Hiking
The park maintains miles and miles of scenic trails for hikers and walkers, with good signage and stairs where necessary. These range from a 20-minute loop to a 4-hour trek, and they pass through varied terrain. The trails are arranged such that several can be linked into a full 48km (30-mile) backpacker's loop, dubbed the Fundy Circuit (which typically requires 3 to 5 nights camping in the backcountry; preregistration is required, so check in at the visitor center if you're serious about doing it).
Among the most accessible hikes is the Caribou Plain Trail, a 3km (2-mile) loop that provides a wonderful introduction to the local terrain. You hike along a beaver pond, across a raised peat bog via boardwalk, then through lovely temperate forest. Read the interpretive signs to learn about deadly "flarks" which lurk in bogs and can swallow a moose whole.
The Third Vault Falls Trail is an 8km (5-mile), in-and-back hike that takes you to the park's highest waterfall (it's about 14m/46 ft. high). The trail is largely a flat stroll through leafy woodlands -- until you begin a steady descent into a mossy gorge. You round a corner and there you are, suddenly facing the cataract. How cool is that?
All the park's trails are covered in the pullout trail guide you'll find in Salt & Fir, the visitors' guide you receive when you pay your entry fee at the gatehouse.
Biking
The roads east of Alma offer superb bicycling terrain, at least if you get off busy Route 114. Especially appealing is Route 915 from Riverside-Albert to Alma; combined with a detour to Cape Enrage, it makes for lovely touring. Along this scenic road you'll pedal through rolling farmland and scattered settlements, past vistas of salt marshes (as well as the wonderfully named Ha Ha Cemetery). The hills here look low, but they get steep in spots and require a serious grind at times; you should be in reasonable shape. Route 915 runs for about 27km (17 miles) in all; the detour to Cape Enrage adds about 13km (8 miles).
Also note that the park allows mountain biking on six trails: Goose River, Marven Lake, Black Hole, Bennett Brook (to the top of Point Wolfe valley), East Branch (must take right-hand side trail only, and return from river on same path), and Maple Grove. These first two trails are steep; be prepared.
The nearest bike shop is 26km (16 miles) away at 5970 King St., Riverside-Albert. Crooked Creek Adventures (www.crookedcreekadventures.com; tel. 506/882-2918) rents mountain bikes for C$12 per hour, C$35 half day, C$45 full day. They also rent boats and offer packages. Open mid-May to Oct 10am-6pm, weekends only in spring and fall. Closed Tues and Wed in summer.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
