Irving Nature Park

If you don't feel like trekking all the way to Fundy National Park, you'll find excellent views of the bay just a short drive from downtown at Irving Nature Park. Occupying a narrow peninsula about 10 miles southwest of Saint John, this 600-acre green space features breathtaking Fundy vistas, not to mention a variety of habitats such as a forest, a salt marsh estuary, a beach and a bog. You can explore all the park has to offer by following its numerous hiking trails. This is also a great place for wildlife lovers: Irving Nature Park is welcomes roughly 250 different species of birds, while maritime mammals such as whales are often spotted off-shore.

Even if you're not much of a hiker, recent visitors recommend at least spending some time at the park's observation deck. And remember to bring your camera: as one TripAdvisor user writes, "At the observation deck, you will see seals sticking their heads out of the water or on the rocks."

Irving Nature Park is open every day between May 1st and September 5th from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from September 6th through the end of the season in mid-October. Admission is free. To learn more about the park, visit its website.