Locals want visitors to respect ‘hidden gem’ beach in Waterside, N.B.

Waterside, N.B., is located on scenic Route 915 in the southeast corner of the province.

It's where around 100 people call home.

There's an old vacant one-room schoolhouse, a 170-year-old cemetery and a winery with a stellar view.

There's also a breathtaking beach located roughly between two major tourist attractions - Cape Enrage and Fundy National Park.

Locals call it a hidden gem.

Some want to keep it that way, while others are happy to share.

Susan Rossiter of nearby Lower Cape, N.B., was there Friday afternoon with her children and grandchildren.

"It's just so peaceful. You can walk up and down the beach and you're not going to have big crowds, hopefully, and it's the beauty of the area," said Susan.

Her daughter Ceila has been coming there since she was a little girl and has fond memories of it.

"It's a great beach. There's sand, then there's little rocky areas. There's always things to do, sandcastles to make," said Celia.

Jim Kendall of St. Petersburg, Fla., is visiting the Maritimes for the first time.

He didn't know about the beach until he decided to stop on his journey in the area.

"It's amazing. It's so huge, so few people, it's awesome. Our beach got voted the number one beach in 2021 in the states -- St. Pete Beach -- and this is spectacular," said Kendall.

Linda Martell owns Waterside Winery, a business that overlooks the beach.

"Most of the people see this as a hidden gem. It's a diamond in the rough," said Martell. "It's a place that a lot of people didn't even know existed. A lot of people will head down to (Route) 114 to Fundy and Alma and totally have no idea the 915 is a scenic route from Riverside-Albert all the way to Fundy National Park. We just love it here."

There's no doubt it's a beautiful beach with a magnificent view, but some people in the area are concerned about parking and congestion along Route 915.

Brenda Hoar has lived in Waterside for 37 years.

She owns a small parking lot across from her home next to the beach.

"We're concerned about people getting hurt because they're parking along both sides of the road and we're kind of on a blind hill,” said Hoar. “We don't want to see anyone get hurt. It's private property and we would be liable if anyone got hurt.”

Hoar doesn’t mind if people come to the area, but she wants them to pick up their garbage and show respect.

"As long as they pick up after themselves and don't overpopulate the parking lot. If it's full, just keep going," said Hoar. "If it keeps getting congested, we'll probably have to remove the parking lot or make it smaller so people won't get hurt. We just need people to use common sense."

Ian Peach was visiting from Fredericton and parked in Hoar's lot.

He admits that the parking situation can be problematic so he backed into the spot to try and avoid an accident when he was leaving.

"I appreciate that drivers along here are very careful but certainly congestion would be a concern. As things stand right now, she's absolutely right. We have to be respectful of the beach," said Peach.

Martell welcomes people to the area as long as they are respectful and don't block traffic in any way.

"It's not a concern if the people that are parking park on one side of the street and they leave the road accessible to cars travelling in both directions. That's been a problem," said Martell.

Like Hoar, Martell wants people to take their trash with them when they leave their beautiful beach.