Here we are. The final installment of the Nova Scotia road trip series. It’s been a great trip so far and there’s still a lot of great riding ahead of us. After spending the night in Pictou, Nova Scotia we set out for the ferry at Caribou, a short 5 miles away.
The ferry will take us over to Wood Islands on Prince Edward Island, another of the three provinces that make up The Canadian Maritimes. The ferry is operated by the same company that maintains The Cat…Bay Ferries Limited.
The final leg of our Nova Scotia road trip
Fun Ferry Facts
Here’s a great travel hack for you: one-way travel from Caribou, Nova Scotia to Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island is available at no fee on a first come, first served basis, however spaces cannot be guaranteed without a reservation. That’s right…the 75 minute ferry crossing is free if you’re willing to chance crossing without a reservation. Travelers who wish to make a one-way reservation from Caribou, Nova Scotia will be charged a fee of $82. The ferry runs four times daily with the first boat sailing at 8:00AM, and the last at 7:00PM.
During this Nova Scotia road trip I wasn’t even aware of this when we arrived at the ferry. We were very surprised by the free passage. It has been my experience, in four decades of riding, that there is rarely a need to make a reservation when traveling by motorcycle. They always seem to be able to squeeze a bike aboard somewhere. I was denied boarding without a reservation only once in my entire life. That was on Labor Day weekend departing New London, Connecticut bound for Orient Point, Long Island. Even in this one case I was able to get a spot, one hour later, on the next ferry out.
The lighthouse at Point Prim on Prince Edward Island
The Prince Edward Island Countryside
Less than 20 miles out of the ferry terminal we found ourselves at yet another lighthouse. It won’t be the last one. This one is the lighthouse at Point Prim, located at the end of a graded, but unpaved, access road. At this point in the trip my beautiful gloss black ElectraGlide® has taken on the patina of a motocross bike. Lots of dirt roads in The Maritime’s. An ADV biker’s paradise. Not so much for us guys on big touring machines.
Dirt roads are abundant in The Atlantic provinces
Leaving Point Prim we head up the coast of The Northumberland Strait. What a contrast to the Cape Breton Highlands of Nova Scotia! It’s almost as if this part of the Nova Scotia road trip was unfolding in another part of the world. This region of Prince Edward Island is rather flat, with gentle rolling hills through thousands upon thousands of acres of farmland. Some of these farms are right on the water’s edge. The scenery is stunning.
Beautiful farmlands on Prince Edward Island
We rode (intentionally) around the city of Charlottetown; the capital city and the largest on Prince Edward Island. If you want the scoop on what to do, where to eat and where to stay in Charlottetown you’ll have to source that information elsewhere. I’m not a big city guy…especially when I’m road tripping.
Good Eats on PEI
About 70 miles out of Point Prim we found ourselves in the town of Victoria, PEI. If you make it here be sure to stop at The Lobster Barn. This wonderful waterfront eatery offers fresh-off-the-boat scallops, lobsters and the catch-of-the-day fish. I ordered their scallop and bacon sandwich and was overwhelmed. Delish! I would return to PEI for this temptation alone. As an added bonus there is yet another Maritimes lighthouse located directly across the street from the restaurant. This one is The Victoria Seaport Lighthouse Museum.
Great food to be had at The Lobster Barn in Victoria
A short 14 miles from Victoria we find ourselves at the entrance to Confederation Bridge. This eight mile long landmark is Canada’s longest span and the world’s longest bridge over ice-covered water. The high wind warning signs concerned me at first, until I realized they were put there to warn higher profile vehicles like tractor trailers and buses. The walls on the side of the bridge are high enough to keep motorcyclists protected from the high wind gusts in the area.
Confederation Bridge connects Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick Province
It’s a whole different story when you exit the bridge however. Glancing up at the adjoining countryside you can’t help but notice the more than 50 wind turbines of The Kent Hills Wind Farm in Elgin, New Brunswick. They are there for a reason. This is where the wind is. Motorcyclists please be cautious. This is a very difficult area to traverse.
The Kent Hills wind farm in Elgin, New Brunswick
The Wonder of The Bay of Fundy
Eighty five miles later, with the worst of the wind gusts behind us, we arrived at Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park. This is an absolute “must-see” destination if you’re anywhere near here. The park is located on the inland most terminus of The Bay of Fundy. A little lesson is in order here.
The Bay of Fundy boasts the world’s biggest tides. On a typical day the tide is 45 feet. In extreme storm and lunar conditions they can reach almost 55 feet! That’s the height of a five story building, folks. Twice each day, over 175 billion tons of seawater surges in and out—more than the flow of all of the world’s freshwater rivers combined.
Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park at low tide
It is these tides that have caused the Hopewell Rocks to erode in their spectacular fashion. During low tide, it’s possible to walk directly on the seabed. Be extremely vigilant if you do so. You’ll want to be off the beach half way between low and high tide as you will be under 20-30 ft of water at high tide. At high tide you can look out from viewing platforms that are 60 feet above the seabed. They are nearly level with the water at high tide.
Back To Nova Scotia
After the “detour” down to Hopewell Rocks we doubled back north, and then southeast to Nova Scotia…this time by land, not by sea. Three hundred miles later we arrive in Digby where we will spend the night. We’ve put more than 500 miles behind us since we rolled off the ferry at Wood Islands.
A whale watching excursion boat off Digby, Nova Scotia
The next day we take a morning ride down the peninsula that extends southwest out of Digby. It is a wonderful ride bordered by The Bay of Funday on the north side and St. Mary’s Bay on the south. The peninsula is actually three distinct islands, all connected by cable ferries.
Incredible tides! Photos captured less than an hour apart.
We pass yet another lighthouse, Boar’s Head Light. This will be the last lighthouse picture that I torture you with. On the return trip up the peninsula the tide again amazes us. We see boats that were fully afloat less than a hour ago sitting hard aground when we return past them.
Boar’s Head Lighthouse seen from a distance
Homeward Bound
The remainder of the day is spent riding the coast of St. Mary’s Bay and The Gulf of Maine back to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. It’s hard to believe that this Nova Scotia road trip is almost over. We spend another wonderful evening at The Rodd Grand Yarmouth hotel and awake early to catch The Cat ferry back to Maine at 9:30AM.
The crossing back to Maine is like traveling to a different part of the planet. It was 55 degrees when we left Yarmouth and the mercury hits 90+ by the time we hit Maine! To make matters worse, it takes more than an hour to clear Customs in The United States and we had to spend that time baking in the brutal sun. Kudos to my girlfriend for packing a totes umbrella in one of the saddlebags. It gave us a little respite from the scorching sun.
Conclusion
Leaving Maine we make an interstate burn down to New London, Connecticut and board the ferry back to Long Island. Eighty five miles after hitting land again we roll back into the driveway. Home sweet home after an epic 3,000 mile adventure.
We hope you have enjoyed this four-part series outlining an amazing Nova Scotia road trip. We welcome your comments below. Be sure to subscribe to Roadcraft USA for notifications when new features hit the blog. Ride safe, everyone!
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