Get Active in the Great Outdoors!
Fredericton is an urban centre- but so close to nature! With a beautiful heritage river nestled alongside downtown, the best trail system in the maritimes, and an active outdoor community , you’ll find the perfect outdoor adventure to get your heart rate pumping !
We’ve put together this suggested itinerary to help make a weekend plan to get out and get active in the great outdoors !
TIP If you’re here on a Thursday Night, sign up for Paddle & Pint, a guided paddle tour of the Wolastoq river followed by a visit to Graystone Brewing micro-brewery – Thursday nights July & August
DAY 1 The Wolastoq / Saint John River
For getting active on the Wolastoq ( Saint John River) you’ll want to connect with Second Nature Outdoors . In addition to renting canoes, kayaks, paddleboard they have several excursions they offer including;
Point to Point Paddle - a full day kayak excursion starting in Oromocto and ending in Fredericton! This paddle takes approximately 6-8-hours with time to explore.
Island Excursion – On this self guided 3 hour paddle, explore the Islands from Hartt Island and ending at the Small Craft Aquatic Centre. Learn more about the islands here!
Are you an Early Bird?
How about a SUNRISE PADDLE Rise with the sun and Second Nature Outdoors for a Sunrise Paddle at Hartt Island Resort. Paddle out and around the island, and finish the adventure at the SNO hut with a locally roasted coffee. NOTE: This is not regularly scheduled tour, but open to book the day/time you want (for groups of 4 +)
Just 30 minutes north west of Fredericton is a beautiful area called Mactaquac Country, situated on both sides of the Mactaquac headpond on the river. With great swimming beaches and stunning fall colours, Mactaquac Provincial Park is New Brunswick’s largest recreation park at 525 hectares (1,200 acres) of open land and forest. It features a wonderful network of nature trails and free picnic sites and is popular for both water-based and landbased activities.
How about a round of Golf
The park is home to an 18- hole championship course set in the spectacular rolling hills of the St. John River Valley. The course, carved out of mature forest, offers a unique series of challenges for golfers of all skill levels. The 7,030-yard layout features meticulously groomed fairways that lead the golfer into generous-sized greens. Keep your eyes out for white-tailed deer, known to frequent the course. The water hazards on hole numbers 13 and 14 are often visited by ducks and geese and add to the course's natural charm. Book your tee time here
TreeGo Mactaquac
Set in the treetops of the Park, this aerial adventure course offers a diverse and exciting experience within the comfort of knowing that you’re attached to continuous safety cables. This tree top adventure offers a self-managed course for adults and teens and one for children (7-13 yr old). The series of progressively challenging tree-to-tree activities and multiple activities in a course is an exercise in agility, endurance and confidence. Book your tree time here
We’ll bet you’re Hungry ? They’re lots of options to fuel up and we’ve got ethnic restaurants serving everything from Caribbean to Japanese, and check out a few new faves here (link to Mikes vid) . Choose a local pubs for a hearty maritime meal and be sure to hit up the local taprooms - the perfect place to chat with locals and enjoy local craft beer, cider or even mead. to
Day 2 Hit the dusty trail!
Fredericton has over 100 kms of multi-purpose trails to explore on the south and north sides of the city and Outpost magazine has ranked them as some of the best! Fredericton's trail system connects with the greater Trans Canada Trail system, and visitors will find a Trans Canada Trail pavilion on The Green, downtown. The city also features a unique trail bridge, which is the longest bridge in the trail system in New Brunswick!
Rent a bike from Radical Edge, or Second Nature Outdoors and get out and explore the trails. If you’re a craft beer lover, you’ll want to check out the breweries and cideries with a passport-style map of 11 taprooms around the city. Every time you grab a pint or flight of beer or cider at one of the tasting rooms listed, get a stamp on your passport.
Second Nature has made it pretty easy for you to do this with their tour called Gears & Beers. This is a self guided half or full day bike tour exploring Frederictons’ trails, and craft breweries, ciderhouses, taprooms.
Looking for a new outdoor activity? Here are a couple of options that maybe you’ve never tried before?
Fredericton Geocaching Tour
Geocaching is a perfect way to explore the roads less traveled, enjoy scenic views and of course, experience the great outdoors any time of year! Think of it as an exciting treasure hunt - all you need is a map, GPS (global positioning) unit and a sense of adventure! Enjoy Fredericton's wilderness and outdoors with the Fredericton Geocaching Tour (the first bilingual geocaching tour in Atlantic Canada) includes 30 special caches divided into 3 themes: nature, culture and heritage. For the Fredericton Geocaching Tour, you are looking for a small container. In it is a description of the location, a log book, a pencil and a sticker (for your passport). Download the passport here to track your progress on this series. Complete all 30 caches to earn a special locally produced pewter geocoin and a wooden nickel after finding 10 caches and a pathtag at 20 caches. Bring completed passports to the Fredericton City Hall Visitor Center to claim your prize(s).
Foot-Golf
Carman Creek Golf Club features Atlantic Canada's first course for the combined golf-soccer sport. Very similar to golf, but you use a soccer ball instead of a golf ball and a 21” cup instead of a 4” one. Location: Carman Creek, 460 Riverside Dr. behind Ramada Fredericton Hotel
Rain got you stuck indoors:
Fredericton Bouldering Co-op offers a full service indoor climbing experience for all ages and skill levels. Day or Night passes available You can even grab a snack or coffee or even an Apres Climb drink - local brew on tap!
Where to stay
After an active day, you’ll want a restful sleep. Fredericton has lots of options, many include a hot breakfast to get you fueled for the day. Check out your options here – link to Stay page
