Grand Manan Island

Grand Manan is a beautiful island, made up of several small fishing communities. The population swells significantly in the summer, but one can easily find privacy. While New Brunswick is a bilingual province, the residents of Grand Manan are almost exclusively English speakers.

Understand

Get in

There is regular car-ferry service from Blacks Harbour, NB. There is no fee for the trip to Grand Manan, however you must pay for your return trip. Prices and an up-to-date schedule can be found here.

A 1,000-m air strip for small planes is near the centre of the island. The closest commercial airports are Saint John, NB and Bangor, Maine.

Get around

• Leighton Spicer - private taxi, Grand Harbour. [phone]

See

• Anchorage Provincial Park (between Grand Harbour and Seal Cove). Offers supervised camping sites on a seasonal basis (May through to the beginning of October), with sanitary and cooking facilities, trail dumping station, etc. 
• Grand Manan Museum, 1141 Route 776, Grand Harbour, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. This museum offers the Allen L. Moss Memorial Bird Collection, the McLaughlin Marine Gallery, a display of Island Geology, plus historical artifacts, archives and genealogical records. 
• Grand Manan Art Gallery, 21 Cedar Street, Castalia, ☎ [phone]. Monday to Saturday from noon to 7:00pm and Sunday from 1-5pm, June 21 to September 26. Exhibits feature local artists and visiting artists with a connection to Grand Manan Island. $2.00. Children under 12 are free. 
• The Grand Manan Whale and Seabird Research Station (Gaskin Museum of Marine Life), 24 Route 776, North Head, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 7 days a week from 9AM to 5PM, from early June to early October. Artifacts and exhibits related to right whales. Gift shop. 
• 🌍 Swallow Tail Lighthouse, 50 Lighthouse Road, North Head, e-mail: [e-mail]. July and August 10AM – 6PM, other times by chance.. Lighthouse tours. Gift shop.  

Do

Buy

• Save easy, drug store, dollar store, home hardware have stores on the island.

Eat

• Compass Rose Heritage Inn, 65 Route 776 → North Head, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Seafood restaurant. Open on weekends in early June and late September. Open seven nights a week in July-August. 
• Marathon Inn, 19 Marathon Lane, North Head, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Licensed dining room (seasonal). 
• The Harbour Grille & Gift House, 1140 Route 776, Grand Harbour, ☎ [phone]. Takeout and eat-in. 

Drink

Sleep

• Hole-in-the-Wall Park & Campground, 42 Old Airport Road, North Head, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Wilderness camping is available from May through November. 
• Castalia Marsh Retreat, 11 Bancroft Point Road, Castalia, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 7-acre site. Excellent for bird watching. 
• Anchorage Provincial Park, 136 Anchorage Road, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Equipped campground. 

Connect

Go next

• White Head Island (ferry)
• Machias Seal Island, a bird sanctuary, is reachable by tour boat on a very limited basis from Grand Manan