Sunpoke Lake and Creek Loop
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Quick Facts
| Features | tree lined creek, wetland |
| Access | flat shore |
| Route Difficulty | easy |
| Water Body Type | river, stream, open lake |
| Current Type | minimal |
| Route Type | loop |
| Route Distance | 7.3 km return |
| Portage Distance | none |
| Estimated Time | 3 hours return |
| Elevation Change | none |
| Scenery Rating | beautiful |
| Cell Reception | medium |
| Fees | none |
Description
Note: Weather conditions can drastically vary the speed and difficulty of your trip. Please plan accordingly.
The Oromocto Watershed is an amazing place to explore. On our paddle to Sunpoke Lake we had an experience like no other. We put in at the boat landing near the bridge and noticed a few strong spiderwebs hanging from the trees. Vicki was in her boat first and I could hear her splashing her paddle but didn't think anything of it. When I got out to her she said she had seen a spider on the water.
The waters were perfectly calm and glassy on that day in late October. The hardwoods had all lost their leaves so they provided a gray contrast to the blue skies. As we paddled down Oromocto River we noticed more spiders on the water and more spider webs on the trees and grasses along the shore. Vicki does not like spiders so she was paddling hard. I was having trouble keeping up.
We noticed that spiders were hopping on the water, gliding across the water by their webs, and even hovering in the air about 6 feet off the water. I think they were trying to catch a ride on the wind to cross the river, but there was no wind so they just wriggled in the air, hanging from their webs. At this point Vicki was not enjoying herself so I suggested we turn back. We decided that it might be better to continue on our loop than go back the way we had come.
We came to Sunpoke Creek where it flowed into the Oromocto River. It was a narrow stream with a row of hardwoods on each side separating it from the surrounding grassy wetlands. There was a bit more current in the stream, which seemed to cut down on the spiders on the water. We made our way up the meandering stream.
Eventually the trees dwindled and transitioned into open wetlands. This is when we realized that we had made a mistake. We should have went back the way we came. The grassy fields were covered in thick spider webs and the water was covered with spiders. The vibration from our boats made them hop and skim towards us. In the distance you could see that the trees around the fields were even covered in spider webs. It looked like a giant had gotten carried away with their Halloween decorations. I was fascinated and wanted to capture it all on video and in photos, but I knew Vicki wasn't having fun so we continued on. We thought for sure that it would be better out in thhe middle of Sunpoke Lake.
We were wrong once again. Spiders hopped on the lake and their webs accumulated on our boats. It was a bit better but not much. We headed for the dugway that led back to the car. When we got back to shore, Vicki promptly got back in the car and shut the door. There were a few spiders on the boats and I was surprised to see that there were now a few spider webs on the car.
After we got home I found out that the fields were full of wild rice. The wild rice was enough to sustain such a large population of the dock spiders. Fascinating! I will be going back this year but Vicki will be staying home.
Map
Directions
From Oromocto, take highway 7 towards Saint John. Drive for 8.3 kilometres and take exit 29 towards Geary on the right. If you are coming from the Saint John direction, turn left at exit 29 before you get to the highway junction with highway 2.
Drive for 1 kilometre and turn left onto Branch Road. Drive for another kilometre and turn right onto French Lake Road. Drive for 5 kilometres and turn left at the junction on to Merritt Smith Road. After a short distance keep right and you will soon cross Sunpoke Road Bridge over the Oromocto River.
After crossing the bridge the road takes a sharp turn to the left. Just after the turn you will find a gravel road going back towards the bridge on the right. Follow this road to just below the bridge and you will find a wide parking area on the left, and a boat launch on the right. You can continue on this gravel road to another wide area and dugway, but the road gets very wet and rough.
Park here and you can either launch into Oromocto River at the boat launch or you can use the dugway at the far end of the parking area to access Sunpoke Lake.
Other Routes nearby
- Thatch Island Loop
- Rusogonis Stream
Trail Last Hiked: October 23, 2022.
Page Last Updated: October 1, 2023.