Article

Kouchibouguac National Park

Published Online December 20, 2006

Last Edited March 26, 2015

Piping plovers, an endangered species, and common terns nest on the beaches and barrier islands. Striped bass spawn in the estuaries. Much of the park has been logged and farmed in the past, and accordingly, much of the forest is in an early successional stage.
Kouchibouguac National Park
Boardwalk to the beach in Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick

Kouchibouguac National Park (est 1969, 239.2 km2), on the eastern New Brunswick shore of Northumberland Strait, is a delicate blend of beaches, sand dunes and salt marshes framed by a mixed maritime forest. A 25 km long barrier-island system shelters placid lagoons from the often violent sea.

Piping plovers, an endangered species, and common terns nest on the beaches and barrier islands. Striped bass spawn in the estuaries. Much of the park has been logged and farmed in the past, and accordingly, much of the forest is in an early successional stage. Several rivers gently flowing across the park inspired its Micmac name "river of the long tides."

Camping is available and there is also a fine beach. A boardwalk has been built to focus the impact of visitors on a small section of the delicate sand dune and salt marsh habitats. Winter activities include cross-country skiing on an extensive trail system.