Medford Beach: Explore The Ocean’s Floor
Medford Beach is one of the most unique unofficial trails in Nova Scotia, located on an inlet of the Bay of Fundy. This is not your typical back or front country hike. Instead, it is all along the ocean floor of Minas Basin and leads to a breathtaking view of exposed sandstones.
This is a relatively easy 4km hike along the seafloor. It will take you around 1.5-2 hours to reach the final peak point of the hike and an additional 1.5-2 hours to return. At the peak, you will see numerous sandstones that have been pockmarked over time from the ocean.
Difficulty: Moderate
Suggested Duration: 3-4 hours
Signage: None
Facilities: Minimum parking, garbage bins at the entrance of the beach
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Key Features Of Medford Beach
- Inlet of the Bay of Fundy
- Accessible during low tide for walking and exploring
- Known for its dramatic tidal changes and tidal bore
- A serene destination for enjoying the coastal beauty of Nova Scotia
- Be aware of the tidal schedule when visiting for safety
Before You Start Hiking Medford Beach
The entire Medford Beach hike will take around 4 km, which is around 3-4 hours to complete. We recommend saving some time to explore and enjoy the sandstones while hiking.
It is important to check the tide times before starting your hike. Ensure you look when the tide begins to rise and not just when it is at the highest point. The tide rises quickly and can trap hikers.
We advise starting at least 5-6 hours before the tide begins to rise to ensure you do not get caught on the beach when the tide comes in.
There is no defined or marked trail. Nor are there any markers or tags to follow on this hike. Since the trail is only accessible for a few hours a day when the tide is low, there is no way to keep a well-maintained trail to follow.
It is quite easy to walk for hours on this trail as the surrounding sandstones make for a beautiful, enjoyable hike until you reach the muddier areas.
Prepare for your feet to get wet and your shoes to be covered in mud. If you have a good pair of waterproof hiking boots, it is highly recommended to wear them. We also suggest bringing a second pair of shoes to change into after the hike.
As this is a natural trail, hikers should expect wet ground, muddy pockets, and potential falling sandstone. Be careful when climbing and exploring the sandstone.
Lastly, there is no shelter, and you will be exposed to direct sunlight the entire time. We highly recommend bringing sunscreen and a hat to protect your skin from burning and to avoid heatstroke.
How to get there
To get to Medford Beach, you must park at the Kingsport Beach parking lot. To get there, you drive to Canning, Nova Scotia, and follow Highway 221 to Kingsport Beach.
There, you will walk along the beach floor for 4km until you reach Medford Beach. There is no way to skip the hike to reach Medford Beach, as the land surrounding it is owned by farmers and locals and is considered trespassing.
Our Experience Hiking Medford Beach
“A hike not in the woods“?
When we first heard of this hike, we thought it would be an easy, uneventful walk with the potential of a beautiful view. We were not sure how a 4km hike on a beach would be of any challenge.
We were only right about one thing. This hike was beautiful. In fact, it led to one of the most beautiful views we have ever seen in Nova Scotia.
It was an easy hike, yet the terrain creates a bit of a challenge the closer you get to the ocean. The ground is not hard and tends to be deeper and muddier. This was unlike anything we had hiked before.
There were some points on the hike where the ground was softer than other parts, and our feet felt like they were in quicksand. As a matter of fact, we almost lost our shoes a few times from getting stuck in the deep mud.
The deep mud portion of the hike does not last long. However, it feels longer than it is as it slows you down.
Halfway through our hike, we approached a brook that led to the ocean. While this is not deep, it is almost impossible to cross without getting your feet wet. So, the first time we passed it, we thought it would be smart to try and jump over the entire thing. Well, let me tell you, this was not a great idea.
On the other side of the brook, the land was extremely muddy and soft to the point where my entire foot got stuck, and I almost lost my shoe. We do not recommend trying to jump this unless you have good boots that will not come off if you get stuck.
On the way back, we managed to find some driftwood and attempted to cross the brook. This helped a bit. However, our feet still got soaked. By this point, we were muddy and wet, so we did not mind getting our feet wet in the brook again. We mainly wanted to see if it was possible to avoid wet feet when crossing.
When we reached the peak of the hike, we got to look through the sandstone holes onto the beautiful Bay of Fundy. The view alone is worth it for the hike.
This was one of those hikes that we would do again and invite our friends and family to explore with us. Medford Beach is an all-levels hike, with the only difficulty being the sporadic muddy patches and race against the tide.
If you pay close attention to the tide times and plan your hike accordingly, you should have more than enough time to explore and enjoy the hike without rushing.
Checklist And Recommended Gear
- Waterproof hiking boots – Women’s // Men’s
- Water Bottle
- Snacks
- Watch (to watch the tide tides)
- Camera/Phone to take photos
- Back-up shoes for after the hike
- Extra change of clothes
- Sunscreen
- Sun hat
