Mount Carleton Provincial Park was the first stop on our vacation to New Brunswick this past June. I am SO GLAD that we took on this challenge, because it made for a great adventure.

Just before going on vacation I discovered that Mount Carleton is the highest peak in the Maritimes. Who could resist a challenge like that? Not this girl.

Lots of Googling revealed that Mount Carleton’s summit is at an elevation of 820 metres, or 2690 feet. While it’s certainly not the highest peak out there, it’s still a pretty cool accomplishment. Mount Carleton is also neat because there are two other summits close by that you could grab all in one day.

We booked two nights of camping at Mount Carleton Provincial Park so we could arrive the day before our hike and not go too far after. This Provincial Park is really, REALLY beautiful, and has nice clean washrooms and hot showers to boot. There were tent and RV sites available, as well as cabins that could be rented. We stayed at a tent site in the Armstrong section of the campground. It seemed like most of these sites didn’t have much privacy, but there were so few people in the park when we went that it really didn’t matter. There was also a really fantastic beach close to the Armstrong section.

Getting There

One of the best things about camping overnight meant that when we were up the next morning, it was only a ten minute drive to the trailhead for Mount Carleton. We had decided that we wanted to hike Mount Sagamook as well, which is north of Carleton, and as long as we were in the range, we were going to try and grab Mount Head as well. Three for the price of one! It makes a lot of sense too, because the trail to Mount Carleton is a loop that’s 10 kilometres long. Hiking to the summit of Sagamook and then over to Carleton and back out is also 10 kilometres long, so you may as well get more than one peak!

The main office of the park provides a map of the entire park, which makes it easy to navigate and to find the trailheads. Provided with the map are also trail descriptions and distances. The map they give you isn’t waterproof, so make sure you have a plan for if it rains- sandwich bags are always helpful in a pinch.

The small number of people in the park translated to the trailhead. When we arrived there were only two cars parked there, with space for about fifty. We got our bikes off the rack quickly and hit the (dirt) road! Ours are hybrid bikes, and hybrid or mountain bikes would definitely be the right choice for this road. While it’s in good shape, it is still a dirt road and a road bike would likely result in a spill given all the loose dirt and pebbles/rocks.

This road went all the way to the trailhead for Sagamook, which again was very easy to find because there are signs pointing you in the right direction. At the split, we turned right and cycled beside Big Nictau lake as it turned into Little Nictau lake. There were some small hills along this 10K bike ride, but we got it done in just about an hour, because we were losing elevation.

The Trail

We locked our bikes up at the trailhead for Sagamook, where again there was a decent amount of parking available, and signed in at the trailhead register. The trail to the summit of Sagamook is described as the most difficult in the park, and we could soon see why! Sagamook’s trail is a loop as well, and we chose the more challenging route, the western side of the loop (turn right at the split). The trail gains about 450 metres of elevation within the first 3 kilometres of hiking. And it was HUMID. We both agreed that it felt a bit like being in a rainforest (or what we can only guess that would feel like). It took us an hour and a half to reach the summit via this trail.

On the way up you get some great views of the Nictau lakes that make it worth it, and at the top you’re rewarded with fantastic views again. You can also see Carleton from the summit, but don’t let it intimidate you! It looks further than it feels.

After a short break to enjoy the summit we were back on the trail, hoping to get Head and Carleton in, but worried as it was clear there were rainclouds rolling in.

The trail between the two summits is really clearly marked, and was well traveled enough that you could pick it out from the surroundings.

My advice? If you’re ever worried that you’re lost, just follow the moose poop. THERE WAS SO MUCH MOOSE POOP. I was sure we were going to come face to face with one any second because in some spots on the trail there was moose evidence every two feet.

The trail between the two summits is just over 5 kilometres, and it’s a pretty easy walk. When we made it to the split for Mount Head, we regretfully agreed that we had to orphan it. At this point we knew we weren’t getting off the mountain without getting wet, but we still held out some hope that if we were quick about it we could avoid (some of) the rain. Hiking out to the summit of Mount Head would have added 2.5 kilometres and we just didn’t think we had time.

After the easy section between the two mountains, there’s one more challenge to overcome to get to the summit of Carleton (as there should be). We turned to the right at the split in the trail (well-marked by a sign), and climbed up a fairly steep section for about 400 metres to reach the summit of the highest mountain in the Maritimes! It took us two and a half hours to get from Sagamook to Carleton.

It’s worth noting that as we arrived at the summit, we saw two people leaving. These were the only two people we saw on the trail all day. We spent some time at the fire tower, and enjoyed having the place to ourselves despite the rainy weather. Things cleared up for short periods of time while we were there, and we were able to get some amazing views. Some have said that you can see ten million trees from this summit. I don’t doubt it.

Getting Home

We decided to head back down the section we had just climbed, because we were taking the easy way out. Literally. We chose to take the eastern part of the loop for our descent, and it’s the easier part of the trail. This part of the loop follows an old logging road all the way down to the trailhead, so it’s a really nice, gradual descent. There are lots of big, loose rocks, so you have to be careful with your footing. But, choosing this part of the trail would be a great way for someone just getting comfortable with hiking to reach the summit.

It only took us another hour and a half to reach the trailhead and hop back in the car. All in all, we were on the road and on the trail for about six and a half hours. We didn’t see a single moose. And my legs were sore for two days. It was an awesome adventure.

If you’re planning a road trip to New Brunswick, make sure you think about kayaking the Hopewell Rocks and biking along the Fundy Trail Parkway too!

I hope this trip report has enough info to get you there too. Let me know in the comments, or share and tag a friend to start planning your next adventure!

Elevation Change and Map

Gear We Brought

Gear We Forgot