New Brunswick contains over 900 km of the Great Trail and connects the PEI, Quebec, and Nova Scotia sections to each other. It is home to some enormous forests and the northern Appalachian Mountains. It is the only province to have both French and English listed as its official languages, and about 1/3 of the province considers themselves Francophone. You can probably get by without speaking fluent French here, but some basic conversational French would surely be an asset.
Fun Fact: New Brunswick’s Arboreal Emblem (AKA provincial tree) is the Balsam fir (Abies balsamea).
Without any further ado, let’s get on to the trail sections.
Nova Scotia Border to Moncton
| Section | Distance (km) | Type | Managing Body |
| Tidnish Bridge to Baie Verte | 7.79 | Paved Road | None listed |
| Snowmobile Trail no 52 | 13.69 | Natural Trail, Gravel Trail | Chignecto Ship Railway |
| Chignecto Ship Railway | 9.05 | Natural Trail | Chignecto Ship Railway |
| The Marshes | 66.32 | Gravel Trail | Sentier NB Trail |
| Dorchester to Sackville | 14.3 | Paved Road, Paved Trail | None listed |
| Saint-Joseph to Dorchester | 10.33 | Paved Road | None listed |
| Sentier de L’Etoile | 39.48 | Gravel Trail, Paved Road | Sentier de l’Étoile |
| Riverfront Trail | 19.5 | Gravel Trail | City of Dieppe |
| Dobson Trail to Riverfront Trail | 4.87 | Paved Trail | None listed |
| Dobson Trail | 57.45 | Natural Trail | Sentier NB Trail |
Moncton to Fredericton
In this area of New Brunswick, you can find some of the last red spruces in North America (specifically on the Dobson trail and the Fundy Footpath). That section is supposed to be a challenging but beautiful wilderness section of the GT. Areas of the trail along the Bay of Fundy can be quite cool, so be sure to bring appropriate clothing for the time of year.
Fun Fact: New Brunswick is supposedly home to the world’s oldest known red spruce tree, which counts in at over 445 years old.
| Section | Distance (km) | Type | Managing Body |
| Fundy National Park | 39.4 | Natural Trail | Sentier NB Trail Tourism New Brunswick Parks Canada |
| Fundy Footpath | 43.17 | Natural Trail | Sentier NB Trail Fundy Trail Parkway Fundy Hiking Trail Association Fundy Footpath |
| Fundy Trail Parkway | 10.2 | Gravel trail | Sentier NB Trail Fundy Trail Parkway Tourism New Brunswick |
| St. Martins to Fundy Trail | 9.84 | Paved Road | None listed |
| Hampton to St. Martins | 38.85 | Paved Road | None listed |
| St. John to Hampton | 46.98 | Gravel Trail, Paved Road, Paved Trail | None listed |
| City of St. John | 23.99 | Gravel Trail, Paved Road, Paved Trail | Sentier NB Trail City of St. John – Rockwood Park City of St. John – Harbour Passage |
| Town of Grand Bay-Westfield | 6.84 | Gravel Trail, Paved Road | Town of Grand Bay-Westfield Sentier NB Trail |
| The Lower River Passage, St. John River | 101.42 | Water Trail | The Lower River Passage Town of Grand Bay-Westfield Sentier NB Trail |
The end of this section includes a 101-km water section (The Lower River Passage, St. John River). There seem to be multiple routes (guides can be purchased here).
Fredericton to Quebec Border
The northern tip of the New Brunswick Great Trail is located in the northeastern section of the Appalachian mountains.
| Section | Distance (km) | Type | Managing Body |
| Lincoln Trail | 22.4 | Gravel Trail, Paved Trail | City of Fredericton Sentier NB Trail Discover the Passage |
| Keswick Trail | 14.54 | Gravel Trail | Sentier NB Trail |
| North Side Trail | 18.86 | Gravel Trail | City of Fredericton |
| Valley and South Riverfront Trails | 13.08 | Gravel Trail | City of Fredericton |
| Woodstock to Fredericton | 97.53 | Paved Road | None listed |
| St. John River Trail | 118.99 | Gravel Trail | Sentier NB Trail Tourism New Brunswick |
| Grand Falls Connection | 7.78 | Gravel Trail, Paved Road | None listed |
| Route 144 | 42.16 | Paved Road | None listed |
| City of Edmonston – St. Basile | 6.89 | Paved Road, Paved Trail | Sentier NB Trail |
| Madawaska First Nation | 1.74 | Paved Road | None listed |
| City of Edmonston East | 0.72 | Gravel Trail, Paved Trail | Sentier NB Trail |
| Parc Linéaire Interprovincial Petit Témis | 142.23 | Gravel Trail, Paved Trail | Parc linéaire interprovincial Petit Témis |
The Petit Témis trail is made on converted road beds and is a good choice for all skill levels.
Logistics
The New Brunswick section of the GT traces through many small towns and larger cities, so resupply and finding town accommodations there should be easy.
Reservations will be required to camp in Fundy National Park. Other campgrounds in New Brunswick can be found here.
Additional Resources
There is a Sue Lebrecht mapbook for this section of the Great Trail (the Newfoundland one was well-recommended, so I assume this will be equally thorough). Check here for more information about local trail partners.
Glad I found your blog. I haven’t heard of the Great Trail before and am looking forward to finding out more about it. Thanks for sharing.
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Hi! Glad you’re interested in the Great Trail. Until recently, I didn’t know much about it either. It turns out I’d actually done a few sections without even knowing it! There’s lots more to come, so keep tuned.
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