New Brunswick - Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island - page 219

self at Nictau. The more remote Nepisiguit River flows out of the Nepisiguit Lakes
through the wilderness until it empties into the Bay of Chaleur at Bathurst, over 100km
away.
The lower reaches of the Tobique, from Nictau, through minute Riley Brook and down
to Plaster Rock is a straight, easy paddle through forest and meadow that gives way to
farmland as the valley broadens, with a couple of waterfront campgrounds along the way.
The easy 10km between Nictau and the Bear's Lair landing in Riley Brook makes for a
relaxing afternoon paddle.
Don McAskill at Bear's Lair ( 506-356-8351; www.bearslairhunting.com ; 3349 Rte 385,
Riley Brook; boats per day $40) has boats and can provide expert knowledge on canoeing in
these parts. He also offers a shuttle service between your put-in and take-out point (eg
boat delivery to Mt Carleton Provincial Park and transport of your vehicle down to Riley
Brook is $45). In the park, Guildo Martel ( 506-235-2499) rents canoes and kayaks for
the day on the edge of Big Nictau Lake at Armstrong Campground.
Fiddles on the Tobique ( 506-356-2409; late Jun) is a weekend festival held an-
nually in Nictau and Riley Brook. It is a magical idea: a round of community-hall sup-
pers, jam sessions and concerts culminating in a Sunday afternoon floating concert down
the Tobique River from Nictau to Riley Brook. Upward of 800 canoes and kayaks join
the flotilla each year - some stocked with musicians, some just with paddlers - and 8000
spectators line the river banks to watch. By some accounts, the event has been damaged
by its own popularity, devolving into a boisterous booze cruise. Others call it a grand
party and good fun.
On land, Bill Miller ( 506-356-2409; www.millercanoes.com ; 4160 Rte 385, Nictau) wel-
comes visitors to his cluttered canoe-making workshop in Nictau (population roughly
12), where he and his father and grandfather before him have handcrafted wooden canoes
since 1922. Also worth a stop is the Tobique Salmon Barrier ( 9am-5pm) ,
signposted from the road at Nictau, located at the confluence of the Little Tobique and
Campbell Rivers. There is a spectacular view from the Department of Fisheries office
situated on a bluff overlooking the water. From here, officers keep a 24-hour watch on
the Atlantic salmon, which are trucked up by road from below the Mactaquac Dam at
Fredericton and held here until spawning time, in order to protect their dwindling num-
bers from poachers.
Hiking
The best way to explore Mt Carleton is on foot. The park has a 62km network of trails:
most of them are loops winding to the handful of rocky knobs that are the peaks. The In-
ternational Appalachian Trail (IAT) passes through here.