Kouchibouguac National Park

Kouchibouguac National Park is a special Canadian Heritage protected area. One of two wilderness Canadian national parks in New Brunswick, Kouchibouguac is a fascinating mosaic of bogs, salt marshes, tidal rivers, sparkling freshwater systems, sheltered lagoons, abandoned fields and tall forests which characterizes the Maritime Plain Natural Region. Natural wonders abound in this Park that boasts the second largest tern colony in North America. As well, the 25 kilometres of shifting sand dunes are home to the endangered piping plover and witness to colonies of both harbour and grey seals that frolic in the sunshine on certain sections of the dunes. The name Kouchibouguac (Kou-she-boo-gwack) is of Mi'kmaq origin and means “river of the long tides”. Established in 1969, this 238 square kilometre national park provides a host of exciting family activities. The 60 kilometres of cycling paths are always popular with both hikers and cyclists. Canoeing/kayaking, swimming, camping, bird watching, as well as cross country skiing, snowshoeing and tobogganing in winter are also available in this natural land of enchantment located on New Brunswick's eastern coast line. Kouchibouguac National Park is located on the east coast of New Brunswick, in Kouchibouguac. The park includes barrier islands, sand dunes, lagoons, salt marshes and forests. It provides habitat for seabirds, including the endangered Piping Plover, and the second largest tern colony in North America. Colonies of harbour seals and grey seals also inhabit the park's 25 kilometres (16 mi) of sand dunes. It is also home to the extremely rare and fragile Gulf of St. Lawrence Aster, though in 2006, storms eradicated most of the asters' colonies. The park's size is 238 square kilometres (92 sq mi). Recreational activities in the park include swimming, cycling and hiking. In recent news, the park has reported sightings of the fisher marten in the area, making it one of the few places in New Brunswick that have fisher populations.The one thing that seems to attract many visitors are the activities. Kouchibouguac [pronounced koo-chi-bu-gwac] has many activities ranging from a river adventure in a war canoe to going seal watching to a talk about Mi'kmaq people. The park was founded in 1969 in order to set aside sensitive sand dunes and bogs. While it was developed in the 1970s, Parks Canada encountered great difficulty expropriating land from numerous land owners (approximately 215 families, including over 1200 individuals). The most notable of these was Jackie Vautour, whose home was buldozed in 1976, but who returned to squat there two years later, where he still remains. Kelly's Beach, a very long sand dune, is a popular attraction along with a number of bogs, a boardwalk trail, eight hiking trails, a network of bicycle trails, two campgrounds, canoe and boat launch and the Cap-St-Louis fishing port. Kelly's Beach is popular with naturists as the long sandy beach allows privacy and seclusion.