Did you know we have a beach, right here in New Brunswick, that has black sand? Black Beach is located minutes outside of Saint John, in Lorneville.
We had to take this pic of Lorne with the sign 🙂
Black Beach was a spot my son Lorne has wanted to visit, since he found it on Google Maps, a few years ago. We finally made it there, and it was gorgeous! It is going to be on our list of places to relax and explore on future visits to my mom’s house in Quispamsis.
We were there on a very foggy morning and could not even see the generating station as we drove by it. Fog in this area is common until noon or later, so plan to have layers of clothing, as it can be damp and cooler. We left Moncton in the sun at 8:30am and arrived in a misty fog at Black Beach around 10 am.
Our tides in this region can completely change the look and feel of any beach you visit. High tide was at 11:30 am that morning, so the water was almost at it’s highest point in these photos. We will be scheduling another trip for low tide.
There are no facilities at this beach. It is easily accessed by way of the road, and as you see above, there is a good size parking lot for those of us who drive down to the beach. A small grade down to the sandy beach is easy enough to navigate for most people. There are some large logs you can sit on and remains of some bonfires on the beach.
We found the beach to be relatively clean and free of garbage.
**REMEMBER: If you bring it in, take it out! This goes for beaches as well as hiking trails. Also, I did notice a few piles of dog poop left by others. There is a gas station on the main road back to the highway. Please bag your waste, and your pet’s, and drop it in the garbage cans on your way home.
Upon researching this area, I had hoped to do some hiking, but my feet have not been cooperating with me this summer, so no hiking this trip. There are a few trails that you can explore. At the start of Black Beach Road, there is a small parking area and a marked entrance to Split Rock Trail. There is another trailhead closer to Black Beach, for a shorter hike on a well-marked access road into the Lighthouse from Black Beach road. If you are looking to hike the whole area, you can do a 9km loop, park at Split Rock entrance, hike approximately 5 kms to the lighthouse, then continue on Troy’s Trail to Black Beach, about 2kms. Complete the loop by following the road back to your vehicle (2km). We are going to offer more info on the trails in another blog post in the near future.
There is also a trail at Black Beach, called Black Beach Loop, part of the Musquash Estuary. It is 4.2km round trip trail. MAP HERE
Here are some photos were taken by members of Split Rock Trail and Hiking Trails In NB facebook pages. Watch for a blog post about the Split Rock and Troy’s Trails, I will be talking to Leah, creator of the trail!
Here are some other beaches in our #DiscoverNBBeaches series:
- Tuft’s Point and Long Beach (Fundy Trail)
- Point Wolf Beach (Fundy National Park)
- Herring Cove Beach (Fundy National Park)
- Irving Nature Park (Saint John, NB)
- Gardner Creek Beach (Gardner Creek, NB)
- Reed’s Beach (Simonds, NB)
- McLeods Beach (Black River, NB)
I live in Lorneville and go there often. Thanks for the beautiful pictures.
Is this a pet friendly beach? I’m looking for somewhere to take my dog!
Yes, it is dog friendly. Most of the beaches we profile are.
Is swimming allowed at this beach?
It has no supervision and is on the bay of Fundy, so would be cold. But you could swim, it’s not prohibited.
Is there a site that explains the black sand? Where it is only one beach, right next to an oil-fired electrical plant, I always assumed that it was pollution attached to the rocks and sand.
Great question Steve. The only reference I can find specifically relating to Black Beach in Lorneville claims it is a Grafite deposit that causes the black sand. Other regions of the world with black sand are often from volcanic activity.