Did you know we have a black sand beach right here on the mainland of New Brunswick? Black Beach is located minutes outside of Saint John, in Lorneville, New Brunswick.
Black Beach is a spot my son Lorne has wanted to visit, since he found it on Google Maps, several years ago. We finally made it there in 2017 and it was gorgeous! It is on our list of must revisit locations!
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 8:30 am and arrived in a misty fog at this unique 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.
Upon researching this area, I had hoped to do some hiking, but we opted out on 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 the 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 get to the 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 the beach, called Black Beach Loop, part of the Musquash Estuary. It is a 4.2km round trip trail. MAP HERE
Exact Location of Black Beach :
Black Beach 4811 Black Beach Rd, Saint John, NB E2M 7T7
Directions from Moncton to Black Beach can be found here: https://goo.gl/maps/X2wAuQoas2S2
You can get to this beach by heading west on Highway 1, take exit 112 into Lorneville and follow King William Road, to Black Beach Road. The road is a graded dirt road. It was in pretty good shape when we were there this week. Pay attention to extreme weather conditions, as they could cause washouts from time to time.
We love coastal exploring. Here is another beach we visited on the same trip, Crow Island Rd Beach. More Beach Adventures to come!
Check out our Exploring NB section for more fun.