How to Visit Burntcoat Head Park, Nova Scotia

Last Updated on July 29, 2025

Learn how to visit Burntcoat Head Park in Nova Scotia, where you can explore the ocean floor while the tide is out! 

Burntcoat Head is just over an hour’s drive north of Halifax, and the park looks out over the famous Bay of Fundy. It’s home to the world’s highest tides – the tides can reach over 12 metres (40 ft), twice a day according to the lunar tide cycle.

While visiting Halifax, my partner and I decided to make the drive to Burntcoat Head Park as an afternoon road trip. While visiting the Bay of Fundy is a popular excursion for travelers in New Brunswick, I hadn’t heard much about visiting the bay on the Nova Scotia side.

It turns out, making this trip is easy, and well worth it. When the tide is out at Burntcoat Head Park, you can climb down into the bay and explore the ocean floor. Read on to learn our experience visiting the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, how to visit Burntcoat Head Park, and everything you need to know to plan your own trip!

At Burntcoat Head park you are on Mi’kma’ki and Wabanaki Confederacy land. More info at: Code for Change.

Bay of Fundy Tides: The Highest Tides in the World

The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world, which make the Bay of Fundy  one of the world’s most interesting natural wonders. Twice every day the bay fills up and then empties a billion tonnes of water. During the cycles, which last around 13 hours, around 160 billions tonnes of water flow in and then out. That is more than the combined flow of the world’s freshwater rivers!

How to Visit Burntcoat Head Park 

It’s totally free to explore the ocean floor on your own at Burntcoat Head Park, which is what we did! Before heading to the park, it’s super important to check the tide times. You can check the times online, right here.

This chart allows you to input the date you’ll visit so you can see the estimated times for that particular day. When looking at the chart, you’ll want to note the time that the tide is low, and then plan your visit for a window around that low tide time. 

When we visited in October 2021, the chart told us that the tide would be lowest around 5:00pm. We ended up arriving at the park around 3:30pm, which was totally fine, because the tide was out far enough that we could walk on the ocean floor, and we had plenty of time before the tide would start coming back in. 

When you arrive at the park, there is a free parking lot where you’ll leave your car. From there, it’s a 5 minute walk down a well marked path which brings you past the lighthouse (which you can visit!) to the edge of the bay. 

When we arrived at the edge, there was a park attendant who gave us some basic info, including when we would need to be back up out of the bay to avoid getting caught in the tide as it rolls back in. The tide comes in so quickly, that occasionally, people end up stranded! After a quick chat, we took the staircase down into the bay, and started exploring.

What to See and Do in Burntcoat Head Park

Now you know how to visit Burntcoat Head Park, so lets dive into what there is to do there.

Walk on the Ocean Floor in the Bay of Fundy

Walking on the ocean floor at Burntcoat Head was the reason we were so excited to visit this park. And this experience did not disapppoint!

Getting down onto the ocean floor was tons of fun. We immediately figured out that it was pretty slippery, so you do have to be careful not to fall! I wore my Blundstones, which I found were perfect for helping me keep stable, and protecting my feet from the ocean mud. 

Once we were down on the ocean floor, we walked towards the right, around a small island that sticks up out of the ocean floor. Without the ocean surrounding it, the island looks a bit like a flower pot, hence why people like to call these formations flower pot rocks. We spent an hour or so wandering all around the flower pot. 

When the tide is out, there are creatures that are left behind on the ocean floor. We had fun stopping to crouch down and look at the tiny pools of ocean water that were filled with little crabs and other ocean creatures. It’s really important to beware of these tidal pools, and avoid disturbing them. They get left behind when the tide is out!

Book a Guided Tour of Burntcoat Head Park

We visited independently, but if you prefer, you can book a guided tour! Burntcoat Head Park offers a couple different tour options, including a family ocean floor tour which is great for if you have kids.

The park’s main tour is called “Tidal Reveal.” The tour starts at the Burntcoat Head Park lighthouse, where your knowledgeable guide brings you down to the expansive ocean floor. Throughout a 1-2 kilometre route, you get to stop to discover tidal pools and the life beneath the surface of the mudflats. Along the way, your guide will share local tales and teach you about the influence of people on this landscape shaped by the tides.

This tour is approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. You can learn more about it on their website!

Look For Ancient Fossils

Over the years, lots of important fossils have been discovered at Burntcoat Head Park. Within the park’s rocks and along the shoreline, skulls from an archosaur and the backbones of a dicynodont, both ancient dinosaurs, have been discovered. 

It’s possible that there are more fossils in the area that haven’t yet been discovered. Fossils can only be collected if you have a Heritage Research Permit (HRP). The park attendant told us that if you find what you think might be a fossil while exploring the Bay of Fundy’s ocean floor, take a photo, make a note of the locations, and then get in touch with the Joggins Fossil Institute so the fossil can be identified.

After exploring the ocean floor, you can head to the replica lighthouse that is on the pathway that leads back to the parking lot. The lighthouse has an interpretive centre that covers the Bay of Fundy tides, a bit of history of the old lighthouses, and the history of the area. If you’d like to stick around longer, you can walk some of the trails around the park, which provide scenic views of the Cobequid Bay.

Watch the Tide Come in at Burntcoat Head

Although we didn’t want to stick around to watch the tide come back in, it is possible to time your visit to Burntcoat Head Park so that you can see the basin filling back up. If you’d like to do this, you’ll want to do your ocean floor walk, and then come back about 6 hours later to see the difference in water levels. 

Things to Do Nearby Burntcoat Head Park

If you’d like to occupy a couple hours while waiting to watch the tide come into the Bay of Fundy, or you’d just like to add some more activities to your day trip, you’re in luck! There’s plenty to do nearby Burntcoat Head.

There are a few local walking trails, like Nine Mile River Hiking Trail. Or, your can take a drive over to Avondale Winery in Newport Landing. Nearby there’s also the Selma Church Museum where you can look up records of people who lived in the area as far back as 1732. Another popular spot is the Lawrence House Museum, where guides in period costume help you explore the house of a famous shipbuilder.

How to Get to Burntcoat Head Park

Burntcoat Head Park can only be reached by car. The park is just over an hour’s drive from Halifax and from Dartmouth, 50 minutes from Windsor, and 50 minutes from Truro. From Halifax, the park is about 88 kilometres by Highway 102. 

The drive is simple and takes you through Nova Scotia’s beautiful countryside. When you arrive, there’s a free parking lot you can use that is just a short walk from the park’s lighthouse and the stairs down into the Bay of Fundy. You’ll also find public washrooms near the parking lot. 

Know Before You Go: Burntcoat Head Park

Now that you know how to visit Burntcoat Head Park, it’s time to plan your trip! Here are some tips to keep in mind for your visit. 

• It’s very important to check tide times to plan your visit according to the water levels. 
• While exploring the ocean floor, be very careful around the cliffs of the flower pot islands and the shoreline. The rock is eroding in some places, and occasionally parts of the cliffs collapse.  
• The ocean floor can be very muddy and slippery, so be sure to wear the right pair of shoes. I wore my Blundstones. There’s a public tap as you are leaving the park that you can use to rinse off your shoes, boots, or bare feet. 
• Do not disturb the ocean life that you’ll see in small pools on the ocean floor – follow the best practices for responsible wildlife tourism.
• Dogs are welcome but they have to be kept on a leash while in the park, as well as while you are on the ocean floor.
• Burntcoat Head Park is open from the middle of May to the middle of October, from dawn to dusk. The lighthouse and washrooms are open daily from 10am to 6pm. 
• Camping isn’t permitted at the park. 
• Pack in and pack out: Don’t leave any litter behind, even if it’s organic. Hold onto it and dispose of it properly when you leave the park. Sustainable tourism is important!

Burntcoat Head: FAQs

More Canada travel inspiration:

• How to Spend a Long Weekend in Halifax
• Day Trip to Peggy’s Cove from Halifax
• Your Cape Breton Guide to Cheticamp, Cape Breton

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