Kejimkujik National Park Travel Guide

We were in the visitor centre area of the main Kejimkujik Park where we hired bikes for an hour or so. After our cycle ride we stopped by and started chatting to the friendly young female ranger. We were being very enthusiastic about the place and in particular about the animals we'd seen. There were several that we still hadnt spotted during our stay in Nova Scotia and one of them was a porcupine. ( These are different from the ones I'd seen previously in Africa).
The ranger took us to one side and in hushed tones told us where she thought we might find some. We followed her instructions carefully and literally within a few minutes of stepping outside our car we had spotted two - a mother that was nursing her almost fully grown youngster.
They were quite tame and we could get quite close to them before they finally shuffled and snuffled off.
We even had excellent sightings of two Pileated Woodpeckers at the same spot.
We were really grateful to that young warden. Her advice was brilliant. It's a pity we didn't see her again but there is a lesson to learn ..... if you're really interested it pays to ask the locals and they'll know where the animals hang out.
Happy wildlife watching!

According to a brochure that is handed out to visitors at the entrance to Kejimkujik Seaside Adjunct NP, the area is "Black Bear Country". While the danger of an encounter with an angry bear is very small, you still should use caution. Hiking in a group will scare the bears so that they won't approach you, staying in the open is useful too as well as not leaving the established trails (which, btw, should be logical in a NP anyway!). If you do see a bear, give it space and back away slowly and defensively. Usually, it will stay away then as you don't mean a direct threat for it. If it attacks... well, you better protect everything that you think is necessary for your own survival. But this is probably a chance as little as winning the lottery.
Well, bears are one part of wildlife in Kejimkujik Seaside Adjunct NP, others are seals on the shore, moose in the forest parts and many many birds literally everywhere. So grab your binoculars and enjoy your vistas!

Hiking is probably the main thing that people do when visiting Kejimkujik Seaside Adjunct NP - and it's well worth the effort. There are two trails in the park which can also be combined. Port Joli Head trail is 5.5km long and takes you through bogs and crippled pine tree forests, along stony beaches and lagoons to one of the main sights - the seal rock. From there on, can either go the same way back or walk back on Harbour Rocks trail which is another 2.6km from the place where the two paths meet.
Both are interesting if you enjoy hiking through a landscape which is devoid of humans - the former requires some more effort (and good hiking boots in parts), but it is the one I'd recommend more. You just get a better insight into the park's landscape.

OK, you should be allowed to slap me with a wet noodle. I loaded this photo almost three years ago, and have not written anything yet, and today (1Aug07), somebody rated my empty tip.

This is what I remember about the goldmine hike. First of all it was the remotest of the hikes we walked. You have to drive the last km or so on a rocky road that made me glad I was in a rental car. It is an easy 3km roundtrip hike with interpretive signs. Before the area was a park, some miners had found gold fairly close to the surface. There was a mini gold boom and a few miners dug holes. Some of those holes are still there, so you don't want to let your dog find its way down those mines. The interpretive signs are pretty good, and you get the feel of old time mining. Too bad the park obtained the land, there may still be a fortune in gold left in the ground!

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If you are limited with time, the best trail to take--as recommended by one of the friendly rangers--starts at Jake's Landing (parking available) and continues along Kedge Beach towards Jermeys Bay Campground. The flat, well groomed trail starts off woody and lush. Be aware of bicycles, this is a multi use trail. It then leads you to Kedge Beach, which is a beautiful place to stop for a swim. There is a playground if you have little ones with you. Tip: Bring the bug spray! The mosquitos or horrendous! Even campers were complaining about how bad they were this year.

There are three short hikes you can find right from the Interpretive centre parking lot. We did all three in two hours.

The shortest was primarily on boardwalk -- basically a short (0.3km) stroll through the backyard with a number of interpretive boards on the birds and animals of the park.

The second crossed the Mersey River and went through the differing environments (riverside, deciduous forest, etc.) nearby and ended at the Old Mill Falls where a sawmill had been built many years ago before the park was created. The photo is Old Mill Falls.

The third and longest hike followed the Mersey River downstream for a couple of km. We actually passed some people swimming in the river (which was pretty amazing - it was Sept. 23rd, and not exactly swimming weather anymore.

The main Keji Park (everyone calls it Keji Park - Kejimkujik is too difficult to wrap your tongue around) is in interior southwestern Nova Scotia. It is a park best seen by hiking or canoeing -- you can retrace the paths that the Mi'kmaq followed for centuries. It is a relatively recent park - created in the 1960's, and I wonder if they will ever increase its size. The park does not include the source of any of the rivers that flow throw it, so there is no way to really protect those rivers (like the Mersey River) from human intervention.

We decided to drive from Annapolis Royal to Bridgewater. Keji Park is on this road. Of course the first stop in most parks is the Visitor centre. This centre did not have great displays -- some stuffed area animals and plaques about the native history of the area, but of course we were able to get help with which roads and trails we should follow.

There are 15 marked trails in Keji NP, and as usual we tended to pick the ones which are interpreted. There are three in the immediate vicinity of the visitor centre which we chose to hike.

in 2004, fees to enter the park are $4.50 per adult or posession of a annual park pass.