Mount Carleton Provincial Park — Attraction in New Brunswick

When we first arrived we were absolutely amazed at such unique beauty with 3000 feet mountains (we’ve seen higher, but not in the maritimes!), the pristine lakes and so many trees! It’s almost shocking at the lack of light and noise at night. Being from a city, It’s almost haunting, but beautiful, It’s really dark, if you are not used to this, it will grab your attention, At night waking up, I could not see a thing and I usually have pretty good night vision.

We rented the Fir cabin. $130 a night was the cheapest for a cabin to accommodate a family with the most privacy. It was high for us, but we splurged. At first, when went in the cabin, we were so pleased! Whoever cleans, clearly takes great pride in their work. It was spotless. In a log cabin, I expected to see cobwebs, moths here and there. Absolutely none! It is clear, they also dust the walls and windowsills. The floors, kitchen and bathroom look like they were refinished. They are well cared for. The living room and kitchen area were spacious and not cluttered at all. Nice long table in the center. Everything so clean. The cupboards and drawers were also all cleaned inside too.

However some things dear vacationer you should know. We were disappointed: 1. With no view 2. Location of the shower 3. The mice!!! Explained below. Birch trees (I think the type) grew tall and blocked the view. Ash cabin above had a nice view as it is taller than the trees. There is however, a short walking trail connecting to the property that leads to Pine cabin. It winds along the lakes edge with a bench to sit and enjoy the view. The drive way (or whatever it is) to get to the cabin is VERY VERY steep. They provide two parking spots for the Fir cabin at the top of the driveway behind Ash because it is a wash out. It’s has large uneven grooves, with rocks and basically ridden off. You would need a special vehicle to use it. I can’t imagine getting stuck in the mud there. ALSO you have to walk up this sort of driveway to get to your own private shower. The grooves are large and deep. If you have a bad back or hip, don’t rent this!!! Saying that, the cabin has a freshly redone sink and toilet inside the cabin, why no shower too? Not sure. The private shower/bathroom up the steep hill was once again was spotless BTW. The private bathroom was actually attached to Ash’s cabin. You have to walk on their deck to get to a door that opens to two bathrooms. One for Fir and one for Ash. So it’s private, but not until you get inside lol…Here they are eating their supper talking away with me walking onto their deck with their screened door the only thing separating us….as I open the door to my bathroom with my towel and such..lol… I would not want to rent Ash!! Perhaps one likes the chit chat and company with the neighbours , but I personally would find this way too close for comfort.

Mice Something is off with the mice and squirrel problem. It’s a real problem. I’m not exaggerating. It’s bad. One should expect to see an occasional rodent, but it was a BIG problem. At first we only saw one mouse. We expected this. They have signs indicating the bait traps and such, BUT as the days went on we had mice chewing every night above our heads, chittering and crunching. One of us tried sleeping on the floor due to family snoring only to have mice running along the floor. We could see all the holes where they recently chewed. We had them in the stove in the mornings eeking and chewing. We saw at-least 5 different mice by their markings. We also saw 2 squirrels coming in and out of holes. There are gaps everywhere. It needs more maintenance! Do they have a maintenance pest control??

BTW-The cabin does not lock even though they rent you a lock? Lol The two front doors are like bedroom doors that won’t fully lock.

The cabin and the walking trail is so amazing, but the mice and shower was a lot for the money. $130 seems high to have these...

Looking to climb a mountain or enjoy hiking, camping and boating in the wilderness area of the province? This is the place to go but bring cash to pay the fees for a visit. Credit and debit cards cannot be used due to reception issues according to the Parks NB website. Mount Carleton is the highest peak in the Maritimes and the park includes 11 trails to explore. Services in both official languages and clean bathrooms are available in the park's gate house. You will receive maps and information on how to safely enjoy the area. The trails have various levels of difficulty. The beautiful trail to Williams Falls is wheelchair and baby carriage accessible and makes a perfect excursion for all ages. There are areas for the inexperienced hikers and those who like a challenge. You can go on a short walk to see the lake , have a picnic and just enjoy the scenery and peaceful surroundings or go on a climbing adventure. Be smart and wear sturdy footwear, sunscreen , and have bug spray, a hat, snacks , and lots of water on hand. This is NOT the place for a flip flop or sandal wearing spur-of-the-moment whim to climb a mountain. If you are not a regular walker with a fair level of fitness, do not attempt it . Nor should you expect that you can carry your young child up the mountain trails once they get tired. It takes roughly three and a half to four hours to do the round trip for the Mount Carleton shorter trail( there are two trails). It can be hot and buggy as you walk and then may be quite cold on the top so dress in layers. Many years ago, our family climbed Mount Carleton with a 6 and 9 year old and they absolutely loved the experience but they were fit and active children who wanted to explore . We were well prepared and it was a great family day. The view from the top is breathtaking and well worth the effort to climb it. Pay attention to the trail markings and maps and do not wander off . People have gotten lost so be aware that you are in wilderness and the trails are marked for a reason. Are you a star gazer ? Mount Carleton provincial park has a Designated Dark Sky Preserve rating from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. If you do stay overnight , the park is committed to reduced light pollution and energy consumption to maintain dark skies and promote planet and star gazing. Your...

Went on an insane adventure with one of my greatest friends. Now here's a story for ya! (Review is last paragraph) We went the weekend after thanksgiving and unbeknownst to us, the park was closed. Thankfully, some other very helpful adventurers told us we could park at the front gate and walk 13km in to the trail head and then go up the mountain...and back again. So that's what we did. A 13km trek in, up the mountain (about 8 - 9km), back down the mountain, and then a long 13km walk out. We left at around 10:30 - 11am. By the time we got back down the mountain it was 7pm and nearly dark. We got out and back to the car around 11pm, then drove home back to Fredericton and didn't get to bed until 3am! All in all, we walked probably close to 40km that day...I wish that was an exaggeration! BY FAR the hardest adventure I've ever been on but the most worth it. We were not entirely prepared for what we were about to endure (lack of proper food, means of calling for help if needed, no first aid kit, we had only 1 flashlight...) but we were more prepared than expected. We were, without a doubt, the ONLY 2 people on that mountain that day. Nearly encountered a bear, and encountered 2 moose crossing our path on the way back out which slowed us down getting home too. Our hips and feet were SO sore at the end, but we felt incredibly accomplished and definitely that we had deserved bragging rights hahaha! Mount Carleton is an absolutely stunningly beautiful place that I highly encourage anyone to hike up, whether you take the extreme way as we did, or just enjoy the trail itself! The trail is marked well and very doable for hikers. Only gets a little difficult at the very top above the treeline. Make sure you have plenty of water, some form of first aid kit with meds included, high carb snacks and food (especially if you're doing the extreme way like we did haha), a lighter or matches, a headlamp or a flashlight, camera, and a buddy or two! As tough as it was, I would ABSOLUTELY do it...