Plaster Rock
Plaster Rock is a beautiful village of about 1,000 people (2016) in northwestern New Brunswick, Canada. It is on the Appalachian Range Scenic Drive, along the banks of the picturesque Tobique River.
Understand
Plaster Rock’s first European settlers arrived in 1881. They gave Plaster Rock its name based on the hill on the other side of the Tobique River – the rock is made up of gypsum, or plaster.
Primarily English, the town has been a logging and lumbering community. Known as the Gateway to Mount Carleton Provincial Park, the community is the source of business, commerce, banking, grocery shopping, and religious and sport gatherings for the surrounding hamlets and homes of the Tobique River region.
The Tobique First Nations Reserve is found where the Tobique and Saint John Rivers come together.
Get in
From the Trans-Canada Highway, exit eastbound onto Route 390 in Perth-Andover or Route 108 in Grand Falls.
See
- World Pond Hockey Championships. Mid-February. The 4-day event has been held annually since 2002. It attracts 120 teams from every province in Canada, 35 American states, and 15 other countries at a variety of competitive levels. Its emphasis is on camaraderie instead of competition. Over 8000 spectators enjoy games on 20 rinks. Team registration costs $750.
- Fiddles on the Tobique, ☏ +1 506 274-0015. Early July. Fiddles on the Tobique is a celebration of old-time fiddle music played in a canoe. (If Canada were not a real place, it would have to be invented.) This annual one-day event offers the chance to float alongside fiddlers playing Maritime music and their accompanying musicians on the Tobique river. Embarking from Nictau, the river run lasts 2 hours on a distance of 10 km (6 miles) and ends at Riley Brook. Around 1300 canoes take to the waters.
- World's Largest Fiddleheads. This 7.3-m-tall (24-ft) wood sculpture celebrates fiddleheads, the furled leaves of young ferns that are eaten as a delicacy in springtime, especially in New Brunswick.
Do
The area is a prime destination for outdoor enthusiasts as the region offers a host of activities ranging from camping, swimming, hiking, canoeing and kayaking, golf, fishing and other sports throughout the spring/summer season.
In the autumn, New Brunswick's legendary outfitters offer hunting for black bear, whitetail deer, moose, woodcock and grouse.
The winter season offers New Brunswick's famous "white gold", unbelievable snowmobile and cross country trails as well as snowshoeing, sliding, skating and ice fishing.
- 🌍 Mount Carleton Provincial Park (140 km north on Route 385). At 820 m, Mount Carleton is the highest peak in the Maritime provinces. The park is in the northern extension of the Appalachian Mountains. The park has several other significant peaks, all of which have trails around or over them. There are several lakes and two major rivers along with many brooks and streams within the parks 17,427 hectares. Lake Nictau has a designated area for swimming. The International Appalachian Trail cuts through the heart of area. Canoeing, mountain biking, camping, photography and nature observation. The park has a campground accessible by car but there are no hook-ups available. Armstrong Brook Campground has 88 sites. The campground has flush toilets, a kitchen shelter and showers. The park has cabins which may be rented. Reservations can be made online. Cash only at the park. Daily fee $10/car, campsite rental $28-36, cabin rental $60-120.
- 🌍 Plaster Rock Golf & Curling Club, 61 Renous Rd, ☏ +1 506 356-2402. 9-hole golf course.
- Long Lake Adventures, ☏ +1 506 356-5151. Hunting trips. Guided and unguided fishing -- exclusive rights for three lakes with Lake Trout and Landlocked Salmon. Six cabins for clients' use.
- The Bear's Lair, ☏ +1 506 356-8351. Fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, canoeing, bird watching, cross-country skiing.
- Lawrence Dyer & Sons Outfitters, 1125 Enterprise Road, Enterprise, ☏ +1 506 356-2292. Bear hunts, moose hunts, deer hunts, fishing excursions.
Eat
- Settler's Inn and Motel. Coffee, pastries, cold drinks & snacks available.
- Lil' Peppinos, 248 Main St, ☏ +1 506-356-2111. M-Th 11AM-7PM, F 11AM-8PM, Sa 3:30-7PM. Homemade pasta, pizza, wraps, salads, Italian food.
- Dayna's Country Kitchen, 273 Main St, ☏ +1 506 356-9095. Home cooking.
- JR's Take Out, 200 Main St, ☏ +1 506 356-8510. Tu-Su 11AM-9PM. Burgers, fries, poutine, fish and chips. Outdoor seating.
Sleep
- Northview Lodge.
- Settler's Inn, Motel and Restaurant, ☏ +1 506 356-9000. Motel rooms and cabins.
- Ty Gwyn Country Bed & Breakfast, 259 Main Street, ☏ +1 506 356-2121.
- Tobique Suites (2 km from Plaster Rock), ☏ +1 506 276-4612.
- Reed's Landing B&B, 2679 NB 390, St. Almo (10 minutes from Plaster Rock), ☏ +1 506 356-2252.