The Fundy Footpath

ABOUT THE FUNDY FOOTPATH

The Fundy Footpath is the result of decades of hiking and exploration of the Fundy Coast by outdoor enthusiasts. It was originally blazed in the 1980s by Jack McKay, a Forest Ranger of the Department of Natural Resources. “The Fundy Walking Trail” was first mentioned in the book “Backpacking in Canada”, being described as very rough and hazardous. Over time it fell into disuse as backcountry hiking was not yet in vogue in New Brunswick. It was recovered in the late 1980s, spearheaded by brothers Alonzo and Gilles Léger, and was flagged and roughed out up to Seely Brook. In 1992, a project started by volunteers of the Fundy Hiking Trail Association Inc. (Dobson Trail Committee), in partnership with the Fundy Model Forest and the Moncton Outdoor Enthusiasts Club, hastened the completion of the footpath up to Little Salmon River.

In 1998, the Western Section of the Footpath from Little Salmon to Big Salmon was completed by the Fundy Trail Development Authority Inc. Eric Hadley designed the final layout of the western section of the Footpath. The Fundy Footpath’s eastern and western sections of this wilderness trail now extend from the Fundy National Park Boundary to the Big Salmon River Interpretive Centre. Over the years, sections of the trail have been improved and rerouted, and new facilities and features have been added for hikers. Now, the western half of the Footpath is administered cooperatively by the FHTA and the Fundy Trail Provincial Park.

The Fundy Footpath will always be a work in progress – a constant balancing act between the forces of time and nature and the efforts of individuals and groups to keep this remarkable trail a destination for hikers around the world. By hiking this trail, you too are now part of that extraordinary history.