Hopewell Cape Rocks, New Brunswick

In a Nutshell

The Hopewell Cape Rocks are located in the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Canada. When the tide of the bay is in, the view is nothing more than a pretty view where these rocks look like islands in the water; however, when the tide goes out, you’ll experience more than just extraordinary sights. The Bay of Fundy’s tide recedes quite a bit more than the usual ocean tide you might be used to at the beach.

At the beach, the water is spread over a lot of land making the tides not too noticeable but when water is trapped in small spaces the tide has no where to go but up and down. Because of this, the highest tides in the world occur at the Bay of Fundy; at the bay’s narrowest points, the tide rises more than 50 feet [16 meters] and at low tide, the sea bottom is uncovered revealing huge tidal flats. Visitors are able to walk around on the sea bottom of what was fully covered by water just few hours prior!

What to Do/See

Flower Pots. When the tide is in, there are islands just off the shoreline. When the tide goes out, these islands are left standing as huge rocks protruding from the earth with trees on top of them. The rocks get their name because they look like perfectly balanced flower pots in the mud.

Mud. When the tide has fully receded, there is a lot of mud at the new waterfront. The first few meters from land is sand and rocks like you’d have at any beach, but after that, the rest is silky smooth mud. If you’re feeling adventurous, take your shoes off and feel the mud between your toes – it’s amazing.

Recommendation: wear flip flops or shoes that are made to be completely submerged in water. There is no washing station down on the beach to rinse off your muddy feet; to get back to the top, you have to put your shoes on your extremely muddy feet and then are able to wash them.

“Ocean Floor” Walk. There is more than just mud on the ocean floor to enjoy – just walking around on the rocks and sand and looking up and the flower pots is wonderful. You can walk around the bottom of the stairs and then take the stairs back up or if you feel like exploring more, you can walk all the way around the beach and up a different path [you have to be able to climb over some big rocks so this option isn’t for everyone].

Planning: Check out the TIDE TABLE to plan your visit. I saw high tide in the morning, drove back to town to hang out and eat some lunch, and then went back later in the day to see low tide. I loved the way this worked out and also had the best sandwich I’ve ever had in my life! Find out which café had me ordering seconds HERE!