'Strenuous' hike along the Bay of Fundy is about to get even longer

The Fundy Footpath already has a reputation as a gruelling hike, and it's about to get even longer.

Rerouting this summer will replace a three-kilometre section on a plateau between Little Salmon River and Wolf Brook with a new five-kilometre stretch, said trail master Marc Leger.

That will make the total trail length outside of Fundy National Park about 44 kilometres, he said.

It takes several days to get from one end of the Fundy Footpath to the other. The terrain is described as "strenuous," "steep" and "remote." The western end is the Fundy Trail Parkway Visitor Centre in Salmon River, and the eastern end is Goose River at the edge of the park. It's another 12 km to the nearest road and parking area in the park, Point Wolf.

Leger said the trail will soon link up with Fundy National Park's coastal trails and Shiphaven, which will take the total length to about 66 "extremely challenging" kilometres.

The elevation change from the highest to lowest points is 214 metres, but a graph of the elevation profile shows the trail goes up to about that height and back down to sea level about 10 times. 

It's roughly the equivalent of a few Mount Carletons or two Mount Katahdins, said Hiking NB's James Donald.

Leger said they've never really done the math, but he said there are "certainly plenty of ups and downs."

The silver lining is that the new "scenic" route really will be scenic.

"You'll get a lot more views, some pretty spectacular outlooks and really interesting forest types," said Leger.

The reason the section is being replaced is because it crosses an ecologically sensitive wet area.

Leger is part of a group laying out the new trail design now.

"The crew will be following in behind us shortly to actually construct that trail."

A few segments of trail that closely parallel the Fundy Trail Parkway will also be relocated.

Work is being done on a half-kilometre section where there's only a narrow strip of land between the coast and the road.

"The two experiences aren't necessarily compatible," said Leger. "If you're out to hike a wilderness trail, you want to be as far away from roads as possible. So, we're moving the trail away from the road wherever we can."

Other improvement projects include adding privies at campsites and new signs marking the kilometres and the trail heads.

The improvement projects are being done with the help of many volunteers and partner organizations, said Leger, including the UNESCO Fundy Biosphere Reserve and his father, Alonzo Leger, who founded the trail.

An online booking system is still a work in progress, said Leger, and won't be ready this year.

Once that system is up and running, probably next winter, people will be asked to pay camping fees and plan their trips in more detail. There's limited capacity at some campsites.

Leger said he's already getting calls from shops that have run out of this year's edition of Fundy Footpath Hiker's Guide Book. That usually only happens in July or August.

"I would say this is going to be a big year for us," he said.

Leger said that's, in part, due to a growing culture of outdoor recreation in the province and the region.

"In the Atlantic area, we're getting more people that are into this sort of thing, which is wonderful," said Leger.

"But also I think the trail's gained a lot of notoriety in recent years."

The Fundy Footpath was the subject of a documentary that has toured film festivals around the world, it was featured in Canadian Geographic Magazine and it made a list of top trails in the world by Explore Magazine.

More than 1,000 people a year have hiked the trail end to end since 2016, said Leger, while many other "day users" hike smaller sections.

Leger recommended anyone thinking of trying the trail start with a small section at either end to get to know the coastline and the experience of carrying heavy backpack uphill.

One option is a new 12-km, mechanically built trail from Goose River to the Point Wolf parking lot, which Leger said has good sample terrain in and out of valleys.

"The trail tread is nice and smooth and doesn't have much in the way of roots and rocks and is a great opportunity for people to try the trail in a more controlled environment."

Another recommended test hike, with fewer ups and downs, is a 2.5-km walk from Big Salmon River to Long Beach, which has day access and a parking lot.