Hiking NB

Description

The beach is one of the highlights at Cape Jourimain, and in my opinion an underrated attraction in New Brunswick. Most people that visit the site are in a hurry to get to Prince Edward Island or to get back home after visiting the island. From the interpretive centre you walk out a short, gravel path to the lookout platform overlooking the beach. Make sure you stop and read some of the interesting interpretive signs before you descend the stairs to the beach.

At the bottom of the stairs, you have two options. Turn right and you will go along the beach towards the lighthouse. The beach is mostly sandy but gets rocky as you get closer to the lighthouse. There is no good path from the beach up to the lighthouse so if you are planning on visiting the lighthouse use the Lighthouse Trail. The tide will dictate how far out to the point you will be able to get.

If you turn left at the bottom of the stairs you will head towards the Confederation Bridge. The beach is sandy until you get to the point under the bridge. Here you will start to see large, red sandstone rocks poking up out of the sand before reaching the large boulders around the point and bridge abutments. These large boulders were placed here to help mitigate erosion. The tide will dictate how far you can walk on the beach versus climbing on the boulders. Use caution if climbing on the rocks. They could be wet and slippery and are large enough to require a scramble to get over them. All around the point you can climb up to the top of the boulders and get to the Gunning Trail.

Don't forget to stop and check out the cormorant colony that lives on and around the bridge abutments. You can continue past the point but how far will be impacted by the tides.

Directions

Go past the Interpretive Centre, either by going through the interpretive centre if it is open, or by using the boardwalk to the left outside. Make sure you check out the observation tower on the side of the interpretive centre to get the lay of the land.

Step off the boardwalk in front of the interpretive centre and turn left. Follow the gravel path a short distance to a trail junction. Turn right at the junction. You should see a lookout platform on your left. On the other side of the lookout platform is stairs down to the beach.

It is also possible to access the beach under the Confederation Bridge, but it requires you to scramble down over boulders so use caution.

From the Sign

The Iceboats

In winter, the Northumberland Strait becomes a dangerous expanse of "board ice," pressure ridges and open water dotted with fast-moving ice floes.

The Winter Link to PEI

For 90 years, beginning in 1827, a perilous method of transport connected Prince Edward Island to the mainland during the long winter months of ice and snow. To cross, special boats were designed with runners to ease dragging across patches of ice and prows designed to ride up on the ice and allow safe disembarking.

Great Blue Heron

North America's largest heron is unmistakeable by its two-metre wingspread, gray-blue body, dagger-like bill, long legs and long neck which folds back in flight. Cape Jourimain is an important feeding area for Great Blue Herons, particularly in August and September, just before their migration to Florida and Cuba.

From the Sign

Beach Front

This beach may be one of the few places on Jourimain Island that is gaining rather than eroding. When the Centre opened in 2001 the beach was mostly gravel and rock. Now there is a build up of sand, and Marram grass is already anchoring it in place. Over time, we may be watching the growth of new sand dunes. All this will ensure an intertidal zone for many years to come where we can explore marine life each time the tide pulls back.

Underground Network

Marram grass reaches down into the sand with such a network of rootlets (rhizomes) it can stabalize an entire dune of sand.

Other Trails at Cape Jourimain

• Gunnings Trail
• Lighthouse Trail
• Trenholm Trail

External Links

Trail Last Hiked: July 29, 2023.

Page Last Updated: February 24, 2024.