My partner, Mathieu and I awoke from a peaceful night of winter vanlife camping at Mount Carleton Provincial Park to find a bright white blanket of fresh snow covering every square inch of the stunning Canadian Appalachian landscape that surrounded us.

Photo by Mat LeBlanc

Excited for a morning of adventure, we threw some snacks in our backpacks, packed an extra sweater—just in case—laced up our winter boots and grabbed our snowshoes from the back of our rental campervan.

Having camped overnight in the newly designated vanlife camping area meant we were so close to the start of the Mount Bailey trail, which is one of the trails in Mount Carleton Provincial Park officially open for hiking and snowshoeing during the winter months.

Photo by Mat LeBlanc

We strapped on our snowshoes, smiled at the sun poking out behind the clouds, and started our way up the well-trodden path that would lead us to the summit of the fourth highest mountain peak in the entire province of New Brunswick.

Weaving our way through the leafless Acadian Forest, we were surrounded by a gorgeous mix of soft and hardwood trees; white pines, yellow birches, sugar maples, balsam firs and eastern hemlocks that were spread out perfectly among the gentle mountainside.

The bright orange blazes and rustic, wooden signs assured us that we were still on the right path as the trail gradually gained elevation up towards the glowing sunlight that was softened by the wispy clouds in an otherwise baby blue sky.

Photo by Mat LeBlanc

We saw fresh tracks pressed into the soft snow by the little critters that roam the forest floor; American martens, cheerful chipmunks and bounding snowshoe hares meandering around in the lower elevations, followed closely behind by the elusive, stealthy bobcat.

The sweet song of the white-throated sparrow beckoned us along as the trail continued to steepen and wind through the woods, carrying us up into the darker, denser, Boreal forest and towards our first panoramic view among the snow covered, coniferous trees.

From here, we could see the mighty Sagamook Mountain to our side, and the tippy top of the towering Mount Carleton just beyond. With the sunshine upon us, we decided to make the final, out-and-back push to the official summit of Mount Bailey, to soak in the crystal-clear view down to Bald Mountain Brook and the rolling mountains to the south.

Photo by Mat LeBlanc

By the time we arrived back at the base, our tummies were rumbling, so we promptly made our way to the big, beautiful, timber-framed Lodge-Cafe for some well-deserved lunch within its warm and welcoming walls.

The friendly and informative Lodge-Cafe staff serves up a variety of tasty beverages and delicious hot food, ranging from their famous, filling bowls of chili, to well-dressed nachos, perfectly cooked chicken wings and so much more.

From hearty homemade soups and hot maple brownies to their sweet winter warmup hot beverages, you can fill your belly with nourishing meals or cozy desserts, while simultaneously looking out at the lovely Lake Nictau, which is frozen over in the winter months—making it the perfect place for ice fishing adventures.

Photo by Mat LeBlanc

There’s also access to drinking water, washrooms, wifi, trail maps, souvenirs, complimentary snowshoe and cross-country ski gear, and new for winter 2025/26—fat bike rentals for people who want to get out and explore Mount Carleton’s well-groomed winter trails on two, winter friendly wheels.

Alongside the incredible food and drinks, cozy atmosphere, comfortable couches, friendly staff, superb views, and stunning, Indigenous art in the Lodge-Cafe, there is yet another amazing feature of this big, beautiful building—one that is especially handy in the cold winter months.

The warming station is a gorgeous, window-rich, rear wing of the Lodge-Cafe, that is open 24 hours a day for campers and park visitors to use as a place to eat, hang out, dry their wet gear and warm up next to a stunning, stone fireplace that come equipped with pre-chopped kindling and a tall stack of dry firewood.

Photo by Mat LeBlanc

Once the Lodge-Cafe closes in the evening, the doorway between the warming room and the main room of the Lodge-Cafe becomes locked, but you can access the warming room from outside, through one of the many unlocked doors that lead you into this wonderful space.

You can also access the bathrooms and drinking water fountain after lodge hours from the rear door, and the free wifi is on all night long. The warming room was such a welcome change from nights spent hanging out in our small campervan for the past seven weeks, and made for a nice social place to connect with other parkgoers and make some new friends.

As we made our way from the warming station to our home-on-wheels for our last night of winter camping at Mount Carleton Provincial Park, we were both stopped in our tracks by the incredible star-speckled sky that stretched out above us.

Photo by NML Photography

Officially designated as a Dark Sky Preserve in 2009, it turns out that Mount Carleton is one of the best spots in Eastern Canada for stargazing, and on this, cold, clear winter night, it felt like we could see the entire universe from just outside our camper van.

With so much to explore in this wild and wonderful park, we made a pact to come back next winter to experience every awesome opportunity that the park offers up—from ice fishing, to winter camping, snowshoeing to cross country skiing and of course, fat biking—and maybe one day, a snowmobile trip up into the famous Christmas Mountains to experience these incredible Signature Trails that we’ve heard so much about.