Joggins Fossil Cliffs in Nova Scotia - 300 million years of history © Shutterstock
To view these fossilised forests and the remains and tracks of early animals (we’re talking pre-dinosaur early), take a walking tour along the rocky shoreline with an expert guide from the Parrsboro-based Fundy Geological Museum. The museum itself is well worth a visit too, with exhibits of the world’s first reptiles and some of the planet’s first dinosaurs, along with stunning minerals. Staff also offer guided horseback trails along the coastline, and trips to see active digs, with overnight options available. Talking of overnighting, Parrsboro’s Fox Point Inn is a charming base from which fossil-fans can explore the area. It’s near a beach, and two master suites have access to a deck that offers views of the extraordinary tides - now that’s what we call rooms with a view.
But a word of warning - finders definitely aren’t keepers at Joggins Fossil Cliffs. By law, you can only collect fossils if you have a Heritage Research Permit from the government of Nova Scotia - no permit, no picking. If you do find something, though, be sure to take a photo and show museum staff. You never know - you might have made a mammoth discovery.
6. Snorkel with salmon
Close encounters with the world’s most endangered animals are a rare opportunity indeed. But for a few days each September, you can go eye-to-eye with the Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic Salmon. Just don a dry suit, mask and snorkel, and glide downstream in the fast-flowing shallows of the Upper Salmon River, one of the bay’s icy tributaries.
With its population dropping from 40,000 in the 1980s to less than 200 by the late 2000s, the salmon was saved from certain extinction by an innovative recovery programme. The young salmon (smolts) spend their first few years in local streams, before being collected and released at a pioneering wild salmon conservation site on Grand Manan Island. Here they hone their wild instincts - essential for future survival - before being released back to their Fundy breeding grounds.
To snorkel with salmon and experience this extraordinary sight, contact Fundy National Park through their site for seasonal details.