Road Trip Amherst to Joggins – UNESCO Fossil Cliffs

Amherst Joggins
45
km
0h48
drive
Summer
season

The Itinerary

The Joggins Fossil Cliffs on Chignecto Bay (the Bay of Fundy's northern arm) form one of the largest open books of Carboniferous life from 310 million years ago. UNESCO World Heritage since 2008, the site reveals a fossilized tropical forest — standing Lycopsid trees, Earth's first reptiles, the first air-breathing land vertebrates.

The world's highest tides (16 m at Burntcoat) constantly erode the 23 m cliffs, continually exposing fresh fossils. It's the only place on Earth where you can literally "walk in the Age of Reptiles" — Charles Darwin himself referenced it in On the Origin of Species.

The Joggins Fossil Centre, opened in 2008, hosts a world-class exhibit and low-tide guided beach tours. On the road from Amherst (the "gateway to the Maritimes"), stop at the Cumberland County Museum, Springhill (coal mines, Anne Murray museum) and Fort Beauséjour-Fort Cumberland (National Historic Site, Acadian frontier).

Points of Interest

  • ✦
    Joggins Fossil Centre
    UNESCO centre, low-tide guided beach tours.
  • ✦
    310 Ma Cliffs
    Carboniferous fossil forest, first reptiles on Earth.
  • ✦
    Fort Beauséjour NHS
    Parks Canada historic site, 1755 Acadian frontier.
  • ✦
    Springhill Miners' Museum
    Coal mines, Anne Murray's hometown.

Fishing Spots Along the Route

🎣
Adams Brook
Stream
🎣
Adams Brook
Stream
🎣
Apple River Lake
Lake
🎣
Atkinson Brook
Stream
🎣
Baird Brook
Stream
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Bakers Brook
Stream
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Bakers Brook
Stream
🎣
Barn Camp Brook
Stream

Protected areas along the route

🌿
Fort Lawrence Conservation Lands
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John Lusby Marsh National Wildlife Area
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🌿
Fossil Coast Nature Reserve
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🌿
Brookdale Conservation Lands
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Chignecto National Wildlife Area/Amherst Point Bird Sanctuary
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🌿
Barronsfield Conservation Lands
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Amherst Point Conservation Lands
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Raven Head Wilderness Area
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Harrison Woods Nature Reserve
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Chignecto Isthmus Wilderness Area
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🌿
Tidal View Marsh Conservation Lands
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🌿
Stanley Conservation Lands
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Take this route offline

Cell coverage thins out fast once you leave Amherst. Export the map as a geo-referenced PDF before you go and open it in BorealMaps — your GPS position shows on the map with no signal at all.

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Practical info
  • Departure Amherst
  • Destination Joggins
  • Distance 45 km
  • Duration 0h48
  • Category Short (< 100 km)
  • Best season Summer
Themes
fossil unesco paleontology fundy geology education Family darwin

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