What is the Hopewell Rocks and where is it?
The Hopewell Rocks often called the Flowerpots Rocks, rocks and cliffs of unusual shapes due to tidal erosion for millions of years. The Hopewell Rocks are located on the shore of the Bay of Fundy in the Canadian province, New Brunswick.
Website: https://www.nbparks.ca/en/parks/33/hopewell-rocks-provincial-park
Address: 131 Discovery Rd, Hopewell Cape, NB E4H 4Z5
The Hopewell Rocks are famous for their high sea tides. By the way, the world’s highest tide at the Bay of Fundy is 21.6 meters (71 feet)! Due to that fact, the Hopewell Rocks is part of 1,000 places to see before you die.
That is why when we planned our trip to icebergs of Newfoundland, we decided to stop for a couple of days at Hopewell Rocks.
Our destination in New Brunswick was the village of Alma. Located 50 km (30 mi) from Hopewell Rocks the village of Alma has a lot of accommodations you can book for your stay. We picked Alma as our stay at Hopewell Rocks because of National Park of Fundy that is nearby.
We got to the motel around 11 pm. And as in our first trip to the Maritimes, we “stepped on the same rake” again: we had not bought any beer before our trip! A bottle of beer is exactly what you need after a long day of summer driving. To make it clear for those who have not read our post about our Prince Edward Island trip, the problem is all Canadian provinces except Quebec sell alcoholic beverages only in special stores. Usually, they are closed very early.
What is the best time to visit the Hopewell Rocks?
The Hopewell Rocks are open seasonally from mid-May until mid-October. You can always check the season dates and hours of operation as well as the entrance rates on the official Hopewell Rocks website.
Our trip to Hopewell Rock took place at the end of June. It was a sunny day with clouds – ideal conditions for photographers.
Travel tip
By the end of the visit, our sneakers were covered by a thick layer of brownish-red mud. Therefore, it is better not to wear light-colored shoes 🙂 At the exit, though, there is a special place where you can clean and wash your shoes.
When can you see low and high tides at Hopewell Rocks?
Always! The water is constantly moving!
You walk one way along the Bay of Fundy shore, looking at all those “flowerpots”… Later on your way back after a couple of hours, you see the same “flowerpots” standing in water! We had such a fun time looking at the “flowerpots” under different angles. Depending on your fantasy, you can see different faces, shapes… what ever you want!
You can walk on the ocean floor only at certain times of the day. Check tide table at Hopewell Rocks before your visit..
However, there is a nice bonus! The entrance ticket is valid for two consecutive days. So we used that option. On the first day we walked on the ocean floor at low tide. The followig day, we returned to see how Hopewell Rocks look like at high tide. Although it was not the highest tide, the view is pretty impressive! Yesterday we could hardly see the water of the Bay of Fundy far away, but now we looked at the “flowerpots” slowly disappearing in water.
How much time do you need to walk at the Hopewell Rocks?
For sure, everyone has its one pace. But still we can give you an idea.
Before access the ocean floor you need to walk for 10-15 minutes in a forest trail. The length of the Hopewell Rocks beach around 2 km (1.2 mi). Access to the beach is only one, so the whole walking distance can be about 4 km (2.4mi).
If for some reason, you do not have time to go back before high tide, do not worry. At the far end of the beach, there is a tower, where you can climb in a case of emergency. And in theory, the park staff should pick you up from there. We did not check, though 🙂 In the worst-case scenario, you have to wait until low tide 🙂
Though the park is self-guided, the interpretive staff is present on the beach. They will remind you of the times to leave and always help you.
Is it possible to swim at Hopewell Rocks?
The Hopewell Rocks are not the most pleasant place to swim because of the muddy ground. Most likely no one will stop you. But the water is cold. At least in late June, we did not see anyone swimming.
Is there risk of “flowerpot” collapse at Hopewell Rocks?
Yes, there is.
One of the latest collapse at Hopewell Rocks took place on March 14, 2016. The part of the famous Elephant rock turned to 200 tonnes of rock on the ground.
When we were at Hopewell Rocks, we saw several places with signs “Do not cross!” Although, for the most part, the collapse occurs in spring, when the park is closed for visitors, for your safety it is better not to go beyond the rope!
What else to visit near the Hopewell Rocks?
Near the Hopewell Rocks, we highly recommend to visit the National Park of Fundy. If you stay in Alma, you easily can walk to the Park. National Park of Fundy is located 45 km (28 mi) from Hopewell Rocks.
Website: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/nb/fundy
Address: 8642 NB-114, Alma, NB
We were limited in time, so in National Park of Fundy, we visited several lookouts accessible by car and went for a short hiking.
We picked 30-minute Dickson Falls haking. That was a very refreshing and picturesque walk through the woods to the waterfall. Keep in mind if you have a photographer among you (our case :-)), 30 minutes will be not enough 🙂
We already described our first trip to the province of New Brunswick. How we got around Fredericton, our parliament building visit, the Confederation Bridge crossing, lunch in the casino…
After several trips to New Brunswick, in our opinion, Hopewell Rocks is a must-visit place!
What are your favourite destinations in the Canadian province of New Brunswick? Share with us in the comments!