"Gagetown - how to get there the hard way!" Gagetown by Bwana_Brown

Gagetown Travel Guide: 21 reviews and 41 photos

Tall weeds along old railway bed - Gagetown

For the 6th annual summer biking trip of my buddy Russell and I, we decided to do an inland exploration instead of one of our usual coastal jaunts. Because Russ had been on vacation in New York City for a week and then, shortly after he returned, I had week-long wedding committments in Toronto, it was early September before we managed to slip this abbreviated day-trip into our schedules.

In a way, it too turned out to be sort of a 'coastal' biking trip because we decided to see what it would be like to travel along the old abandoned Canadian National Railway right-of-way beside the Saint John River as it winds its way between Saint John and Fredericton. Realizing that we did not know what we would encounter, we decided to keep things manageable by just doing the 40-km (26-mi) section between Oak Point and Gagetown. It turned out to be quite an interesting adventure and also the most difficult of any of our bike tours! The map in my 'General Tips' gives an overview of our route and also shows where we had to leave the rail bed and travel by highway when the going got too tough. The old provincial highway system that runs along the banks of the Saint John River for its entire length in New Brunswick is designated as a provincial 'scenic route' - so our bicycle journey offers a glimpse of what you might expect to see or do if you make this trip the sensible way - by car!

Pros and Cons

Pros:Beautiful views when not in the undergrowth!
Cons:Tough biking in parts
In a nutshell:A unique experience

Last visit to Gagetown: Sep 2007
Intro Updated Oct 8, 2007
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Reviews (21)

Our south to north route along the Saint John R. - Gagetown

Map of our railway biking route Favorites (1)

We started our bike trip at the small community of Oak Point, about a third of the way up the Saint John River between... more travel advice

Sue and the Gagetown riverfront - Gagetown

Gagetown - a welcome relief! Off The Beaten Path (20)

We biked into Gagetown almost exactly 6 hours after we had set out from Oak Point, bedraggled but still upright! We were... more travel advice

Cormorants take flight at Fentons Marsh - Gagetown

One last marsh before we reach Gagetown Off The Beaten Path (20)

It was mostly downhill on the road from the orchard, so it was great to just sit back and let the bike coast or give it... more travel advice

Another break - in an apple orchard Off The Beaten Path (20)

The paved secondary road leading back to the main highway was great - it was smooth and had even less traffic. Its hills... more travel advice

Comments (19)

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HORSCHECK Apr 8, 2013 at 1:52 PM

Glenn, I didn't know that you are such a sporty bike rider. The abandoned railway bed seems to be a perfect base for such a pleasat trip. Well done .
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traveldave Apr 10, 2008 at 6:50 AM

That bike ride through the "wilderness" sure seemed like a fun adventure. Beautiful countryside around there.
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JLBG Nov 20, 2007 at 1:34 PM

That must be an exciting experience to bike in that semi-wilderness ! Great page !
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Franmcintyre Nov 17, 2007 at 1:46 PM

My Family the McIntyre's were born in that area, but since I am here in America I never visited that area. Thanks for the pictures and your diary of the trip.
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Dabs Nov 1, 2007 at 8:16 PM

Rickety rotting wooden bridges, homicidal cows and snarling dogs makes me glad that I'm sitting here in the safety of my home, although I'm eating leftover Halloween candy and feeling a little guilty ;-)
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MalenaN Oct 12, 2007 at 10:47 PM

Sounds like a great idea to have an annual biking trip with a friend! This year it seems you chose a hard trail, but with beautiful surroundings.
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kyoub Oct 9, 2007 at 6:06 AM

This page brought back memories of an abandoned railroad track near our home in Illinois. We enjoyed walking on it until one day the bulldozers arrived and tore it out.
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1courage Oct 8, 2007 at 1:22 PM

Well, maybe this place is not as spectacular as the Glacier N.P. or Igazú, but you made once again a very nice trip and wrote a very interesting travelogue! Great job!
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nomorewars Oct 6, 2007 at 4:15 PM

What a wonderful adventure you had! I hope you didn't get into any trouble for stealing those apples.
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scottishvisitor Oct 2, 2007 at 8:26 AM

Nice bike tour with some stunning scenery = cycling through fields would be hard work!