Watching the tide come in at Hopewell Rocks

At Hopewell Rocks, in the Bay of Fundy, you can literally walk on the ocean floor at low tide.
Tides here can reach up to 50 feet high two times a day! 100 billion tonnes of sea water rushes into the the Bay of Fundy daily. It’s about 6 hours between low and high tide, so you can experience both in one day.

It took about 350 million years for these flowerpot rocks to be eroded by the waves into their current unique shapes. They are still unstable and large chunks occasionally tumble to the ground.

We started off in the Interpretation Center. Here you can find life-sized sculptures of the rocks, and the science and legends behind the rocks. You’ll also learn about the Bay of Fundy geology, tides and see some videos. My favourite part was learning about the legends and lore of the rocks.

There’s also a gift shop and a cafe that serves hot meals and drinks. I got a cute pair of earrings in the gift shop!

Next, head down to check out some of the viewing platforms and take a walk down to the rocks. If you don’t want to walk, you can buy a ticket for a shuttle.

The rocks are huge! And beautiful. Unfortunately, we came by on a cloudy day. It was still amazing, though, and lots of people were visiting as well.

The tide comes in fast and it can actually be quite dangerous if you are on the beach when the tide comes in. The staff work very hard to ensure everyone is off the beach when it’s time for high tide. Just while I was on the beach for about 15 minutes, I could see the water slowly but steadily rising.

Image by Kevin Snair via Hopewell Rocks

When the tide is up, if you are feeling adventurous you can go on a guided kayak adventure. If you come during the summer, you can see hundreds of nesting shorebirds, and there are lots of trails to walk down.

The Hopewell Rocks are at 131 Discovery Rd. Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick.