Sugarloaf Provincial Park is an all-season provincial park located in the
Campbellton community of
Atholville
Atholville is an unincorporated community in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada. It held village status prior to 2023.
The first inhabitants of the area were the ''Mi'kmaq'' who settled there in the 6th century BC and were then called '' ...
. It opened in 1972.
Geography
The park includes
Sugarloaf Mountain
Sugarloaf Mountain ( pt, Pão de Açúcar, ) is a peak situated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the mouth of Guanabara Bay on a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. Rising above the harbor, the peak is named for its resemblance to ...
, an extinct
late Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, wher ...
volcano
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...
. The majority of the park is undeveloped and forested; in addition to the stand-alone Sugarloaf Mountain, it includes the north slope of an unnamed ridge of the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
, as well as two named lakes (Prichard Lake, and Smith lake), as well as a drinking water reservoir for the City of Campbellton. The park's watershed drains into Walker Brook.
The park measures approximately north to south, and east to west. It is bordered on the north by
Route 11, on the east by Lily Lake Rd, on the south by Lac-des-Lys Rd, and on the west by Val d'Amour Rd.
Trails
Sugarloaf Mountain is encircled by a perimeter road which is closed to motor vehicles and is available for walking, jogging and running during the spring, summer and fall seasons. During the winter season, this perimeter road is groomed for
cross country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
. The summit of Sugarloaf Mountain itself is accessible from a hiking trail that climbs its eastern slope; this trail is closed during the winter season and is suitable for those with intermediate hiking experience.
The unnamed ridge south of Sugarloaf Mountain has a variety of trails extending to and around the lakes as well as through the alpine ski slope. A total of of groomed trails for snowmobiling and cross country skiing are available. The park experiences, on average, 300 to 400 cm of snow each year.
Alpine ski resort
Sugarloaf Provincial Park has an alpine ski resort on the unnamed mountain ridge that is adjacent to but separate from Sugarloaf Mountain. During the winter months, the alpine ski resort offers a variety of alpine skiing for all enthusiasts ranging from beginner to expert, as well as other winter activities such as snowshoeing, cross country skiing, ice skating, snowmobiling, and sleigh rides.
During the summer months, the resort still operates its
ski lift
A ski lift is a mechanism for transporting skiers up a hill. Ski lifts are typically a paid service at ski resorts. The first ski lift was built in 1908 by German Robert Winterhalder in Schollach/Eisenbach, Hochschwarzwald.
Types
* Aerial l ...
so that park visitors may ride it to take in vistas of the
Restigouche River
The Restigouche River (french: Rivière Ristigouche) is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec.
The river flows in a northeasterly direction from its source in the App ...
valley. The alpine ski hill also offers a downhill mountain bike park and used to have an
alpine slide
A summer toboggan is an amusement or recreational ride which uses a bobsled-like sled or cart to run down a track usually built on the side of a hill. There are two main types: an Alpine coaster or mountain coaster is a type of roller coaste ...
.
Bike Park
/ref> which was removed in 2009.
References
{{New Brunswick parks
Campbellton, New Brunswick
Geography of Restigouche County, New Brunswick
Provincial parks of New Brunswick
Tourist attractions in Restigouche County, New Brunswick
1972 establishments in New Brunswick