Coastal Trail

The Coastal Trail at Quoddy Head State Park extends south from the lighthouse headland along dramatic sea cliffs, passing through a landscape of remarkable ecological diversity compressed into a short distance. The trail descends to Carrying Place Cove, a cobble beach accessible only at lower tides, before climbing back through coastal blueberry barrens and spruce forest to return along the cliff edge. The offshore waters along this stretch of coast are part of the Bay of Fundy Important Bird Area and critical foraging habitat for Atlantic puffins, which nest on Machias Seal Island 10 miles offshore and routinely forage in the tidal rips visible from the trail. Razorbills, common murres, and black guillemots are also regularly observed from the cliff tops, especially during early morning on calm days when the birds sit low on the water. A raised peat bog is accessible via boardwalk spur, one of the ecological highlights of the park. The cliffs themselves expose Silurian-age metamorphic rocks heavily deformed by multiple phases of ancient Appalachian mountain building events. Bay of Fundy tidal currents flowing past the headland create significant marine upwelling that concentrates zooplankton and fish, supporting the exceptional marine mammal and seabird density for which this coast is renowned.