Welcome to the Dobson Trail website

Posted on November 8, 2011 by

The Dobson Trail is a continuous footpath through the Albert County wilderness stretching 57.75 km from Riverview NB to the northern boundary of Fundy National Park near Alma NB. It is an all season trail traversing a variety of woodland terrain. It follows along brooks, crosses meadows and travels along some older and new roads for some periods. The trail winds through soft and hardwood stands, crosses a beaver dam, touches a lake, ascends slopes, some gradual some steep, to reach Magnificent look-outs including Prosser Brook Ridge, the new Kent Hills power generating windmills and the spectacular Hayward Pinnacle. The Dobson Trail meets Fundy National Park at the Old Sheapody Road and joins the Park’s Laverty Falls Trail just west of the Broad River via the Dobson Link Trail.

This site was set up to allow Trail users to get information, share stories, arrange for hiking partners, report issues with the trail and to meet other Dobson Trail lovers. Please feel free to comment on anything you see here and keep it clean, fun and respectful, offending remarks will be removed.

There is also a Facebook page set up for the Dobson trail here.

The Dobson Trail is part of the Fundy Hiking Trail Association which is a non profit group made up of volunteers. The Fundy Hiking Trail Association maintains the Dobson Trail, Fundy Footpath and the Catamount Trail. All trail maintenance, development and advertising is done with the help of volunteers so please consider donating some of your time, knowledge or expertise to help improve these wonderful trails. All cash donations are tax deductible. Please contact us with the contact us function here or at dobsontrail@gmail.com or footpath@nbnet.nb.ca if you have any questions.

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Back country fire pit etiquette

Posted on March 14, 2013 by

Many people enjoy a back country fire and I am one of them. The Dobson Trail has many ‘official” and “un-official” fire pit areas and as more people discover the trail and hike it the more use these fire pits see. The most popular one is the first one in from Riverview at about the 600 meter mark. It has a built in fire ring and a grate that can pivot over the ring to place pots on. It also has a few tables and log benches around it.

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This is a very popular spot for locals to come out in the evening and the weekends with friends and family to enjoy a fire in the woods. Because of the high volume of use the immediate area looks like tidal wave came through and washed everything with a 50 meter radius away leaving bare earth and nothing left to burn. Over the past 7 or 8 years it has gotten a lot more use and a lot worse but at least the local “teen nightlife” has not gone back and destroyed it or burnt a bunch of tires in the last 5 years or so. The trail maintenance folks do their best to have fire wood available when they know a specific group is going in but there is not always wood there to burn which causes people to scavenge and destroy the few tree in the immediate area. We tried to leave a splitting ax there for people to use but it quickly became a problem with people using it to destroy some of the nearby living trees and the posts that were installed to be used as a wind break with a few tarps when the senior and blind groups come in to enjoy the fire pit.

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This fire pit is also in need of some TLC that I hope to tackle once it dries up and before the bugs are out.

Below are some tips on how to treat back country fire pits:

  • keep it small
  • use the provided fire pits
  • use the provided wood or bring you own
  • burn only wood found on the ground and no bigger than your wrist
  • do not strip trees of bark or live branches
  • travel as far as possible to collect wood to avoid clearing out the pit area
  • time your fire to completely burn out before you leave
  • keep the pit clean, no cans, bottle or garbage
  • keep the whole area clean and safe.
  • do not leave extra brush or wood near fire pit, pile it safely away or in the wood shed.
  • Think how you would like to find it and leave it that way for others
  • beware of loose dogs they can knock over people and snatch food from kids

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Remember that many others and many families with young kids enjoy the fire pit so try to keep it clean, safe and set a good example for others. If you do see someone doing something wrong or destructive ask them to stop please. The trail is maintained by volunteers and we all see this trail as a community trail so lets all try to chip in and keep it clean and safe.

 

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Volunteer training day, March 23rd

Posted on March 1, 2013 by

The Fundy Hiking Trails Association is offering a training seminar to all it’s current volunteers and anyone wishing to learn more about trail maintenance. The type of things being offered are trail tools, basics of trail maintenance, FHTA’s role in assuring sustainable trails in the Fundy region.

We will forward details of the afternoons activity. It is being held at the Riverview Fire Department’s training room located at the corner of Pineglen rd and Pinewood rd starting at 1pm on Saturday, March 23, 2013. Us the side parking lot and entrance.

 

RSVP leger@nbnet.nb.ca

 

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New year, time to renew your membership?

Posted on January 8, 2013 by

Time to sign up or renew your 2013 Membership Application for the Fundy Hiking Trail Association (Dobson Trail / Fundy Footpath).

Support the FHTA and their volunteers, building and maintaining trails since 1959.

Remember to include your e-mail address.

Click here to download the form, fill it out and mail it to the address on the form along with a cheque or money order.

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New Trail guides

Posted on December 18, 2012 by
Posted in Trail News | 3 Comments

Trail crests

Posted on December 11, 2012 by

The Fundy Hiking Trail Association has produced two new crest for the Fundy Footpath and the Dobson Trail. Since the trail is maintained by volunteers and funded by donations and the sale of trail guides, these crest are part of the fundraising activities.

The crest are on sale for $6 each and will be available at some local retailers and through some association members. If you are interested in purchasing any of these crest please contact Dobsontrail@gmail.com or footpath@nbnet.nb.ca and we will figure out a way to get them to you. Once we have some available at the retail outlets I will list them on here as well. We also have some Dobson Trail stickers which are the same as the crest for sale for $2 each.

Crest

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