Fredericton to Moncton, via Highway #2 in New Brunswick
Why Travel between Fredericton and Moncton?
East of the Saint John river, you pass by Grand Lake, well-known for a water sports playground, and then cross overland to Moncton. Depending on schedule, you can pass into Fundy National Park and if you time it for the low tide, you can see the rocky cliffs, mudflats, and fishing docks left bare by the 50 feet (16 meters) of receded tide.
Here is the itinerary for the 187 km along Highway #2 from Fredericton to Moncton:
The Trans-Canada Highway in this section has been recently re-aligned (in 2003) to reduce the highway by 30 kilometres and dramatically reduce and driving time, by diverting through traffic from a two lane highway passing through a number of small communities (including Fredericton is the provincial capital of New Brunswick, and has a number of historical sites in the downtown core. For those passing by, a quickie stop at Regent Street will give access to a selection of shopping and all services (take Exit 280 eastbound and Exit 294 westbound).
Just east of Fredericton's airport is CFB Gagetown at Oromocto. Built in 1952, this 1100 square kilometer base is the largest in the British Commonwealth, and was built on land that used to be farms and forest.
Grand Lake, just to the north of the highway, drains over 3800 square kilometers and is a recreational playground with a largely rugged shoreline. Around the lake are sites of early European settlement and very old First Nations archeological sites. The forests east of Grand Lake grow on Pre-Cambrian and Mississippian formations, and since the spruce budworm attacks of the 19670s decimated the dominantly spruce forests, they have been replaced by maple, beech, birch, white pine, and hemlock on the hills, and with white pine and jack pine in sandier areas.
Southeast of the highway-and definitely a detour, via Route 114--is Fundy National Park. The Bay of Fundy has the world's highest tides of over 16 metres (50 feet), which must be seen to be believed. High tide and low tide are about 6 hours apart (and tide times change daily), so with a full day side-trip and a picnic lunch, you can observe the full magnitude of the tides. You can see the Hopewell Rocks, large flowerpot formations at the mouth of the Petitcodiac River. Travellers in a hurry can catch the tidal bore, when the inbound tide is approaching with such force and speed it arrives with a leading wave, along the Petitcodiac River passing right through Moncton.
Moncton is both the transportation hub of the Maritimes, being the point where roads to PEI, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia all connect. The community is also the hub of the area's French-speaking Acadian community, facilitated by the Universite de Moncton and the Acadian Folk Museum.
History: Fredericton to Moncton
New Brunswick road reports
Trans-Canada Highway Itinerary Map
Use mouse to drag/move map. Click on "+" or "-" to zoom in or out. "Satellite" combines map & photo.
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