Chloe Ernst - Scenic Driving Atlantic Canada: Exploring the Most Spectacular Back Roads of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador

New Brunswick Provincial Parks
parcsnbparks.ca

Tourism New Brunswick
P.O. Box 6000
Fredericton, NB E3B 5H1
(800) 561-0123
tourismnewbrunswick.ca

Nova Scotia Provincial Parks
(888) 544-3434 (camping reservations) or (866) 230-1586 (general enquiries)
parks.novascotia.ca

Nova Scotia Tourism
8 Water St., P.O. Box 667
Windsor, NS B0N 2T0
(902) 742-0511 or (800) 565-0000
novascotia.com

Prince Edward Island Provincial Parks
tourismpei.com/pei-provincial-parks

Tourism Prince Edward Island
(902) 437-8570 or (800) 463-4734
tourismpei.com

East Coast Trail
P.O. Box 8034
St. Johns, NL A1B 3M7
(709) 738-4453
eastcoasttrail.ca

Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage
heritage.nf.ca

Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Parks (camping)
(877) 214-2267
nlcamping.ca

Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism
P.O. Box 8700
St. Johns, NL A1B 4J6
(709) 729-2830 or (800) 563-6353
newfoundlandlabrador.com

All the information in this guidebook is subject to change. We recommend that you call ahead to obtain current information before traveling.

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Copyright 2019 The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

All photos by Chlo Ernst.

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ISBN 978-1-4930-3608-0 (e-book)

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Be it riding the Tancook ferry, timing the Fundy tides, or learning an island fiddle tune, Chlo Ernst has always enjoyed exploring the Atlantic Canadian coast. She grew up sailing among Mahone Bays treasured islands, where her family roots go back to the 1750s.

Chlo earned an honors degree in journalism and Spanish from the University of Kings College in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After writing for east coast publications such as the Bridgewater Bulletin and interning at Saltscapes magazine, she moved to Vancouver, British Columbia.

The travel writer has also written Best Hikes near Vancouver (2014) and Day Trips from Seattle (2010), published by Globe Pequot. In all, she has authored and contributed to more than a dozen travel guides for Globe Pequot, Frommers, Fodors, as well as articles for the Toronto Star and other publications.

Look for updates on her travel adventures at chloeernst.com.

Plates of lobster legs in Prince Edward Island, sailing out to Tancook Island, passing through New Brunswick by train at night, or watching the sunrise on the Argentia ferrythese are just a few of my treasured Atlantic Canada travel memories.

My family often spent vacations in Nova Scotia until we moved to the provinces South Shore when I was ten. Since then Ive discovered the east coast in detail, including traveling thousands of kilometers for these pages.

Thank you first and foremost to those readers who picked up the first edition of this guide. Nine years on, it has been a moving experience to revisit these regions, making a new attempt to capture the beauty, mystery, and magic of Atlantic Canada. Thank you for this opportunity.

To the editors and the staff at Globe Pequot Press, I offer my thanks for your help and your dedication to local travel. To the tourism associations and proprietors around the four Atlantic Provinces, thank you for providing quality resources and excellent service. And in every province Ive relied on gracious locals to help with updates for this edition.

To my parents and family, thank you for the support and love and, most of all, for always welcoming me home.

In a variety of ways, Ive lost and found some people very dear to me since writing the first edition of this guide in 2010. Retracing familiar routes brought these changes, struggles, and joys into sharp perspectivegiving me pause to consider what can transpire in a decade of life.

My wide and warm thanks go to all those who share the road with me. I believe life is very much like a scenic drive: its rarely about getting to your destinationenjoy where you are in the ride.

T he Atlantic Provinces cover only a small section of the map of Canada that is, until youre driving their coastlines. Ocean treasures are abundant: fishing outports in Newfoundland and Labrador, docked schooners and beaming lighthouses in Nova Scotia, Fundy tides revealing the ocean floor in New Brunswick, and red sandy beaches in Prince Edward Island. But Atlantic Canada which draws its name from its location on and vulnerability to the Atlantic Oceanalso spans farmlands, river valleys, mountains, lakes, and great swaths of forest. Its histories intertwine fascinating tales of ancient First Nations communities, Viking explorers, Basque whalers, French cartographers, Acadian farmers, English merchants, outport fishermen, and entrepreneurial businesswomen.

This rich history and achingly beautiful coastal scenery, which has the magic of seeming like home even to those from away, are even more engaging when you take the slow road.

In this guide there are 29 scenic drives to take you the long way around, stopping in end- of-the-road communities and little- visited places in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. But we dont shun the favorites either: The Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, the Irish Loop on the Avalon Peninsula, and the Anne of Green Gables route near Cavendish are rightful treasures.

The curse and also the beauty of travel is that there will never be enough time to go everywhere. These scenic drives dont attempt to cram every attraction into one guide. Here you have highlights, covering diverse regions of the east coast. My recommendation is to work with a rule of three in planning your time: pick three places, drives, or even stops that are your must- visits and then plan a trip that fits your timeline.

For example, three places to watch icebergs could take you to Labrador (Drive 24), Twillingate (Drive 26), and Conception Bay (Drive 28). Three opportunities to walk on the ocean floor could take you to Ministers Island (Drive 2), Hopewell Rocks (Drive 4), and along the Glooscap Trail (Drive 9).

Three wine regions? Wolfville (Drive 10), Petite Riviere (Drive 12), and even Prince Edward Island (Drive 21).

Sandcastles? How about Parlee Beach (Drive 8), Cavendish (Drive 20), and Rainbow Haven Beach (Drive 14).

Music legends? The Cabot Trail (Drive 16), Stompin Tom (Drive 19), and St. Johns George Street (Drive 28) all have incredible entertainment.