The Tomlinson Lake Hike to Freedom trail is a natural hiking trail of approximately 3km long that follows the footsteps of the many Black families who immigrated from Maine to New Brunswick from 1850 to 1865.
This route would have been North America’s northernmost route of the Underground Railroad.
When hiking from the parking area to Tomlinson Lake you will find several interpretive storyboards, location signs of Black history relevance, a squatters cabin (currently under construction) and a replica of a Black Loyalist pithouse.
Each year the TLHTF organization hosts an annual hiking event on the first weekend of October. Hikers can experience traditional food cooked over a fire, Civil War reenactors, a pop-up museum by the New Brunswick Black History Society, several interpreters dressed in period clothing and many artefacts. This event is free to the public.
Video of Tomlinson Lake Hike to Freedom Trail
Natalie Bull, Executive Director of the National Trust for Canada, launched Canada Historic Places Days with an exclusive live tour of Tomlinson Lake Hike to Freedom in New Brunswick. The tour featured replicas of a squatters cabin, a Black Loyalist pithouse, storyboards, live interpretation, Civil War reenactors and stories about the struggles that Black families faced upon arriving in Atlantic Canada.
