Kejimkujik is unique among Canada’s national parks, the only one that is also a National Historic Site, honoring thousands of years of Mi’kmaw presence written into the land in ancient canoe routes and petroglyphs. Inland “Keji” is a gentle wilderness of interconnected lakes and rivers made for paddling, while a separate Seaside unit protects a wild stretch of Atlantic coast.
The inland park is a lake-and-river landscape of Acadian forest, hemlock, maple and pine, laced with the waterways the Mi’kmaq traveled for millennia. Quiet lakes, slow rivers and old-growth stands shelter loons, turtles, deer and the occasional black bear. The Seaside unit is its opposite: white sand beaches, coastal barrens and seals hauled out along the surf.
Summer is the heart of the season for paddling, swimming and camping, with warm days and long light. Early fall brings color and quiet on the water. Winter turns the park to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing under dark, star-filled skies, though services are reduced.
The main park lies on Highway 8 in inland southwest Nova Scotia, an easy drive from Halifax or the Annapolis Valley, while the Seaside adjunct is reached separately on the Atlantic coast. A vehicle gets you to the trailheads and canoe launches; the interior is explored by paddle and on foot.
Canoeing the lakes and portages, retracing Mi’kmaw routes, is the signature Keji experience, with backcountry sites reached only by water. Hike forest trails to old-growth hemlock and petroglyph sites (on guided visits), swim the lake beaches, and, at the Seaside, walk the coast for seals and surf. After dark, the Dark Sky Preserve dazzles.
Lake water is cold and storms can rise quickly, so wear a life jacket and carry a map and compass to navigate the confusing shorelines. Ticks carrying Lyme disease are common, so use repellent and check yourself; black bears are present, and mosquitoes can be fierce in early summer. Store food and come prepared.
A Parks Canada pass is required, and camping, especially the canoe-in backcountry sites, should be reserved ahead. This page is a general overview, not a live conditions report; always confirm current conditions, reservations and closures with Parks Canada before your trip.
Set this declination on your compass, then align it to the map's north lines; it is the angle between true north and magnetic north, refreshed each year.
