provincial park
Ischigualasto Provincial Park
A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to the ...
Cape Breton County
Cape Breton County is one of eighteen counties in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located on Cape Breton Island.
From 1879 to 1995, the area of the county excluded from towns and cities was incorporated as the Municipality of th ...
,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, from
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and from the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada. Opened in 1967, the property offers camping sites and a range of opportunities for outdoor recreation, including picnicking, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, biking, front-country hiking, boating, fishing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and
geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", at specific l ...
.
Lands were initially acquired for the park in 1962, with major acquisitions occurring in 1968 and 1973. The property was designated under the Provincial Parks Act by
Order in Council
An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' Ki ...
(OIC 84-679) on 12 June 1984. In an area of almost exclusively private properties, the park provides one of the few public access points to the Mira River.
Geology
The Mira River Valley is a dominant topographical feature of southeastern
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada.
The island accounts for 18. ...
, extending from Framboise Cove northwards to about Marion Bridge and then sweeping eastwards to exit at Mira Bay. The river lies between 320 million year old
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...
formations to the north and 500 million year old
Cambrian
The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized C with bar, Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million ...
and
Precambrian
The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...
formations to the south. The highly
eroded
Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust, and then sediment transport, tra ...
bedrock
In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet.
Definition
Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...
is covered by a thick layer of
glacial till
image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...
,
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...
s and
gravel
Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone.
Gravel is classifi ...
s deposited during the retreat of the last ice age some 15,000 years ago.
Lying in a long narrow
valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...
, possibly along an old fault line, the lower reaches of the river have been dammed by glacial gravels to form a long
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
. Along the lower two-thirds of the river, these glacial deposits also formed numerous peninsulas such as the one Mira River Provincial Park occupies. About three kilometres from the mouth of the Mira, the river narrows and cuts a valley through bedrock to reach the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
. Here the valley is less than wide, with banks 20 metres (65 feet) high.
The carboniferous bedrock to the north of the Mira includes numerous
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when dea ...
seams - evidence of the area's environment 300 million years ago. At that time shallow lakes, bays, swamps and coastal flood plains covered much of the region. Abundant
fossils
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...
can be found in this coal. These coal seams supported the region's long history of coal mining. South of the Mira, fossils are also imbedded in the
Cambrian
The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized C with bar, Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million ...
sandstones
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) b ...
and
shales
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especiall ...
.
Marine environment
The Mira River has a
drainage area
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, the ...
of approximately , with the Gaspereau, Salmon and Trout rivers, along with Black Brook, as its main tributaries. Along the southern part of its course, glacial deposits have interrupted the flow to form a chain of small lakes which are all less than 15 metres above sea level.
Tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
waters move back and forth in the eastern portion of the river, although the influx of salt water any distance beyond the river mouth is limited.
The waters of the Mira River support a variety of fish species including sea trout,
perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Percif ...
striped bass
The striped bass (''Morone saxatilis''), also called the Atlantic striped bass, striper, linesider, rock, or rockfish, is an anadromous perciform fish of the family Moronidae found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America. It has al ...
,
mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment.
...
,
herring
Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae.
Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...
,
brook trout
The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae. It is native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada, but has been introduced elsewhere ...
minnow
Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the families Cyprinidae and Leuciscidae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens.
Smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscidae are co ...
s and
smelts
Smelts are a family of small fish, the Osmeridae, found in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans, as well as rivers, streams and lakes in Europe, North America and Northeast Asia. They are also known as freshwater smelts or typical smelts ...
. Consequently, the river is popular for fishing.
Flora
The forest cover of Mira River Provincial Park consists generally of tolerant hardwoods, predominantly sugar maple, on the westernmost portion near Joes Point, with a larger portion of mixed woods through the central portion and softwood stands along the western shoreline, around the maintenance yard and immediately south of the northernmost walk-in campsites. Large areas of non-forested areas are associated with the campground. A six hectare wetland is located along the northernmost shoreline. Portions of the park remain relatively undisturbed and in a region with a long history of human development provide an opportunity to explore and appreciate the area's natural heritage.
Fauna
Due to its small size, long history of human development and use and island-like setting, Mira River Provincial Park is home to a limited number of mammals, including snowshoe hare, red squirrels, voles, moles, bats, field mice and porcupine. Common birds which inhabit the park and surrounding woods and waters include bald eagles, loon, blue heron, Canada goose and a variety of owls, ducks and other waterfowl. Although having limited wildlife values, the park does provide some relatively natural habitat in an area of increasing human development and use.
Cultural heritage
The first inhabitants of the area were the
Mi’kmaq
The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...
who established seasonal camps along the river. In the early 1700s, French settlers arrived and soon began clearing the land and exporting timber, particularly white pine prized for ship masts, to France. The settlers also farmed as evidenced by the old orchards still found within the park.
In 1727 the French established a brick yard here at what is now known as Brickyard Point in Mira River Provincial Park, to access the high quality of clay found along the river banks. The bricks were used to build the nearby Fortress of Louisbourg which had begun in 1719. Even today, a walk along the shore of the river will reveal hundreds of bricks that fell off the ships transporting them from the kiln to the Louisbourg construction site.
By 1763 the English gained control of Cape Breton Island. While some French settlers returned to France, many others remained. Later, large numbers of United Empire Loyalists and Scottish immigrants settled in Cape Breton.
The park provides an authentic setting to present the story of aboriginal use of the Mira River. As well, there are visible remnants of early French, and later English, occupation of what is now Mira River Provincial Park.
A cemetery owned by a third party is located within the park.
Outdoor recreation
Mira River Provincial Park offers a range of opportunities for outdoor recreation activities. Situated on the 55 kilometre-long Mira River, and within a short drive from the greater Sydney area, the provincial park is popular for pleasure boating and other recreational activities including fishing and swimming. The park offers one of only a limited number of freshwater swimming opportunities in proximity to the Sydney area.
The park offers public access to Mira River and provides facilities and services to better enjoy the area's recreational amenities. These facilities and services include a campground, picnic area, unsupervised swimming area, boat launch, picnic area, walking trails, a playground, parking and washrooms.
A clearly defined trail in wooded areas, open fields, and along the shore can also be used in the winter months for cross-country skiing.
Tourism
Mira River Provincial Park plays an important role in regional tourism efforts. The park provides an accommodation base for campers that is close to the greater Sydney area and the nearby Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada. It also offers one of the best freshwater swimming opportunities in eastern Cape Breton County and access to the Mira River for boating.
Facilities and services
The park has 156 campsites, 51 open (44 water and electric sites), 40 Partially Wooded (15 water and electric), 65 Wooded. The park has a picnic area, a boat launch, and a trailer dump station. The large unsupervised beach is ideal for families to play.
WiFi is available at the admin building and surrounding area. Password required, please see the park receptionist.
Season and fees
The park is open for day use and for camping from May 27 to October 17, 2022. The park Administration building will be staffed from 9:00AM to 11:00PM every day during the park season up to Sept. 5 when the park changes to a Self-registration park to closing. Camping reservations can be made beginning 2 April 2018.
The fee per night is $26.70 (Two-way hook ups are available at some sites for $35.60) Seniors and Veterans discounts are offered.
Please note that there are no facilities in the winter and parking is at the gate only.
The park's civic address is 439 Brickyard Road, Albert Bridge, NS.