A Fall Visit to Kouchibouguac National Park
Getting up early for a bathroom break at our cottage in Grande Digue, I couldn’t help but notice the clear night skies and rich glowing colours on the eastern horizon. As well, there were strange bright lights on the water randomly piercing the darkness. It turns out that these were fishing boats working the waters of the Northumberland Strait for their early morning catch. I decided I had to get up and get out there to check out what promised to be a spectacular morning.
Early morning over the Northumberland Strait. The bright white light is a fishing boat.
The calm waters of tidal pools perfectly reflected the early morning sky, making for some spetacular photo opportunities!
My sister Kim enjoying the sunrise on the tidal flats
Bruce capturing the light. (Kim Grant photo)
A fishing boat, silhouetted, as the sun emerges over the horizon.
It was stunningly beautiful! Those clear skies did not only produce an stunning sunrise, but they promised an amazingly beautiful day for a visit to Kouchibouguac National Park, about a 45 minute drive away.
Kouchibouguac National Park
There are places you visit, and then there are places you experience. Kouchibouguac National Park, nestled on the east coast of New Brunswick at the northern end of the Northumberland Strait, is firmly in the latter category. More than just a collection of trails and beaches, it’s a sensory immersion into a world where silent, dark rivers carve through forests and the relentless energy of the Atlantic Ocean meets miles of pristine sand. Pronouncing it (koo-she-boo-gwack) is a rite of passage; falling in love with its wild, gentle beauty is a certainty.
Our journey into Kouchibouguac began with a feeling—a calming quiet that descends the moment you leave the main road and begin winding through the transforming colours of the Acadian forest. The air changes, smelling of salt, pine, and fall leaves. This is a park that asks you to slow down, to listen, and to explore.
There are places you visit, and then there are places you experience
My first visit to this beautiful park was in the 1970’s, as a child living with my family in the Mirimichi district of New Brunswick. Back then it was far less developed, but it’s stunning beauty and endless sand beaches left indelible memories with me. Memories of swimming the relatively warm waters of the Northumberland Strait, digging clams and picnicking with the family. Those early impressions left me really looking forward to this return visit.
The park has come a long way since then, with an impressive visitor centre…a must see before you get started anywhere else. There is a well developed trail system for hikers and bikers. In fact, we were amazed at the number of bikers of all descriptions (road, electric, mountain) that were showing up to ride the trail system. There are boardwalk trails through a stunningly beautiful bog, and another leading out to the dunes and beaches.
The Interpretive Centre at Kouchibouguac National Park
A crimson paradise: The Boardwalk Trail through a bog!
No trip to Kouchibouguac is complete without walking the Bog, or as they say in french La Tourbière, Boardwalk Trail, especially in the fall. A maritime bog in autumn undergoes one of the most striking seasonal colour transformations of any ecosystem. The colours shift from the summer greens into a rich tapestry of warm, earthy tones and bright crimson reds.
The Bog Boardwalk
Fall colours in their full glory!
Exploring a bog like this would normally be impossible, but the 1.2 km accessible trail at Kouchibouguac is an engineering marvel that carries you effortlessly over this fragile ecosystem. The trail begins at the parking area with a short walk down a forested path. Where the forest ends and the bog begins, so does the boardwalk. Also at this juncture, is a raised viewing platform 3 stories tall, giving you an amazing birds eye view of the bog. Not only is it wonderful to experience the views, it gives the opportunity to photograph the full expanse of the bog since drones are not permitted in Canada’s national parks.
The raised viewing platform at the start of the Bog Boardwalk Trail
A view over the Bog from the raised viewing platform
What is the Bog made of and How Deep is the Bog?
The bog itself is fascinating when you consider what it consists of and the wide variety of plants it contains.
- The Peat Mat: The walking surface you see and walk on (the boardwalk protects this) is a floating mat of living peat moss (Sphagnum) and plant roots. This mat is relatively thin and buoyant, typically 0.5 to 1 meter (1.5 to 3 feet) thick. Walking on it without the boardwalk would be like walking on a waterbed, and you could easily break through.
- The Peat Deposit: Beneath this living mat are layers of dead, compacted plant material that has accumulated over thousands of years. This is the peat itself. In areas like Kouchibouguac, the peat deposit can be 2 to 4 meters (6.5 to 13 feet) deep or even more in some places.
- The Bottom: Below all that peat is the original ground, which could be sand, clay, or bedrock.
Pool of standing water & lots of cotton grass in the bog
Plants of the Bog
Bogs are characterized by acidic, nutrient-poor, and waterlogged conditions. The plants here are highly specialized survivors. You can categorize them by their unique adaptations:
- The Engineers: Peat Mosses
Sphagnum Moss (Various species): This is the most important plant in the bog! Sphagnum moss is what creates the bog environment. It holds vast amounts of water, releases acids, and slowly builds up, layer upon layer, forming the peat. It’s the spongy, colourful carpet you see everywhere, ranging from green to brilliant red.
Reindeer Lichens
- The Insectivores: Meat-Eating Plants
With few nutrients in the soil, some plants have evolved to get them from insects.
Pitcher Plant: The iconic bog plant. Its modified leaves form “pitchers” that collect rainwater. Insects are attracted, fall in, and are digested by the plant, providing essential nitrogen and phosphorus.
Sundew: A smaller but equally fascinating plant. Its leaves are covered in sticky, red tentacles that glisten like dew. When a small insect gets stuck, the leaf slowly curls around it to digest it. - The Evergreen Shrubs
These plants have small, waxy, or leathery leaves to prevent water loss.
Leatherleaf: A very common bog shrub with tough, oblong leaves and small, white, bell-shaped flowers in the spring.
Labrador Tea: Has narrow, leathery leaves with a distinctive rusty-brown colour on the underside. The leaves have been used historically to make a tea.Bog Laurel: A small shrub with glossy, green leaves and pretty pink flowers.
Bog Rosemary: Has narrow, leathery leaves that resemble the culinary herb. It produces small, pink, bell-shaped flowers. - Specialized Grasses and Sedges
Cotton Grass: Easily identifiable by its fluffy, white cotton-like seed heads that dot the landscape in summer and fall, looking like tufts of cotton. Sedges: Grass-like plants that often form tussocks or clumps throughout the bog mat.
Cotton Grass
- The Trees (Dwarfed and Stunted)
Trees struggle in the nutrient-poor, acidic bog soil. You’ll see them, but they are often small and stunted, a condition called “krummholz.”Black Spruce: The most common tree in the bog. They are typically short, stunted, and often have a “bottle brush” shape.
Tamarack (Larch): A unique conifer that is deciduous—its needles turn a beautiful golden-yellow in the fall before dropping.
The Bog Boardwalk – deciduous shrubs transforming into their fall colours mixed with stunted evergreens
When you walk the Bog Trail at Kouchibouguac, the boardwalk allows you to safely traverse this incredible environment and see all these specialized plants up close. At the end of the bog trail, near the bog’s center, is a platform with some of the famous red Muskoka or Adirondack parks chairs, where you can sit back relax and take in the breathless beauty of this amazing place.
Enjoying the national park’s Red ‘Muskoka’ Chairs at the end of the Bog Boardwalk
Fall is truly a fabulous time to visit the bog, not only are the fall colours gorgeous, but it is also completely bug free!
A Walk to the Grassy Dunes and White Sand of Kelly’s Beach
First Stop…Lunch!
Near the parking lot for Kelly’s Beach you will find washrooms and a concession stand, which offers some basic fair such as hot dogs, hamburgers, snacks and drinks with a pleasant outside seating area. Since we hadn’t brought any food with us we availed ourselves of the opportunity to grab a quick bite for lunch before we continued our exploration of the park.
Enjoying lunch at the Kelly’s Beach Concession stand
Once you leave the forest bordering the parking lot for Kelly’s Beach, a beautiful boardwalk leads out crossing a tidal flats and continues across the grass covered dunes to Kelly’s Beach. If you are so inclined, you can stop at tidal flats at low tide and dig for some clams!
Stunning fall colours in the forest at the start of the Kelly’s Beach Boardwalk
Kelly’s Beach boardwalk path
Fish boat returning past Kelly’s Beach into the Kouchibouguac Lagoon
Tidal flats on the way to Kelly’s Beach. You can see the signs left by people digging for clams.
The end of the path through the dunes opens up onto Kelly’s Beach, a stunning 25-kilometre stretch of fine, white sand. While we were standing admiring this amazing beach lobster boats were motoring in from the straits laden with lobster…or hopefully so!
Enjoying the warm sand at Kelly’s Beach
The gorgeous white sand of Kelly’s Beach! The sandy South Kouchibouguac Dune continues on for 25 kms!
Lobster boat passing Kelly’s Beach into Little Gully or Petit Goulet which leads in the Kouchibouguac Lagoon
Other Things to do:
- Cultural:
The park offers rich cultural experiences, including learning about the Mi’kmaq heritage and the story of the displaced Acadian families. Check the park’s program schedule for guided walks, campfire talks, and stargazing events. - Wildlife & Birdwatching:
The park is a sanctuary for many species — forest animals like deer, foxes, beaver and black bears; marsh and coastal birds including endangered shorebirds like the Piping Plover; and marine life like seals off the dunes/coastline.
A great blue heron in the tidal flats at Kelly’s Beach
- Stargazing:
With minimal light pollution, Kouchibouguac is a designated Dark Sky Preserve - Paddling:
You can canoe, kayak, paddleboard (SUP), paddleboat or even row a small craft through Kouchibouguac’s mix of rivers, tidal lagoons, marshes and coastal estuaries. The waterways — including the Kouchibouguac Lagoon, Saint‑Louis Lagoon, and the Kouchibouguac River — are relatively calm and protected (especially the lagoons behind the dunes). This makes them suitable for a relaxed paddle, wildlife viewing, or a family-friendly outing. - Biking:
The park offers over 60 km of gravel-topped bike paths, making it ideal for a relaxed ride that still lets you explore a lot. Trails go through forests, past salt-water lagoons, peat bogs, and along rivers, giving a nice variety of scenery. For more adventurous or off-season cycling, there’s even a mountain-bike trail (Major Kollock Creek Trail), which gives a more rugged, varied-terrain ride. In winter, the park also supports “fat biking” with dedicated groomed trails - Camping & Overnight
There are multiple camping options: standard tent/trailer sites, oTENTik (a tent-cabin hybrid), or more rustic backcountry canoe-accessible camping for a true wilderness experience. Staying overnight gives you a chance to enjoy the park’s calmer morning & evening vibes — a great way to connect with nature away from crowds.
Final thoughts
Kouchibouguac isn’t a park you simply see; it’s one you feel in your soul. It’s the feeling of warm sand underfoot, the cool shade of the Acadian forest and the profound peace of a star-filled night. It’s a reminder of the wild, beautiful, and resilient rhythm of the natural world. It’s a place that calls you back long before you’ve even left.
The Grassy Dunes of Kelly’s Beach
Have you experienced the magic of Kouchibouguac? Share your favorite memory in the comments below!
Park Map
Click here for Kouchibouguac Park Map
More Photos
For more images of Kouchibouguac National Park or to purchase images, check out this gallery in our sister website at this link: Kouchibouguac National Park
Leave A Comment