Campobello Island in New Brunswick is one of the Fundy Isles and an interesting place to visit for a day especially on a bike – though it would also be a great destination for a week of summer R&R.
Campobello Island lies in between Deer Island and Grand Manan Island. It’s also just 7 kilometres from Lubec, Maine. I spent a day cycling Campobello Island from one end of the island to the other.
I’d picked up a bike on Deer Island from Seascape Kayak Tours, peddled like a crazy person for 30 minutes to get to the ferry dock and timed it so that I waited just two minutes before loading.
![Leaving Deer Island for Campobello Island](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-1.jpg)
Getting to Campobello Island
The ferry ride over to Campobello Island from Deer Island only takes about 30 minutes but ferries are roughly two hours apart – and hence the reason for my all-out push to make the ferry.
It only costs $5 per person or $6 if you’re traveling with a bike. Cars and a driver are $18 plus a $4 fuel surcharge each way. (Take cash with you in case the debit or credit machines aren’t working.)
It was an interesting ride – not just for the bird life – but for the chance to see the town of Eastport, Maine from the water. It wasn’t what I expected at all – and in fact looks to be quite a size. There is a ferry from Eastport to Campobello Island as well.
Alternatively you can drive from Maine. Take I-95 to Bangor and 1A to Ellsworth. Make your way to Lubec via Route 189. Cross on the FDR Memorial Bridge to Campobello, toll free.
![The view of Eastport, Maine from the Deer Island - Campobello Island Ferry](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-2.jpg)
What can you do on Campobello Island?
Once I arrived on Campobello Island I decided to head south towards the summer home of President Franklin Roosevelt.
But first I had to refuel and ended up in conversation with a mix of locals and visitors at Jocie’s Porch Tea & Coffee House – now permanently closed.
The coffee was the best cup I had over my three week trip – but I was disappointed that there weren’t any homemade baked goodies to go with it. Still swinging on a porch put me in a relaxed mood.
![One of the beaches near the ferry on Campobello Island](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-3.jpg)
![A mix of locals & visitors hanging out at Jose's Cafe](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-4.jpg)
Visit Roosevelt Campobello International Park
It wasn’t much of a bike ride from the ferry to get to Roosevelt Campobello International Park – and the summer home of President Franklin Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor.
You could tour the place at your own pace for free – and ask questions of the guides positioned outside all the major rooms. I loved the house – and could well imagine myself spending summers in such a place.
Couldn’t we all? What I found so interesting was the simplicity of the home compared to what one would see today – and the fact that the servants bedrooms were just a few doors down from the master bedroom.
![Lovely hiking trails in Roosevelt Campobello International Park](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-8-1.jpg)
![The beach in front of Roosevelt's cottage](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-5-1.jpg)
![The servant's bedroom - just a few doors down from the master bedroom](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-6-1.jpg)
![The living area in the Roosevelt cottage](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-7-1.jpg)
Check out FDR International Bridge
From the Roosevelt cottage I made my way toward the FDR International Bridge – a short bridge linking Campobello Island with Lubec, Maine.
There’s a pretty lighthouse to see and if you have the time there are load of trails to hike and cycle through Roosevelt Campobello International Park. In fact it’s really a cyclist’s paradise.
![It's a short bridge linking Maine to Campobello Island](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-9-1.jpg)
![Looking over to the town of Lubec, Maine from Campobello Island](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-18.jpg)
![The Mulholland Lighthouse on Campobello Island](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-10-1.jpg)
Hike to Head Harbour Lightstation on Campobello Island – if it’s low tide
Then from one end of the island I cycled to the far end to check out the Head Harbour Lightstation.
Unfortunately my visit coincided with high tide so I had to admire it from a distance. Notice all the sets of stairs down to the ocean so that you can walk to it when the tide is low.
![At low tide take a set of stairs down and walk to the Head Harbour Lightstation](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-19.jpg)
![The Head Harbour Lightstation](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-11-1.jpg)
![Two sets of stairs to get you to safety or to the lightstation if it's low tide](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-12-1.jpg)
Explore the backroads of Campobello Island
On the way back to the ferry dock I meandered down some side roads and stopped wherever a photo opportunity presented itself.
Of course I was hungry and thirsty again (I always am on a bike ride) and decided to check out the Family Fisheries Restaurant. Cold lemonade and a piece of delicious two crust – as they call it there – raspberry pie – was the payoff for all the hills I’d climbed.
One thing I learned on this trip is that people who drive cars and offer advice about the hills you might encounter on a bike in fact know nothing.
I was told by several people on the ferry that Campobello Island was much flatter than Deer Island – and maybe that’s true to a degree down at the south end but there are hills – you just don’t tend to notice them if you’re driving.
![Buoys strung up on a clothesline](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-13-1.jpg)
![The Deer Island - Campobello Island ferry](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-15.jpg)
![Gulls galore between the two islands](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Island-16.jpg)
I had a fabulous day on Campobello Island. I found it particularly friendly and wish I’d had more time to explore both Herring Cove Provincial Park and Roosevelt Campobello International Park.
The day ended with a return ferry ride to Deer Island and another 45 minute bike ride to drop off my bike – really a perfect day on a summer weekend in my books.
Further reading on things to do in New Brunswick
- 8 Great Things to Do in Fundy National Park
- A Visit to Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick
- 7 Places to Visit in New Brunswick in Summer
- A Visit to Deer Island, New Brunswick
- 12 Stops on a Road Trip in Acadian New Brunswick
Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards.
![A visit to Campobello Island by bike from Deer Island](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Campobello-Islandrs.jpg)