet, while others are only 60 to 70 feet tall. On the tops of many rocks are single trees that are still growing.

how these rocks formed

Let’s look at how these rocks were formed.

They were formed from sand, mud, and rocks eroded by rain, streams, and glaciers. Over millions of years, sediment accumulated and compressed to form 2 types of solid rock.

The harder of the rocks was formed by stones and pebbles cemented into place by hardened silt (conglomerate). The other, softer rock, was formed by layers of compressed sand (sandstone). As the earth’s continent moved and collided, these layers were tilted and broken. Cracks appeared, providing openings where water and ice could enter.

From right to left, bottom to top, these are the changes over the years on the edge of the cliffs ending with what we see in the top left corner.

Close up of the current look. Recognize the cove with this opening?

continental drift

let’s look at what this big picture is telling us.

After Pangaea (a supercontinent billions of years ago during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras) broke up about 175 million years ago, North American and European continents separated, creating a gap. As this gap grew, it filled with water and became the Atlantic Ocean.

With the rise in sea levels (around 6000 years ago), water flowed over the submerged Georges Bank (formerly a dry plain), and flooded the depression we know as the Bay of Fundy!

Now that we’re looking so far back in time, let’s look at how the Earth changed over millions of years knowing where Hopewell Rocks is.

Amazing to see how our planet has changed.

what’s swimming in the bay

At least 17 species of whales visit the Bay of Fundy. The sheer number of whales during the summer makes this a great place to come to for whale watching.