Gentle Wilderness Exploration
Fill your Exploration Bucket to overflowing with Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site.
Kejimkujik is the ideal destination for outdoor recreation this summer. With over 381 square km of gentle wilderness to explore, there’s plenty of room to breathe, enjoy nature and connect with Mi’kmaw culture.
Before you arrive, order and pickup your Parks Canada Perfect Picnic at the Hollow Log Café in Caledonia or Wile’s Lake Farm Market, just outside Bridgewater. Feel free to enjoy anywhere you desire, the options are limitless.
Choose your adventure next! Bring your own bike or rent one from Whynot Adventure, the Keji Outfitters and explore Kejimkujik’s network of trails including the newest trail in decades called Ukme’k, pronounced “ook-may-k”, meaning “twisted” in Mi’kmaq (#12 on the map). This 6.3km shared-use trail connects the campground with popular day-use areas as it twists along the historic and culturally significant Mersey River. Mountain bikers will enjoy the intermediate-level challenges that beginners can easily bypass.
Blessed with a myriad of interconnected waterways, paddling is one of the best ways to experience Kejimkujik! Luckily, Whynot Adventure has you covered. Rent a canoe, kayak or stand up paddleboard and meander along the Mersey River or head out into Kejimkujik Lake for a full-on lake experience. If you’ve still got energy to burn, hike the 5km Hemlocks and Hardwoods Trail (#5 on the map) and immerse yourself amongst Nova Scotia’s oldest trees. The 300-year old hemlocks are breathtaking!
Looking to learn more about Mi’kmaw culture at Kejimkujik, drop into a public birch bark canoe building demonstration with master Mi’kmaw craftsman Todd Labrador. Learn how the canoe is an iconic symbol of the Mi’kmaw cultural landscape and also of the contemporary experience of Kejimkujik. Demos offered Thursday to Sunday, from 12:30pm to 3:30pm, starting June 30 until September 4.
At the end of the day, wonder at the thousands of stars that light up the night – Kejimkujik offers the best stargazing in Nova Scotia’s only Dark-Sky Preserve. The perfect end to a perfect day at Kejimkujik.
