Although our destination today is Fundy National Park, we are stopping at a "must see" spot along the way. Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park has a large RV parking area...perfect for us!The Hopewell Rocks is one of New Brunswick’s Top Attractions. Open seasonally from mid-May to mid-October, the Hopewell Rocks is located along the coast of the Bay of Fundy, which is home to the world’s highest tides.
The Hopewell Rocks is a self-directed park, however interpretive staff are located at key areas to answer any questions you may have. In addition to the opportunity to walk on the ocean’s floor, we have two sandy beach areas at either end of the park and a number of well-marked walking trails.
We paid our $10 each entrance fee at the Interpretive Centre and walked the trail down...and down...to the main beach area where you can walk on the ocean floor and explore the rock formations. Too bad it was such a dull cloudy day...
The Flowerpots
Although the flowerpot rocks come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, they have all be formed over millions of years by the dynamic movements of the earth and erosion from glaciers, tides, snow, ice and winds.
The story of the rocks began approximately 300 million years ago when fast-flowing streams deposited thick layers of sand and gravel at Hopewell Cape from the nearby Caledonia Mountains. Over time the sand and gravel compacted into layers of conglomerate rock and sandstone. Forces within the earth thrust and tilted the rock layers, creating large, vertical and horizontal fractures. From this point on, the flowerpots began to evolve into their unique shapes.Note the high water mark on the rocks...people will kayak here during high tide.
Many areas that are unstable have been roped off...
Imagine 160 billion tons of water moving in and out of the bay twice every 25 hours. Powered by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun, Fundy's tides are among the highest in the world and vary daily with the changing positions of these celestial bodies.During the full and new moon phases, the gravitational pull of the sun and moon align, allowing them to augment one another. This results in higher than average tides or "spring tides". When the moon is at right angles to the line between the earth and sun, the gravitational pulls work against one another, resulting in lower than average tides or "neap tides".
The tides start rising slowly but speed up until they they are approximately half way in. At their fastest, the tide can be rising straight upward at a rate of 13 feet (4 meters) per hour at The Hopewell Rocks.
Once back up to the top, we checked out a couple of other trails. First one was Big Cove...
From this viewing deck, you can begin to appreciate, in more detail, some of the features that make Hopewell Rocks unique. Big Cove and Castle Rock boast two of Hopewell's largest and most interesting sea caves. The vertical cliffs in this area are nearly 30.5 m (100 ft) high and the thick red sandstone layers seem to stretch from water to sky.Where rock meets water, common Fundy rockweeds form a lush green carpet over the bases of the red sandstone rocks, painting a colourful portrait against the rise and fall of the tides.
This vista offers an extensive and spectacular view of Hopewell's mud flats, coastline and the Bay of Fundy itself. Directly ahead you can see Daniels Flats, named for one of this area's early settlers, an immense mud flat that is 4 km (2.5 mi.) wide and stretches almost as far as Grindstone Island.The Bay of Fundy, which fascinates visitors today with its extraordinary high tides, has been navigated by western European fishermen since the sixteenth century. The name 'Fundy' is thought to be an English translation for the French word fendu, meaning 'split'. By the mid-eighteenth century, the contemporary spelling 'Bay of Fundy' was in common use on maps and charts.
Through life-sized sculptures, colourful displays, videos and dioramas, you will learn about the Bay of Fundy geology, tides and wildlife, as well as other fascinating facts about the Fundy coastal area. Interpretive panels on each of the viewing decks throughout the park help our visitors to better understand the unique Fundy ecosystems and the cultural history of Albert County.
The rocks that form present day Hopewell "flowerpots" are formed from sand, mud, and rocks eroded by rain, streams and glaciers. Over millions of years sediment accumulated and compressed to form two types of solid rock. The harder of the two types is formed by stones and pebbles cemented into place by hardened silt (conglomerate). The other, softer rock, is formed by layers of compressed sand (sandstone). As the earth's continents moved and collided these layers were tilted and broken. Cracks appeared providing openings where water and ice could enter.
Now it was time to continue to Fundy National Park, a short 40 minute drive.
We got levelled and unhitched...and then we both started our set up routine. With all of the trees, we were very happy that we managed to get a satellite signal.
Steve got the campfire-in-a-can out and we enjoyed a couple of hours outside before going in for dinner. What a difference in temperatures from yesterday…today had highs in the mid-teens...Celsius!
What cool rock formations, it is amazing what wind and water can do to. Equally amazing that they are able to stand on their own.
ReplyDeleteThis was the coolest beach we’ve ever explored! You just know one of these days one of the columns is going down!
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