SUP in #SJTownsByTheBay

One of my favourite places to SUP is Dominion Park, located along the Wolastoq River (Saint John River) on the west side of Saint John. Dominion Park is a pretty cove with a nice big sandy beach so it’s perfect for launching your SUP. And the parking lot is super close too, making it easy to carry your board to the water! 

Once you hit the water, traveling to the right of the cove, you can see fossils of Stromatolites in the rock formations (did you know that Dominion Park is a geosite in the Stonehammer UNESCO Global Geopark?!!).

According to Stonehammer, these cyanobacteria fossils are approximately 1 billion years old and provide evidence of the first life on earth. The Stromatolites found at Dominion Park were the first ones ever found! 

The nature at Dominion Park always blows my mind. Nearby in the shoreline forest, there is a Bald Eagle nesting site. Paddlers can often see adult or juvenile birds in the treetop nest or soaring over the river in search of their next meal. I didn’t know my bucket list included “Taking a break from paddling to watch a bald eagle dive for a fish” until it happened.

Continuing on to the right out of the cove, you’ll paddle upon another New Brunswick scene: a lighthouse perched upon the rocks. It makes a great backdrop for an adventure selfie. 

The lighthouse is where I'd recommend making the turn around back to Dominion Park. Though on a chart it may appear the Reversing Falls Rapids are still a distance away, you may start to feel the strong currents of the rapids - this will make it very challenging to return to your put-in point, and going too close to the rapids could be dangerous. 

Dominion Park recently had some beautiful facility upgrades, including a new canteen for post-paddle refreshments! It is a well-loved park, and a fabulous spot for a post-paddle picnic. 

A new-found (to me) favourite place to paddle is in Hampton along the Kennebecasis River. There is a public boat launch off Wharf Road, with a small parking lot. The times I have paddled here, the water has been like glass! We paddled upstream from the boat launch, under the car bridge and took in the sights of treed riverbanks and fields. We only had to share the river with a lazy great blue heron walking around in the reeds. 

If you like the kind of paddling where you raft up together and float leisurely downstream, this is a GREAT spot. 

After your paddle, make sure to stop in at Kredl’s (just across the bridge!) for ice cream, or to pick up your picnic supplies. Kredl’s ice cream selection and bakery are both 10/10 and I make sure to stock up on their curry hummus and homemade pita chips whenever I’m in the area! 

As I spend more and more time on my board, my list of places to go grows, but here are a few more of my go-to spots:

• Rockwood Park 
  • Rockwood Park has a PILE of lakes. My favourites to explore are Fisher and Lily. Fisher Lake has some neat little islands to circumnavigate. And, at Lily Lake you can grab a post-adventure refreshment at Lily’s Restaurant! Both have sandy beaches to launch from. 
• Meenan’s Cove 
  • Meenan’s Cove is especially peaceful in the evening just before dusk and the beach has great sunset views! I’ve found that the power-play move here is to pack a picnic for after your paddle- you won’t want to leave the beach when the sun is setting! The main beach is sandy-ish - more like really small pebbles, but not an issue for launching! There is also a boat launch though, if you prefer to get onboard there. 

Though I haven’t been there yet, another place on my list to check out:

• Hammond River / Darlings Island → Apparently you can paddle underneath the covered bridge. Sounds like a uniquely NB experience to me! 

See you on the water! 

Kristen Scott ✌️