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Looking to experience the highest tides in the world, Mispec Beach located on the coast line of the Bay of Fundy and aprox. 15 minutes drive from the center of the city is the place to go. Watch for the dramatic change in the shore line when the tide is at its lowest.
Shore line walks at the waters edge is a favorite with all visitors, but keep a watchful eye on the tide...it comes in as fast as it goes out. For the adventurous at heart the rocky coast line provides many areas for climbing and exploring.
If your looking for a fun place to spend the day Mispec Beach is just the place for you. Come and see us sometime.
To view some images of Mispec Beach just click your mouse on the thumb nailed images below. Remember to use your back button on your browser after viewing each image.
These images were taken in the early spring of 1997 with a Ricoh RZ-750 using kodak 100 speed film.
The Changing Tides of Mispec Beach
What was once a recreational site used by the military in the Second World War, is now a beautiful beach spot, recently rebuilt to better capture its beauty!
By DAVID GOSS
for The Telegraph Journal
For as many summers as I can remember, I've spent
all or part of a day at Mispec Beach on the Fundy Coast east of Saint
John.
But last summer, I somehow missed the
visit.
And the summer before I had made it early in the
season, so it had been almost two years since I had last been there.
And what a wonderful change here has been in that time.
Until I saw these changes, I was never quite sure what it was
that kept drawing me back. Now it has become crystal clear. For the building of
observation decks, and the opening of trails on the wooded hills behind the
beach have brought out the beauty of the area that was always there - but was
just not as evident as it is now.
It's as if an artist
has found some way to paint a picture that helps you appreciate an area you
love even more.
The artist in this case has been a crew
of men under the direction of a group of 12 East Side residents known as the
Mispec Park Recreation Committee Inc. and its Chairman Brian Harris.
Mr. Harris's love for the area has existed since he moved
there upon emigrating from England in 1947. At this time, the park had been
created out of an area that had been previously used as a recreational site by
the armed forces during the Second World War. Its actual use as such a site may
date back to 1825, when it was part of a series of 17 protection sites on the
harbour front.
In its last days of such use, it was the
home of a naval military unit, and when the war ended and it was no longer
needed, it was sold to the County of St. John as a war asset for $7,700. The
area was then refurbished by the county when it spent $23,400 to take it over
as a recreational site.
Saint Johners, who had lost most
of their inner city saltwater beaches to port development and pollution, and
able to afford cars for the first time in the surging economics of the fifties,
drove east to Mispec and it became a popular spot.
At the
time of the forced amalgamation of Saint John, Lancaster and Simonds in 1967,
even though Mispec was technically outside the city, it was placed under the
care of the Saint John Recreation and Parks Department.
Using the remaining monetary assets of the county, further improvements were
made to the park. With changing economic times, and changes in both priorities
of the city and travel patterns, the park began to receive fewer care - and it
began to show.
Mr. Harris and his committee were able to
tap funds made available by the provincial Economic Development and Tourism
Department, with their current emphasis on the Bay of Fundy, and to spark some
interest in the parkland with the City of Saint John. In doing so, the
recreation committee has pulled off a marvellous transformation.
Upon visiting this spring and seeing the result of some $100,000 of work, I realized what it was that attracted me in the past - the compact nature of the seaside experience.
On the wooded hills; in the craggy rock-bound cove, along the sandy beach, in the meadow overlooking it all, or at sea level on the slippery rockweed-covered boulders, one can have the entire Fundy coast experience in a walk that is no more than a kilometre or two.
The day I was there, folks were doing all the things I've described and more. Adults were painting scenes, others shooting photos. A couple of children were enjoying basketball in the new multi-purpose paved area, and nearby, several others were squealing in delight on the modern multi-coloured play structures that have replaced the gang of swings on the beach that were the only usable playground apparatus left for the kids during my last visit in 1996.
And Mr. Harris says there is more to come. Currently, a crew of eight is working to develop more trails to the Mispec River, and a lookout is to be built overlooking the river. From there, it will be possible to see the old wharfs that once stood on the rocky point in the days when the Mispec River was still dammed, and the wharfs were stockpiled with goods produced in a woolen mill and a pulp mill operating up the river, which sent products around the world.
Caroline Smith, Brian's sister, is currently trying to dig up more information on the mills, and other industries. She'd like to hear stories of shipwrecks and pirate gold that are told in the area. She'd like to know about the fortifications, and delve into the tales os the men who served there.
One group was known as "Snappers," during the revolutionary war times because when they ran out of ammo, it's said, they snapped flints on their rifles, causing them to fire. Such information will be sued on interpretative walks at the park, or signs along the many trails on the park property and some that are currently being developed on private lands adjacent to the park.
So, see the results for yourself and don't miss Mispec this summer.
- Via Bayside Drive and Red Head Road (East)
- Several kilometers of hiking trails
- Picnic sites, playground, paved playing court, sports field
- Canteen and washroom facilities
- No admission
- Free parking
- General information 506 658-2908
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