Nova Scotia has a way of making you forget you’re still in North America. One minute you’re cycling past rolling vineyards, the next you’re rafting through what looks like chocolate milk, being tossed around like a tea bag in caffeinated chaos. But before you start dreaming of lobster rolls and lighthouse views, here are a few insider tips to help you make the most of your Nova Scotia cycling and rafting adventure.
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Figure Out Where You Want To Go
Nova Scotia may be smaller than many other Canadian provinces, but it packs incredible diversity into every corner. While you’ll find incredible seafood in every pocket, the province’s seven regions are quite distinct from each other.
I’ve explored every region, and if you’re into outdoor adventure, one of the best bangs for your buck can be found in the Bay of Fundy and Annapolis Valley. It’s here that I spent a fantastic week cycling along the Bay of Fundy shoreline. This is where you’ll find the world’s highest tides, which change twice daily, making for constantly evolving views.
Bay of Fundy and Annapolis Valley
Only at the Bay of Fundy can you walk upon the ocean floor at low tide, then return six hours later to find your footprints submerged under 50 feet of water. And only here can you ride waves that shouldn’t exist in rivers. There’s sea kayaking through dramatic rock formations that reveal hidden caves and arches, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more scenic shoreline to cycle alongside.
Just inland, the Annapolis Valley offers more world-class biking trails winding through apple orchards and next to wineries. Hiking routes reward you with valley views worth every uphill grunt, and there are plenty of picturesque picnic spots to settle into and charming towns (like this one on stilts!) to visit.
Now that you know where to go, what should you do?
Cycling the Annapolis Valley and Bay of Fundy
I’m not the most advanced cyclist. I mostly cruise around our inner-city neighbourhood on a fixie, occasionally hitting a spin class or enjoying a not-too-taxing bike ride with friends after dinner. But I love activity-filled vacation days, which is why I’ve been opting for bike tours lately.
Choose the Right Tour Operator
I did an 8-day, 7-night Fundy Coast Bike Tour with Freewheeling Adventures. I had no idea what a professional operation they were until I started reading the detailed itinerary and packing list they sent before my tour.
Freewheeling Adventures is a local, Nova Scotia-based company, so they know this part of Canada like the back of their hand. Being local also means they’re able to bring along a bunch of homemade snacks from their gourmet kitchen—think oatcakes, lemon squares, and other delicious treats.
I should probably tell you about how they set you up for a great adventure with daily tour itineraries detailing distances, points of interest, maps, and more. And they do all that, but what I really want to talk about is PICNICS.
Yes, Picnics!
Freewheeling is known for its epic picnics that you’ll roll into each day after a few hours of cycling. Your guide will ask about your food and beverage preferences at the start of your tour. Then sit back and prepare to be wowed.
Freshly roasted coffee, anyone? Our guide (shout-out to Tyler!) would hand-grind the beans for our morning cup of joe. You can also expect fresh fruit, vegetables, carby bits, baked goods, charcuterie platters—you name it.
We had scallops for one lunch, lobster salad rolls for another. Tyler was something of a raw-food expert, and we totally took advantage of his expertise.
The Rest Really Is Taken Care of for You
Besides picnics, Freewheeling also arranged our accommodations, which were all quite charming and set along the Bay of Fundy. We stayed in historic, gabled Victorian mansions, cute seaside cottages, and even a lighthouse keeper’s former home one night. (No, the lighthouse keeper didn’t stay in our accommodations, but he did make us dinner!)
Breakfasts were included at all the hotels—technically B&Bs, I guess. We’re talking two-course breakfasts with sausage and eggs, homemade waffles and one morning, a crustless Mediterranean quiche (which technically is a frittata, right?).
Enough about the food, you’re probably thinking. Ok, here are the other deets…Bikes are also supplied, and I took full advantage of the e-bike option. I’d twisted my knee 10 days before the trip, but didn’t want to cancel.
Could I e-bike with what I now know is a complete ACL tear? Sure could! With an e-bike, I felt like the most delightful tailwind was on my back the entire time.
And what happened when my chain fell off? To be fair, I did try to put it back on myself, and when that failed (as we knew it would), I called Tyler, who, in addition to being our tour guide, was also a bike mechanic.
Yes, we felt very well taken care of every step of the way.
Rafting Nova Scotia’s Tidal Bore
But it’s not just cycling you’ll want to do in Nova Scotia. I mean, you can, but you’re going to want to hop off and explore all those charming communities you’re cycling through.
Annapolis Royal was a highlight, as was Wolfville, a charming university town where vineyards meet the Minas Basin and you can sip award-winning wines while watching those famous Fundy tides roll in.
Your guide will also recommend other tours so you can get the whole land and sea experience. We weren’t that jazzed about kayaking through the basalt sea stacks, pretty as they were. But tidal bore rafting? That intrigued us all.
What Is a Tidal Bore?
A tidal bore is a wall of ocean water that charges upstream against the current. It creates waves in places where you’d think waves have no business being.
That incoming tide from the Bay of Fundy is so powerful it bulldozes its way up rivers like the Shubenacadie, creating instant rapids that transform lazy waterways into wild roller coasters perfect for white-knuckle rafting adventures.
Shubenacadie River Runners
We had the option to add a few additional activities to our cycling tour, and everyone voted for a tidal bore rafting adventure with Shubenacadie River Runners.
There we were, happily bobbing about in the raft, when suddenly a little ripple transformed into a chocolate-coloured wall of water thundering towards us with the determination of a freight train. The surge hit, tipping our raft skyward before plunging us back into the river. It was a hoot, though I did very much regret blow-drying my hair that morning.
Prepare to get soaked and also muddy. That’s because mud sliding is on the agenda for this adventure. But as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so check out my mud sliding Instagram Reel to see what all the fuss is about. And here’s a glimpse of the rafting in action.
Between the chocolate-coloured rapids and those long, breezy stretches of road beside the dramatic tides, Nova Scotia’s Fundy Coast turned out to be one of those trips where everything just clicked. Sure, I came home with a few muddy clothes and a fixation on homemade strawberry shortcake (so many u-picks!), but that’s precisely what makes this corner of Canada so special.
P.S. If you’re flying into the province, here’s an easy, fun route for biking in Halifax on your own.
