Bay of Fundy...accessible transportation available?

[Amy from Delaware]

We will be in Halifax in October, 2009 on the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas. DH and I would love to see the Bay of Fundy. From what I can tell from a map, it's about 1 hour away. We would need an accessible (ramp) van, either as a "taxi" or as a rental.

 

So here are my questions:

 

1) Is my estimation of time to the Bay of Fundy pretty accurate?

 

2) How is the drive there?

 

3) What are we likely to see in the month of October? We will be there October 22nd, noon - 8 p.m.

 

4) Is there a particular place at the Bay that has especially good views or something interesting to do?

 

5) Is there accessible transportation available?

 

Thanks!

[bayoffundy]

Hi here are some answers to your Bay of Fundy questions:

1) your time estimate is accurate if you would like to go to the Grand Pre/Wolfville area of Nova Scotia to see the Bay of Fundy.

2) the drive there is all highway driving, excellent, mostly divided 4 lane highway with a few sections of two way highway.

3) & 4) as far as what you will see, it's important to note that there are three ways to 'see' the Bay of Fundy tides (highest in the world). This impacts the coast in three ways: vertical effect, horizontal effect and tidal bores. Ideally you would see all three effects but the tide times vary every day.

 

Vertical & Horizontal Tidal Effects - the vertical effect is the way the tides are measured in various small harbours around the Bay of Fundy. At high tide fishing boats are alongside the docks, at low tide these same boats are high & dry & sitting on the ground. One of the best places to see this is at Halls Harbour, Nova Scotia, about 1 hr, 30 minutes from Halifax. Best would be to drive out in the morning to see the low tide then explore the Wolfville area (also our wine region!!) for a few hours then go back out to see high tide in Halls Harbour.

 

The horizontal effect is the distance the tide travels out at low tide. There is a very good beach where this can be seen near Wolfville. It is Evangeline Beach near the village of Grand Pre. When the tide is out here , it's out several miles, exposing the vast ocean floor. This should also be seen at high and low tide times to appreciate the difference.

 

On Oct 8, 2009, the tide will be low at 9:20 am and high at 3:30 pm. Both the vertical effect and the horizontal effect are best seen at or within an hour of low tide time and at or withing an hour of high tide time. This time lapse really gives you an appreciation of the volume of water filling up the bay. You can see both these effects in the Wolfville area and they can be seen without even getting out of the car!!

 

Tidal Bore - people who visit our region often put the fact that we have 50 foot tides and the fact that we have tidal bores into one concept and mistakenly think that our tidal bores are 50 feet high, which they are not. The bore is about 12 feet high and is still interesting to see. The bore can be seen at the Avon River between Halifax and Wolfville - it would be best to check with a local or the town of Windsor (nearby) for best tide times. There is not really any good public viewing location (staffed) there - just some bridges where the tide can be watched. Also about 45 minutes NW of the Windsor area is the Shubenacadie River. This is where they do the white water rafting of the tidal bore. This will still be going on when you visit. If you are the adventuresome type, this might be your thing! The road to Shubenacadie is part highway, part secondary road. If you google "Shubenacadie River rafting" or "Tidal Bore rafting", it should take you to some of the rafting companies. They will have accurate arrival and departure time for their rafting trips on the day you plan to visit. the tours are usually about 3 hours.

 

5) there is no public transit out from Halifax to the tide viewing. They are along the coastal areas and most of larger towns (Wolfville & Windsor) are about 20 minutes from the viewing areas. You would need to rent a car but this should not be a problem from the cruise terminal. I think there is a rental company right there at the VIA Rail station, about 1-2 blocks from where your cruise comes in.

 

hope this helps with planning your experience. It may sound like a bit of a hassle but the Bay of Fundy is really amazing and I'm sure whichever tidal effects you are able to take in will be interesting. good luck!:)

[PennyAgain]

Yes, BayofFundy, thanks so much for this wonderful response.

 

I'm printing it out and taking it with me to Halifax.

[bayoffundy]

OK that's great - I'm glad to have helped!!

[Amy from Delaware]

Wow! Thanks for the very complete answer to my questions! I can't wait to get there...only 18 months or so to go :rolleyes: I'll be printing this and putting it in my "Canada Cruise" file!

[PennyAgain]

Wow! Thanks for the very complete answer to my questions! I can't wait to get there...only 18 months or so to go :rolleyes: I'll be printing this and putting it in my "Canada Cruise" file!

 

I'll be in Halifax before you are. I'll see what I can find out about accessible transportation to the Bay of Fundy.

[Amy from Delaware]

I'll be in Halifax before you are. I'll see what I can find out about accessible transportation to the Bay of Fundy.

 

Thanks Penny!

[PennyAgain]

Gosh, what a wonderful city!

 

I walked down to Pier 21 (thanks to the advice of folks on this topic) and visited the museum there and then walked back to the main part of downtown. A brisk 30 minute walk each way.

 

I think the best thing to do is to find out about hiring a private car service. We used one to get from the airport to our hotel and others in our group used them for tours.

 

There are also rental car companies that may be able to help on this issue if you want to do your own driving. The Westin Hotel which is across from Pier 21 has 2 rental car companies on site.

 

The hills in Halifax are huge and I am getting older. I was able to walk everywhere I wanted and needed to go, but much slower pace than in the past especially going down hill.

 

Cruise ships have already visited Halifax this season, but none were in port while I was there.

 

Good luck with your travel plans.

[Amy from Delaware]

Thanks Penny! I'm glad you enjoyed your visit to Halifax. I can't wait to go. We're going on our very first cruise this Friday!!!! I'm assuming I'll be addicted and already booked the one for Canada LOL.

 

Do you happen to recall the names of the rental companies. Usually accessible vehicles are only available from special companies, but "you never know"!

 

Do you have pictures of Halifax you can post? I'd love to see them!

[PennyAgain]

Three Rings, all the usual rental car companies are in Halifax. One thing I realized that a person who is used to using a scooter would have an awful time in Halifax when away from the area that is set up for tourists. The hills! How good are the brakes on those things?

 

From where you dock there is a very nice and scenic 'board walk' that goes all the way along the harbour to the main part of downtown. However, some of the way, it is pavement and some of the way it is crushed granite. The visitor information office and the major attractions and museums are all on that 'board walk'. The way is level (no hills).

 

The Halifax tourist info booklet you can order for free has very representative photos.

 

The oldest buildings are not very accessible at all, but they don't make up stories about accessibility. The tourist information is very clear.

 

Gosh, it is such a beautiful place!

 

Enjoy your first cruise! I know you will.