Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park - Current Uses

Current Uses

Currently, no one except park authorities live on Newcastle Island. The original First Nations peoples who inhabited the island left in 1849 when the Hudson's Bay Company started opening up coal mines. The park has become an extremely popular tourist spot that now caters to hikers, campers, bird watchers, and kayakers alike. Cars are prohibited on the island. There is no man-made bridge connecting Newcastle Island to any other land, but in the summer at low tide, you can walk across the narrow straits separating it from Protection Island, barely getting your feet wet.

Walk in campsites are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Mooring buoys are available (no reservations), but many boating visitors simply anchor in the area between Newcastle Island and Protection Island. An exceptionally lucky visitor might find space at the dock to tie up. A fee is charged for camping, mooring to a buoy, and overnight use of the dock.