SWALLOWTAIL LIGHT - This is the lighthouse seen just before the ferry docks in North Head, situated on a point of land almost separated from the Island by the "Sawpit" over which a footbridge extends. It is one of only a handful of remaining wooden light towers in Canada. The concrete foundations at the furthest point of land were for the fog bell which now sits behind the Grand Manan Museum. An automatic fog alarm next to the light tower now warns mariners. Notice the sedimentary rock formations, the wind blown trees and the birds. You can also have a good look into the "Cora Belle" and "Intruder" herring weirs and may be lucky enough to see herring being pumped from them. Scan the water for seals, harbour porpoises and whales. This is an excellent spot to watch the sunrise. The lightkeepers house, surrounding buildings and part of the land is owned by the Village and is leased as a bed & breakfast. The lighthouse is still owned by Transport Canada.

HOLE-IN-THE-WALL - A short hike in coastal forest through the Hole-in-the-Wall Park will bring you to a large natural rock arch at the edge of a cliff. This hike also affords an excellent view of the Sevens Days Work cliff formation, and of Whale Cove. You will also over look the "Jubilee" weir. Watch for eagles, peregrine falcons and seabirds, as well as seals, harbour porpoises and whales. Hole-in-the-Wall Park is a private operation offering guided or self-guided tours of the property during daylight hours, and wilderness camping. Watch for new features as the park is developed. Trail maps of Hole-in-the-Wall Park are available at the park entrance.

PETTES COVE - A number of small rocky beaches can be found in this cove, bordered on the north by Swallowtail and by Net Point on the south. A trail to the right of the largest beach will take you to Net Point and back with spectacular scenes along the way. You will pass by cottages owned by Erica Deichmann Gregg, a world reknowned New Brunswick potter. The British proposed to build a fort in 1819 on Net Point but it was never constructed. The cove used to support a silver hake industry, but none of the shore buildings survive. Seals and sometimes whales can be seen from shore. The "Cora Belle" and "Intruder" weirs can also be viewed.

WHALE COVE - Once the location of a busy fishing wharf, Whale Cove is now better known to rock hounds and camera buffs. Agates and natural copper have been found here. Many fishermen come here to swap tales of years gone by and to watch the building and seining of the weirs. The fishing wharf was largely destroyed in the "Groundhog Gale" of 1976. A cement slip is now used to haul dories and skiffs out of the water. Seven Days Work is to the left and Hole-in-the-Wall is to the right. Willa Cather, an author from the United States, spent many summers in cottages in Whale Cove, beginning in 1922, eventually having a cottage of her own constructed.  Her cottage is not open to the public

SEVEN DAYS WORK, ASHBURTON HEAD, AND THE BISHOP - Seven Days Work is a perpendicular rock formation showing at least seven strata of rock piled to a height of over 200 feet. It can be reached by hiking along the beach from Whale Cove, and from either a trail along Eel Brook or a private road, both leading to Ashburton Head, the sight of the shipwreck of the "LORD ASHBURTON" in 1857 which led to the name of this point of land. You may still find some of the ship's ballast on the beach - black volcanic stones, quite different from the native rocks. The Bishop is a small pillar of rock north of Ashburton Head where a small colony of black guillemots nest each year.  The coastal trail from Ashburton Head to the Whistle has been protected from development by the owner, Jim Munro, and the Nature Trust of New Brunswick. House construction, however is taking place along the stretch from Whale Cove to Eel Brook which may affect the coastal trail.

THE WHISTLE - LONG EDDY POINT - The "Whistle" (named for the sound of the fog alarm) is the most northerly point on the Island. The concrete foundation of one of the fog alarms can still be found on the rocky beach below the present light tower. Land birds nervously mill about here during spring and fall migration, afraid to strike out across the ocean to the nearby mainland, only seven miles distant. The wooden helicopter pad is a great spot to sit and watch harbour porpoises, seabirds and the occasional whale feeding in the turbulent eddies or tide rip. At low tide you may see dulse pickers at work or from November to June, lobster fishermen hauling traps just offshore. Driftwood can be found in abundance on the beach. The Whistle is also one of the better spots on the Island to watch the sunset. A bench is located along the road south of the lighthouse. The submarine power cable from the mainland via Campobello and Deer Islands comes ashore here and thence to Grand Harbour where the power is distributed.

STANLEY'S BEACH - Reached from a road across from the hospital or hiking at low water from the Fishermen's Wharf, this sand beach is ideal for, albeit chilly, swimming. Sand dollars can be found at low tide but please be considerate. Dark coloured sand dollars are still alive; white sand dollars are dead.

NORTH HEAD HARBOUR - You have already been introduced to this Harbour when you arrived by ferry. Three wharves predominate, the old ferry wharf, the new ferry wharf and the  fishing wharf. The ferries GRAND MANAN V (year round) and the GRAND MANAN (summer only) regularly travel between North Head and Black's Harbour from the ferry terminal wharf. Ferry schedules and tickets can be obtained from the ferry terminal building at the head of the road from the ferry wharf. An assortment of vessels can be found at the Fishermen's Wharf, gill netters, fish draggers, herring seiners, herring carriers, weir seine boats, herring pumpers, a fisheries patrol vessel, pleasure craft and whale watching vessels. A busy wharf, there is usually some activity to merit a visit and a chat with the fishermen. Whale watching, pelagic bird watching and coastal tours are offered from the fishermen's wharf.

RECREATION AREAS - ALEXANDRIA PARK is located on the Whistle Road and boasts a play area and baseball field. Tennis courts are located on the road to Stanley's Beach and a basketball court can be found next to the refurbished former schoolhouse, the Grand Manan Business Centre. The stalls on the perimeter of this area are used every Saturday morning, June through September, for the FARMERS' MARKET, a great place to purchase local crafts, baking and produce.

MEDICAL SERVICES - A pharmacy, a dentist's office, ambulance service, and a hospital including a doctor's office and Extra Mural services can be found in North Head. Patients can be airlifted to mainland hospitals in emergencies that cannot be handled at the island hospital. A nursing home and seniors' apartments, both with ocean views, are also located in North Head.

FEDERAL AND OTHER SERVICES - CANADA CUSTOMS, DEPARTMENT of FISHERIES and OCEANS, EMPLOYMENT SERVICES and CANADA POST are located in a brick building at the head of the Fishermen's wharf. The GRAND MANAN BUSINESS CENTRE offers secretarial and desktop publishing services, public computer/Internet services, business and information centre, rental offices, meeting spaces and classroom, and houses MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. "The Island Times", a digest of island happenings, events, etc. is published monthly by the Business Centre and is available from local merchants. The VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE for the island is also located at the Business Centre.

MUSEUM - GRAND MANAN WHALE AND SEABIRD RESEARCH STATION - This non-profit research facility is located across from the ferry ticket office and features interpretive displays of marine life in the Bay of Fundy, with an emphasis on marine mammals. Researchers and volunteers are available to answer any questions.

THE MARSH - This picnic area, salt marsh and beach is an excellent location for viewing birds of many kinds. Below the high tide mark you may find 3000-year-old tree stumps, remains of an ancient sunken forest, peat deposits, and scallops shells that have been dumped to help stabilize the beach. Sweet grass was collected from the marsh by natives to be used in their ceremonies and baskets. Seals may also be viewed swimming just off the beach at high tide, or hauled out onto rocks at low tide. Salmon aquaculture cages are visible south and north of Long Island, directly east of the marsh. Long Island and Bancroft Point, which both bustled with activity as smoked-herring stands until the 1950s, can easily be seen from the marsh. A facility is located on the marsh side of the Bancroft Point Road, and offers woodland camping.

DULSE PROCESSING - A plant for processing and packaging dulse, an edible seaweed, is located just off the main highway on the Back Road, between a service station and a provincial building housing the provincial REVENUE OFFICE, DEPARTMENT of NATURAL RESOURCES WARDEN OFFICE and the NEW BRUNSWICK LIQUOR COMMISSION. Dulse can also be seen sun-drying on netting on the Back Road, Cedar Street and in North Head. Watch for small hand-lettered signs advertising dulse for sale.

AIRPORT - A well marked turn off the Back Road (or Hill Road) will take you to the a paved 1,000 m (3,000') runway and hangar. Night lighting is activated through a VHF signal. Airport Zoning Regulations and description of approach surfaces can be found at www.tc.gc.ca/actsregs/aeronaut/english/aa274.html. A charter air service is available.  At a sharp left turn is one of two farms on the island that raise red deer; some are sold as breeding stock to other farms on the mainland and red deer horns are collected annually for sale abroad.

RECREATION AREA - A small baseball diamond is located on the left as you enter Castalia along the main highway from North Head. Several island leagues play regularly here. You get an automatic home run if the ball ends up in the Bay.

DARK HARBOUR - Dark Harbour on the western side of the island can be reached via the Dock Road from North Head, and Hill Road (also called the Back Road) from Castalia or Grand Harbour. A natural rock breakwater offers a protected "pond" on the west side of the island, from which vessels can enter or leave at high water through a maintained outlet where seawater rushes in or out. At low water, dories are winched over the seawall. High cliffs surround the pond, blocking early morning sunlight - hence the name "dark" harbour. The pond is home to salmon aquaculture cages and also a herring weir.

DARK HARBOUR DULSE - Dark Harbour is justly famous for the world's finest dulse which is harvested at low tide. Dulsers leave from the pond and travel up and down the west side or "back" of the island picking dulse at low water on the drain or spring tides, about every two weeks during the spring and summer. A number of dulsers have small camps along the shore. Dulse is sun-cured on flat gravel beds for a few hours until it is dry and ready for market. Most dulse is now sun-cured in Castalia or North Head rather than Dark Harbour because of more reliable sunshine.

TRAILS - A trail south to Little Dark Harbour and on to Southwest Head can be picked up here, leading you through some of the most spectacular old-growth spruce forest and rugged scenery on the island. You can also pick up a trail taking you north past Money Cove, Indian Beach and on to Long Eddy Point. At least three pairs of bald eagles nest along the west side of the island.

COMMUNICATIONS TOWER - At 101 m (333'), the NB Tel microwave tower with CBC Radio repeater station (103.7 FM) is by far the tallest structure on the island, and provides a prominent landmark and point of reference visible for many miles.

FISHERMEN'S BREAKWATER - This breakwater (or wharf) is only accessible to fishing boats at high water. Scallop shells have been piled against the wooden structure as protection from wave action. A plant manufacturing salmon food for the aquaculture industry is found to the left and to the right a number of old herring smokehouses have been renovated. Clams can be dug at low water on the mud flats with the approval of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Aquaculture cages for Atlantic salmon may be seen hauled up on the beach either being constructed or undergoing repairs and the scows used to take feed to the cages are often present. Small shorebirds are a common sight on the mud flats, with thousands sometimes seen in August.

SMOKED HERRING - Across the mud flats from the breakwater are located a number of smokehouses in Woodwards Cove; here large herring were cured and packed for market. Grand Manan boasted some of the finest smoked herring in the world and there was great pride in the mastery of this time-honoured art. Many fortunes were made on the island through this industry. Unfortunately, traditional markets in the West Indies have disappeared in recent years the tradition is now only a memory.

LOBSTER POUNDS - The constant flushing action of the tides gives Grand Manan some of the best lobster pounds in Atlantic Canada. Buyers of lobster ship their products to Grand Manan to be stored in our pounds until they are ready for market. Several pounds can be found on the Shore Road, located to the left just as you leave Woodwards Cove heading south. 

LANDFILL TRANSFER STATION - Between Woodwards Cove and Grand Harbour on the Curling Club Road is a solid waste disposal centre, opened in January 1999. The waste is collected and shipped to a landfill on the mainland at Lawrence Station, NB.  Bottle return and some recycling are available at the transfer station.

THE THOROUGHFARE - This road will take you along the shore to a number of lobster pounds, a continuation of the pounds from Woodwards Cove. At low water you can see the road to Ross Island where the first permanent settlement on Grand Manan was located. It is generally safe to visit the island for two hours before and after low water. Check your tide table! Mud flats are common along the Thoroughfare and around Grand Harbour. Please check with Department of Fisheries and Oceans officers to see if it is safe to dig clams. Shorebirds may also be viewed.

ST. PAUL'S ANGLICAN CHURCH - This stone building, dating from 1840, is the oldest church on the Island; it replaced an even earlier wooden structure that was razed by fire. It stands at the corner of the Ingalls Head Road.

GRAND MANAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL - The community school for the island (grades kindergarten to 12) and also children in Grades 7 to 12 from White Head Island is found midway in Grand Harbour. The COMMUNITY ACCESS CENTRE is located in the school. It provides computer and Internet training and accessibility and has its own web site about Grand Manan. The LIBRARY is also open to the public.

THE GRAND MANAN MUSEUM - Located across from the Elementary School, the Museum is the proud showcase of Grand Manan's history. It opened in 1967, expanded in 1979 and again in the winter of 1997-1998. The Grand Manan Museum is one of the finest community-run museums to be found anywhere. It houses the ALLAN MOSES BIRD COLLECTION, an excellent geological display, a marine exhibit, the lens and light from the Gannet Rock lighthouse, many historical and marine artifacts, and historical archives, including the GRAND MANAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY collections. Many pamphlets, publications and maps are for sale. For the avid genealogist try the Sands of Time, (a publication of the GRAND MANAN GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY). Who knows? your roots may be on Grand Manan! A Nature School, Tuesday and Thursday evening slide shows, and rainy day programs are offered in the summer. 

ROTARY FESTIVAL - An annual week long festival is held the first week of August to showcase Island talent, entrepreneurship, products and crafts. Activity programs are available locally.

RECREATION AREAS - A swimming pool, children's playground, tennis courts, baseball field and picnic area are located for your enjoyment in VICTORIA PARK to the right on Foster Road just before St. Paul's Anglican Church. The GRAND MANAN BOYS and GIRLS CLUB can be found between Woodwards Cove and Grand Harbour. Day care, summer camp, the GRAND MANAN FITNESS CENTRE, NB TELE-EDUCATION and a number of other programs are available there. The GRAND MANAN CURLING CLUB is also located down a lane just before the Boys and Girls Club. Summer dances and bingo are held in lieu of curling activities. A small lake, MILLER POND, is also used for swimming, and can be found from Miller Pond Road to the right after the SYDNEY GUPTILL SHOOTING RANGE.

THE PIONEER CEMETERY - The Pioneer Cemetery is diagonally across from St. Paul's Anglican Church. The Pioneer Cemetery extension is accessible from Foster Road.

INGALLS HEAD ROAD - Just past St. Paul's Church, the GRAND MANAN VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT has a large facility and is supported by well trained citizens from every community. The VILLAGE OFFICE is located next to the volunteer fire department building.  A boat building shop and a boat engine repair shop are also located near the village office.  About half way along this road, you will come to Bonney Brook. (Alexander Bonney was the first white child born on Grand Manan in 1779). A right turn on Brownville Road just before the fishermen's wharf will lead you to another side road that runs along the edge of a bog where orchids and other wild flowers can be found. Further along, Ox Head can be approached by foot and from here one can access a long sand beach connected to the Anchorage Provincial Park. Another bog and heath can also be explored in this area and with some luck rare plants and birds typical of more northern climes may be found.

INGALLS HEAD BREAKWATER - Here you will find a large harbour providing shelter for the fishing fleet. Vessels similar to ones found at North Head can be closely observed. The free ferry to White Head Island docks at the wharf several times a day. The trip takes 20 minutes and along the route can often be found a good variety of seabirds, perhaps a bald eagle, or seals hauled out on the small ledges. The N.B. POWER COMMISSION gas turbine generating plant is situated at the head of the wharf. It functions primarily as an electrical backup for the submarine cable from the mainland. Near the harbour can be seen the FUNDY MARINE SERVICE CENTRE which provides ship haul-out and repair facilities for the lower Bay of Fundy.

WHITE HEAD HARBOUR - The white quartzite rocks which give White Head its name are visible from the ferry before entering the harbour. A number of fishing vessels can be seen as the ferry pulls into the wharf. The ferry takes about eight cars as well as foot passengers. Be sure to check the ferry schedule so you can return the same day unless you are staying on the island. A few smoked herring stands, now unused, remain. Herring, as on Grand Manan, made many fortunes for White Headers. One weir fisher was surprised in the early 1930's when he found a great white shark swimming in his weir. Once killed, it was discovered to be one of the largest great whites ever caught.

SANDY COVE - A right turn off the wharf will take you to a monument to fishermen from White Head who were lost when their herring seiner was struck by a ship and sunk off Newfoundland. Back tracking, you will come to a lane which will take you to Long Point Light. The road out to the lighthouse is often washed out by winter storms, and is usually impassable for passenger cars but an easy walk. Proceed a bit further and you come to Sandy Cove Beach, a magnificent curved beach of fine sand with a trout pond behind it. In this freshwater pond, many gulls come to wash the salt from their feathers, in the process creating quite a display.

GULL COVE - With its small protected harbour and wharf, this is where John James Audubon came ashore in May of 1833. If you are interested in the plant and bird life of bogs, there is a large one (referred to as "Audubon's Bog" by some residents) in the centre of the island. The first house on White Head was built in Gull Cove in 1805 by William Franklin, a Bay of Fundy pilot who hosted Audubon. From here, whales can sometimes be seen feeding in tide rips off the island.

RECREATION AREAS - A playground is located next to the two room school house for grades K to 6. An outdoor hockey rink is flooded each winter.

ANCHORAGE PROVINCIAL PARK - On the way to Seal Cove, the Anchorage Provincial Park (open from late May until early October) has excellent camping facilities. A separate picnic and barbecue area is also available for family outings. Semi-tame rabbits abound, much to the delight of children. A bird and game sanctuary located here offers unique opportunities for the bird watcher and naturalist. A boardwalk trail from the park takes you to Red Point. A second trail along the beach takes you past Long Pond and Big (or Great) Pond to Ox Head. Blinds are also found at Long Pond and Big (or Great) Pond for viewing birds. Beach combing and shell collecting are fun to do on this lovely, quiet sand beach.

RED POINT - A left turn just as you enter Seal Cove will lead you along Red Point Road to Red Point beach. This is an area of great interest to geologists.  From the parking area climb down onto the beach at the Point; you will find two geological eras clearly visible in the cliff face. To the left of the dividing line, or geologic contact, you see dark grey lava rock; to the right of the line you see red rock - much older in origin. With the use of a magnet, you can collect magnetic sand (magnetite) on the beach. Part of the point was acquired by the Anchorage Park in 1996, and picnic and parking facilities were added. The boardwalk to the Anchorage Park is also accessible from here. A facility for Whale Camp, a summer camp for kids, is located on Red Point Road.

SEAL COVE SAND BEACH - At a sharp right turn just before the water (the "Crick"), turn left and across a bridge along a road through a maze of smokehouses, continuing to an old breakwater and the Sand Beach. This is a great place to spend a sunny day if you have small children. Wander around and you may find fishermen building lobster traps or working on their boats and equipment. This is one of the most-photographed areas on the island.

SMOKED HERRING - The many smokehouses lining the "Crick" were once active businesses but now stand empty or have been converted for other enterprises. The smell of wood smoke and cured herring can still be found inside some of the old smokehouses. The area including the wooden sea wall has been recognized as a National Historic Site.

RECREATION AREAS - An attractive and challenging nine-hole golf course, BROOKSIDE GOLF COURSE, is found opposite the Red Point Road. A state of the art miniature golf course is also located here.  Just before the two red-roofed churches on the hill is a lane to the right (Windsor Road) which will take you to tennis courts and a ball field, and WINDSOR PARK playground.

SEAL COVE HARBOUR - Many of the lobster and scallop fishermen make Seal Cove their home port. Fishermen will show you their boats and gear if they are not too busy. Fishing today depends mainly on sophisticated electronic equipment. The age of computers has come to the fishing fleet, radars, depth recorders, automatic pilots, plotters, and Global Positioning System (GPS) to name a few. Puffin and whale watching tours can be taken from the fishermen's wharf. At the head of the wharf, you will see the CONNORS SARDINE FACTORY. This building replaced the old factory which burned down in 1985. From the lobby, you may get a glimpse of the art of packing sardines into cans (no cameras please, it disturbs the packers and may lead to an accident) and you may purchase a tin or a case of sardines packed perhaps the same day. Sardines remain a mainstay of the local economy. Aquaculture cages for salmon can be seen along Seal Cove Sound and toward Wood Island.

DEEP COVE BEACH - Deep Cove is the most popular sand beach on the island. It is a "must" if you have children, or are young at heart. The sand is excellent for sand castles, or writing your initials, or for a stroll along the surf's edge. The sea here is great for a cool but refreshing plunge but small children should be watched as there is an undertow. Access is by foot only. At HARRINGTON COVE, just before Deep Cove, the remains of a wharf denotes the site where a North Atlantic right whale, known as "Delilah", washed ashore in 1992. The skeleton of this whale and a life size model can be viewed at the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John, N.B.

SOUTHERN HEAD BEACH - Continuing on, the road turns to gravel. At the base of the hill turn left and you will come to the Southern Head Beach. A trail to the left leads to the upper and lower "Flock of Sheep", a glacial deposit of rows of granitic boulders perched on exposed crystalline basalt. The trail to the right leads along the cliffs to the Southwest Head Light.

SOUTHWEST HEAD - The gravel road ends at Southwest (or Southern) Head. A lighthouse and a communication tower are present. From the dramatic cliffs of this headland there is a breath-taking view across the Grand Manan Channel to the coast of Maine. More immediately to the south can be seen Machias Seal Island, 12 miles distant. The 26 towers (count them) of the Cutler Naval Communications Station in Maine can be seen on a clear day. A trail leads along the top of the cliff to Bradfords Pond and Hay Point. Part way along this trail, just above sea level, can be seen the rock formation called the "Southern Cross". Although the horizontal rock forming the cross has now fallen, the remaining vertical pinnacle is still an impressive sight.

BRADFORDS COVE - Reached either from along the cliffs of Southwest Head or inland from Deep Cove, Bradfords Cove is located on the west side of the island. Seals, whales, seabirds and bald eagles can often be seen.