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The Essential Itinerary: Winter in New Brunswick
Take hold of the cold during your winter adventure in New Brunswick with this three-day guide featuring dog sledding, good food and the longest covered bridge in the world
- Dec 13, 2024
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- 3 minutes
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A campfire crackles. You’re within a wind’s whistle of the sea. A freshly toasted lobster roll is in hand. It’s also in the minus 10s, you’re layered to the nines, and your body aches pleasantly after a day of hiking, fat biking and snowshoeing. It’s winter in New Brunswick, baby, and it turns out there’s a lot to do.
DAY 1
9 a.m. | A stroll in the park
Kouchibouguac National Park has more microbiomes than you can shake a stick at (there are a lot of sticks, too). This mosaic of biodiversity contains multitudes: coastal dunes, rivers, bogs, lagoons, Acadian forest. Think you won’t see anything in winter? Think again. Watch for tracks in the snow, the fresh gnawings of a beaver. Don snowshoes, hit the Kouchibouguac River Trail, and, if you’re lucky and quiet, you might spot a river otter sliding along beside you.
2 p.m. | Choose your adventure
Hopefully you’ve warmed up beside the fire at one of Kouchibouguac’s shelters — maybe with a bowl of homemade Acadian stew you’ve heated on the stove. Then you’re ready to get back out there again. No gear? No problem. Head to Pijeboogwek shelter, the park’s winter hub, for your outfitting needs. All you have to do is choose between fat biking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Day 2
11 a.m. | It’s a dog’s life
Jeremie Doucet of Birch Bark Adventures, North Tetagouche, first wanted to try dog sledding after seeing it on TV. Then a carpenter, he went up to Yellowknife with 70 bucks and a couple of tins of ravioli in his backpack. He came back east in 2020 with a wealth of information about dog sledding and launched his own company with just two dogs. Many dogs later, Doucet and his team will share their knowledge as you fly through the snow powered by possibly the most eager team players in the world.
4 p.m. | Gone fishin’
Reconnect with Doucet on Chaleur Bay for a spot of ice fishing (alas, the dogs don’t join for this bit). He and his crew will pitch the tents, drill the holes and provide the bait. All you have to do is hold onto your rod and wait for a bite. A word to the wise: a flask of something warm to pass around wouldn’t go amiss as you share tall tales on frozen tides.
DAY 3
9 a.m. | A need for speed
Join those travelling from miles around to take advantage of New Brunswick’s impressive 8,000-kilometre network of snowmobiling trails. The Christmas Mountains of Mount Carleton Provincial Park, the province’s biggest and most remote, are the perfect place to start. Go out for the morning, then head back to the lodge in time for a hearty lunch — winter camping is an option for the more adventurous.
7 p.m. | Grand Falls by night
The natural wonder that gives the town its name, Grand Falls waterfall is lit up for all to see as day folds into night, the coloured lights reflecting off the snow like something out of Frozen. End the day with a well-earned nightcap at Grand Falls Brewing Co. In the morning, watch the sun rise over the Saint John River and a steaming cup of joe from Hill Top Restaurant, and don’t miss the longest covered bridge in the world (at 390.75 metres) in Hartland on your way to Fredericton.
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This story is from the November/December 2024 Issue
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