"New Brunswick - my home province " a Province of New Brunswick Travel Page by Bwana_Brown

New Brunswick is one of the three Maritime Provinces located on the Atlantic coast of Canada. The "Picture Province" was created in 1784 when it split away from the originally much-larger Nova Scotia, following the arrival of British Loyalists fleeing the American colonies as a result of the loss of the Revolutionary War (1776-1783). At 28,000 sq km in size, and with a population of only 750,000, it is small by Canadian standards, being 8th largest of the ten provinces and is about the same size as South Carolina or a bit bigger than the Republic of Ireland. Despite the influx of new English settlers, NB also has a large French-speaking population, stemming from the arrival of Samuel Champlain on the southern shores in 1604. As a result, NB is the only officially bilingual province in Canada and the mixture of the two cultures makes for some very interesting places to experience!

Surrounded on three sides by water, fishing and sailing has played a large part in its history and there is no shortage of water-based activities or scenic spots to enjoy. The interior is heavily forested, so much so that it still has 90% tree coverage, the most of any State or Province in North America. Most of the cultivated and settled areas are in the many river valleys that cut through the hills of the rolling countryside, especially in the southern part of New Brunswick. Settlement in the remainder of the province is mainly along the east, north and west coasts.

In the course of living here, I have covered it all partly through my job of dealing with the power grid and also as we went camping with our children in the 1970s and 80s. However, these tips will concentrate on more recent travels - some with my wife and others with my biking buddy Russell. The 'Things to Do' tips will start along the south coast with its high tides before moving to the other two coastlines. Then we will move inland to the sample the southern countryside before moving north to Kouchibouguac National Park, the tallest peak at Mount Carleton and small Miscou Island at the northeast tip. The map in my first 'General' tip gives an overview of the province and these destinations.