Burncoat Head Park, Burncoat Head, Nova Scotia

The Bay of Fundy's Burncoat Head Park in Nova Scotia marks the site of the Highest Recorded Tide in the world. Burncoat Head is located just off route 215 of Nova Scotia's Fundy Shore and features a beautifully restored lighthouse, interpretive center, picnic areas, walking trails, gardens, and access to the beach (where visitors can walk the ocean floor at low tide). The Burncoat Head Park is a wonderful place for fossil hounding, birding, and beachcombing.

The Saxby Gale was a tropical cyclone which occurred in the Bay of Fundy region on Oct.4-Oct.5, 1869. The storm surge produced a water level which gave Burncoat Head Nova Scotia the honor of having the highest tidal range ever recorded. The Saxby Gale was named after Lieut. Saxby of the Royal Navy who had predicted a year earlier that a severe storm along with a very high tide would hit somewhere in the world. Saxby knew that on October 5, 1869, the moon would make its monthly passage closest to Earth in combination with a new moon on the same day.

Near Burncoat Head Park visitors may experience the thrill of tidal bore river rafting on the Shubenacadie River (Nova Scotia's largest river). Other local attractions include the Walton Lighthouse, Lawrence House Museum, Heritage Conservation District and Village of Maitland, South Maitland Bay of Fundy Interpretive Center, and numerous local artisans whose works are inspired by this spectacular location.