Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/651528
TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA S amuel de Champlain was an intrepid explorer who earned his place in Canadian history, yet the famed Frenchman missed the mark in one regard. In 1604, he sailed into the mouth of the St. John River, claimed it, named it, and promptly sailed away. In doing so, he gave short shrift to a beautiful body of water that threads through thick forests and sylvan valleys, tumbling over grand falls as it heads toward its grand fi nale—the Reversing Rapids. New Brunswick has many attractions that, like the river, reward those who take a leisurely approach; hence, today's travellers shouldn't emulate Champlain by buzzing through en route to bordering Québec or other Maritime Provinces. WONDERFUL WATERWAYS The St. John is only one of the waterways which merits closer inspection. The wilder, salmon-rich Miramichi River, for example, is a world-class destination for anglers; and don't forget all that H 2 O lapping the province's 2,250-km (1,400-mi.) coast. Chaleur Bay, to the north, is fringed with vintage fi shing villages; Northumberland Strait, to the east, is bordered by sandy beaches; and the Bay of Fundy, to the south, famously generates the highest tides on the planet—walls of water that rise and fall as much as 14.6 m (48 ft.) twice daily. Understandably, the last of these is New Brunswick's big-ticket attraction, and top stops like the Hopewell Rocks, the Fundy Trail and Fundy National Park all show- case its power, providing ample opportuni- ties for outdoor adventure. CULTURAL CONTRASTS The cultural landscape is equally diverse— and equally worth exploring—because Canada's only offi cially bilingual province has a split personality, linguistically speaking. The English and French popula- tions put a unique spin on everything from architecture to cuisine; as a result, British- infl uenced Loyalist locales such as Saint John (Canada's oldest incorporated city) are visibly different from their Acadian cousins: communities where francophone residents proudly fl y their own tricolour fl ag and have an abiding passion for a potato dish called poutine râpée. When a Go WitH tHe fLoW BY SUSAN MACCALLUMWHITCOMB Go WitH tHe fLoW neW BrUnSWiCK HoPeWeLL roCKS, LoW tiDe • toUriSM nB NEW BRUNSWICK