Your adventure begins with your Ferry ride
We are often asked: “…but how does one get to Grand Manan?”
A very fair question - after all, the Island is located approximately 27kms from the New Brunswick shore and approximately 15kms from the coast of Maine.
The answer: you need to take a ferry, a really big ferry for a ride which takes about 1.5 hours. Make this ferry journey the beginning of your adventure on Grand Manan.
The ferry runs between Blacks Harbour (on the New Brunswick shore) and Grand Manan several times a day - more frequently between June 22 and September 19. There is no cost for the ferry on the way to the Island - the cost for the trip back is very reasonable. While the Maine coast is a lot closer by distance, there is no ferry service between Maine and Grand Manan.
The ferry (two in fact) is large enough to inspire confidence - it’s equipped with amenities to ensure the comfort of its passengers, including a well-stocked cafeteria, a gift shop, lots of space to relax and unwind, and an observation deck!! Cars and trucks drive onto the ferry at the departing dock - passengers disembark and move to the upper part for the duration of the trip.
Enjoy the ferry ride! Make it a part of the adventure.
To learn more about the ferry service, departure and arrival times, cost, etc., visit the Coastal Transport website.
THE ALTERNATIVE
YES, you CAN fly on and off the Island with Atlantic Charters, serving the North and Eastern seaboard 24 hours a day 7 days a week, with charter service to nearly any airport. In approximately 40 minutes you can be in the air and on your way.
A lovely description of his initial arrival on Grand Manan Island by Olin Sewall Pettingill Jr., in his “Impressions of Grand Manan Bird Life” - Birds of Grand Manan New Brunswick (1936)
“It is said that Grand Manan and fog are synonymous. It was only fitting, then, that my first near-view of Grand Manan should be through a vista of fog. This view I obtained on the morning of May 31, 1935, from the motorship “Grand Manan II" on which I was arriving with duffle and car. Faintly at first and then distinctly I saw the imposing cliffs of Seven Days’ Work. In a few moments they were absorbed by the fog and Grand Manan was not seen again until the vibrating hull of the ship rounded Swallow Tail Light and nosed into North Head. My visit to Grand Manan continued until July 22nd, during which time I attempted to cover as much of the island as possible and to visit diversified habitats. I have Mr. Allan Moses to thank for placing me in touch with places frequented by species that I might have overlooked otherwise..”
