Fiona puts an early end to camping at some sites in Fundy National Park

Fundy National Park has prematurely ended some of its seasonal services due to damages caused by post-tropical storm Fiona. 

"It's definitely a little bit breathtaking, especially if you're familiar with the areas which are affected," said Cory Gaudet, a visitor experience manager at the park. "It's definitely a dramatic change to the land."

The Chignecto campground was also severely impacted, according to Gaudet. He said some infrastructure in that area of the park was struck by fallen trees, including washrooms and oTENTiks — a cross between an A-frame cabin and prospector tent. 

Parks Canada staff are reaching out to everyone who has a reservation at any of the 263 campsites at Chignecto campground. All bookings are being cancelled and refunded. Typically this portion of the park is open until Oct. 10. 

The park is also cancelling bookings and refunding campers who have reserved a rustic cabin or backcountry site, usually open until Oct. 30. 

As well, Fundy National Park has closed its golf course for the season, along with a number of roads and river crossings because of Fiona-related damages. 

And Gaudet said hiking trails continue to be assessed for hazards. 

"They're still accessible to visitors, however, as they arrive they may see trail closed signs if there's a maintenance crew on the trails working," he said. "We certainly ask them to respect those closures just for their own safety and for the crew."

Visitors planning on using the trail network are being encouraged to check the status of specific trails ahead of time on the Fundy National Park Facebook page. 

Gaudet said the closures are necessary for visitor safety and to help facilitate cleanup efforts.

"We have a lot of downed trees in the park, significantly more than we were expecting," he said. "It's comparable to when Hurricane Dorian came, although in a different section of the park." 

Post-tropical storm Dorian mainly caused damage to the park's coastline in 2019, according to Gaudet. He said Fiona was instead felt further inland. 

During Fiona, Environment Canada reported winds of 64 km/h in Fundy National Park. Gusts, however, could have exceeded that. 

Gaudet said the most significant damage was to a power line that runs through the forest. There is no set timeline for when it will be fixed. 

With fall tourism around the corner, Gaudet said the decision to close sections of the park wasn't made lightly. 

"We just don't have the resources," he said. "We're struggling to clear other areas of the park and to keep those areas open."