Back to Nature in New Brunswick

By Kate Merlin

The 58-kilometre Dobson Trail that winds through wilderness from Riverview, New Brunswick, to Fundy National Park is a popular backpacking destination. It has been over 40 years since the rugged trail was blazed and cleared by a dedicated band of volunteers. Today, it has the reputation of being the longest trail in the country entirely built and maintained by volunteers.

Those same volunteers have equipped the trail’s first three-quarters of a kilometre with a guide wire for hikers with vision disabilities. This section of the trail is well groomed with woodchips, and the footing is relatively secure. Squirrels chitter overhead as the trail leads from the parking lot to a very active bird-feeding station where chickadees and nuthatches often call to one another. The trail then descends into “Woodpecker Valley” and swings up to another bird-feeding station, where you may be able to hear the jay jay jay of a blue jay swooping in to visit. Shortly afterwards, the guide wire ends at a fire pit.

Trail volunteers have hosted a number of cookouts for local Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) members after an enjoyable hike along the trail. For more information, call (506) 857-4240.