This past summer we vacationed on Grand Manan Island, a day's drive from our home in New England. As we were making our preparations to take off on vacation I had occasion to be asked where we were going. When I answered "Grand Manan Island", off the coast of New Brunswick, Canada, the reply every time was "Where is THAT?" After what I thought was a great geographic description just about everyone said, "Oh yeah. You mean Prince Edward Island".
In one sense this is fine with me - next to nobody will discover this beautiful place and we can enjoy its uncrowded charms at will. On the other hand it drives me crazy that such nearby geography apparently is completely unnoticed.
So here is a short primer on how to find your way to Grand Manan Island from the New England area:
1. Have a look at a map of eastern Canada. You will notice three provinces that either border the ocean or are surrounded by it. These are the Maritime Provinces. They are: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
2. Zero in on New Brunswick. It borders the state of Maine. Travel to eastern Maine through Bangor; continue east and cross into Canada at Calais/St. Stephen.
3. Continue east on the Trans Canada Highway a short distance, exiting at Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick.
4. Board the Grand Manan ferry and enjoy the crossing which takes about 1 1/2 hours. During the trip look for whales, porpoises and a wide variety of sea birds.
5. You have arrived! If you like stunning scenery, incredible birdwatching, hiking, photography, rock hunting and whale and puffin watches you are going to be very happy here.
The east side of the island is filled with beautiful coves and cottages that face the sea.
The west side is dominated by sheer cliffs - good for hiking trails but less so for inhabitants.
For a small island it has everything needed for a great vacation. Including few people. Hope I haven't blown that in my attempt to improve the geography education of New Englanders.
Great post, Ellen. I came to it by way of the NG Geography Awareness Week blog-a-thon. I'm a fellow Rhode Islander (although I live in Washington DC and work with National Geographic Education) who also takes annual summer retreats to the maritime provinces. I have family roots on PEI and head up there every summer I can. Perhaps next time, a side trip to Grand Manan would be a worthy venture. Take care!
Posted by: Sean O'Connor | November 17, 2009 at 05:49 PM
Thanks Sean!
My family has a summer home in Waterside, NB, just east of Fundy National Park on the Rt.915 coastal road. We've been to GM twice and just love it!
Posted by: Ellen Thompson | November 18, 2009 at 07:00 AM
Sounds lovely! I'll have to add this to my list of vacation destinations.
On a related note, we will also focus on the New England area for our NG Geography Awareness Week blog. Look for it on Friday.
Posted by: Globaldata | November 18, 2009 at 08:35 AM
Great job, Ellen. As you know I'm a fan of Grand Manan also- Maybe a good spot for a New England Alliance meeting?
MJ Munroe
Posted by: mj munroe | November 18, 2009 at 08:40 AM
Globaldata: Looking forward to Friday's blog focusing on New England!
Posted by: Ellen Thompson | November 18, 2009 at 11:23 AM
MJ: Wouldn't that be great to have a regional meeting on Grand Manan - perfect!
Posted by: Ellen Thompson | November 18, 2009 at 11:27 AM