About Joggins Fossil Cliffs
Walk a Bay of Fundy beach where every high tide uncovers fresh 300-million-year-old fossils, including Hylonomus, the oldest known reptile, at this UNESCO World Heritage Site, a three-hour drive from Halifax. The interpretive centre (gallery admission adults $7.39 + tax; 30-min Wanderer guided tour $12.50 + tax) is open daily 10-5, May 1 to Oct 18, 2026; time your visit for low tide.
Features & Highlights
Detailed Information
Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO Site
Stand on the tidal flats at Joggins and you are walking across the petrified floor of a 300-million-year-old Coal Age rainforest. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, these constantly eroding cliffs have produced some of the most important fossil finds in the history of paleontology, including the tiny reptile Hylonomus lyelli - the oldest known reptile, ancestral to every living reptile, bird, and mammal. Every high tide scrubs the shoreline and lays bare fresh specimens in the rock, so no two visits ever turn up exactly the same beach.
What to See & Do
Begin at the Joggins Fossil Centre, where interpretive exhibits unpack the geology, the Coal Age rainforest that grew here, and the story of how 19th-century naturalists Sir Charles Lyell and Sir William Dawson reshaped our understanding of deep time. The collection includes standing fossil lycopsid trees still rooted in the coal measures where they grew - an entire forest turned to stone in place.
Then walk down to the beach and cliffs at low tide to search for fossils yourself. Loose specimens on the shore can be picked up and photographed, while the cliff face and any fossils still embedded in it are protected and must stay put. For the richest experience, book a guided beach tour with one of the Centre's interpreters, who read the rock layers the way a librarian reads a shelf and know exactly where to look.
Practical Visitor Info
- Season & Hours: The Joggins Fossil Centre is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., May 1 to October 18, 2026 (closed September 30 for Truth and Reconciliation Day and October 12 for Thanksgiving). The beach is accessible year-round, but winter ice and high tides make conditions hazardous.
- Admission: Adults $12.50 + tax; Students and seniors $11.50 + tax; Children 5 and under are free. Admission includes the interpretive centre and a 30-minute guided Wanderer's Experience.
- Guided Tours: The Explorer Experience is a 1.5-hour interpreter-led beach walk at $25 per person + tax - the single best way to understand what you are looking at.
- Dining: The Roundhouse Cafe operates on site (Saturday to Wednesday, June 29 to August 31, 2026) for light meals and coffee between fossil hunts.
Getting There
Joggins sits on the upper Bay of Fundy shore, about a three-hour drive from Halifax via highways 102 and 104. Aim for 100 Main St, Joggins, NS B0L 1A0. Pair the trip with Advocate Harbour and Cape Chignecto — explore the Cliffs of Fundy Geopark guide — for a multi-day Bay of Fundy coast loop.
Plan Your Visit:
- More info: Joggins Fossil Institute
- Find places to stay and more Fundy shore stops on the Bay of Fundy region page
At a Glance
| What it is | A UNESCO World Heritage Site (designated 2008) on the upper Bay of Fundy, where eroding cliffs expose fossils from a 300-million-year-old Coal Age rainforest |
|---|---|
| Famous for | Hylonomus lyelli, the oldest known reptile, ancestral to every living reptile, bird and mammal, found in the cliff layers here |
| 2026 season | Joggins Fossil Centre open daily 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., May 1 to October 18 (closed September 30 and October 12); the beach itself is accessible year-round |
| Admission | Interpretive-centre gallery admission adults $7.39 + tax; the 30-minute Wanderer guided tour $12.50 + tax (students and seniors $11.50 + tax; children 5 and under free) |
| Best tour | The 1.5-hour interpreter-led Explorer Experience beach walk at $25 + tax per person, the single best way to understand what you are looking at |
| Timing tip | Visit at low tide, when the flats are exposed; every high tide scrubs the shoreline and lays bare fresh specimens |
| On-site dining | The Roundhouse Cafe operates Saturday to Wednesday, June 29 to August 31, 2026 |
| Location | 100 Main St, Joggins, NS B0L 1A0, about a three-hour drive from Halifax via highways 102 and 104 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Joggins Fossil Cliffs a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
The cliffs were designated in 2008 because they hold some of the most important fossil finds in the history of paleontology. Standing on the tidal flats, you are walking across the petrified floor of a 300-million-year-old Coal Age rainforest, and the constantly eroding cliffs keep producing new specimens, including Hylonomus lyelli, the oldest known reptile, ancestral to every living reptile, bird and mammal.
Can I collect fossils on the beach?
Loose specimens lying on the shore can be picked up and photographed, but the cliff face and any fossils still embedded in it are protected and must stay put. For the richest experience, book a guided beach tour: the Centre's interpreters read the rock layers the way a librarian reads a shelf and know exactly where to look.
When is the best time of day to visit?
Time your visit for low tide, when the fossil flats are exposed. Every high tide scrubs the shoreline and lays bare fresh specimens in the rock, so no two visits ever turn up exactly the same beach, but at high tide there is little beach to walk.
How much does it cost to visit Joggins?
Interpretive-centre gallery admission is seven dollars and thirty-nine cents plus tax for adults. The package including the 30-minute guided Wanderer tour is twelve dollars and fifty cents plus tax for adults and eleven dollars and fifty cents plus tax for students and seniors, with children 5 and under free. The 1.5-hour interpreter-led Explorer Experience beach walk is twenty-five dollars plus tax per person and is the single best way to understand what you are looking at.
When is the Joggins Fossil Centre open?
Daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., May 1 to October 18, 2026, closed September 30 for Truth and Reconciliation Day and October 12 for Thanksgiving. The beach is accessible year-round, but winter ice and high tides make conditions hazardous outside the season.
How do I get to Joggins, and what else is nearby?
Joggins sits on the upper Bay of Fundy shore about a three-hour drive from Halifax via highways 102 and 104; aim for 100 Main St, Joggins, NS B0L 1A0. Pair the trip with Advocate Harbour and Cape Chignecto for a multi-day Bay of Fundy coast loop along the Cliffs of Fundy Geopark.
