The hook
Where the highest tides on Earth rise and fall as much as a five-storey building twice a day, so that you can walk the ocean floor at low tide and kayak over the same spot hours later, along a coast of fishing villages, whales, and rugged cliffs.
01Why it's worth it
The Bay of Fundy, between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, has the greatest tidal range on the planet: its funnel shape amplifies the tide until the water rises and falls by up to sixteen metres twice daily, moving an almost incomprehensible volume of seawater. The effects are extraordinary and fun to witness: at the Hopewell Rocks you walk on the sea floor around towering "flowerpot" sea-stacks at low tide, then watch the water swallow them; elsewhere rivers reverse and run backwards as a tidal bore surges upstream. The nutrient-rich, churning waters also make the bay one of the best whale-watching areas in the world, with whales gathering to feed in summer. The Bay of Fundy anchors the wider draw of Atlantic Canada, a region of dramatic, weather-beaten coast, lighthouses, and welcoming fishing communities: the iconic lighthouse at Peggy's Cove, the Cabot Trail winding around the highlands of Cape Breton, the fjords and ancient exposed earth-mantle of Gros Morne in Newfoundland, and the gentle red-sand shores of Prince Edward Island. For dramatic tides, coastal scenery, seafood, and maritime culture, Atlantic Canada is a rewarding and underrated corner of the country.
02How to experience it
Time your visit around the tide tables to see the Fundy extremes, walking the sea floor at low tide (Hopewell Rocks) and watching the water return, and take a whale-watching trip in season. Beyond the bay, drive Nova Scotia's Cabot Trail and coast, see Peggy's Cove, and, with more time, reach Newfoundland's Gros Morne. A car and a few days do it justice.
From the locals
Fundy gets a careful, first-hand write-up in the r/travel Canada thread rather than a rave, which suits it: "Fundy National Park is a very beautiful place. It has quite a few nice short hikes to the shore or along rivers to waterfalls. It has some decent campgrounds."
The same commenter is candid about how little they saw of the nearby city — Saint John was "a nice little place to stop for lunch," chiefly for the City Market, "and that was all I did there, so I can't speak to how the city itself is." That is the honest shape of a Fundy trip for most people: the tides and the park are the destination, and the towns are where you eat.