Hiking

Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site

Hiking is one of the most popular activities at Kejimkujik. Enjoy many front country, backcountry, and seaside trails of different lengths and levels of difficulty. Experience a variety of habitats and scenery and places of cultural and natural significance. Dogs must be kept on leash.

Fall, winter, and spring conditions

Note that trails are not maintained or patrolled between November 1 and Victoria Day weekend.

You may encounter washed out or flooded sections and/or downed trees.

Most facilities and services are closed at this time of year. More information

Emergencies: Call 911 and be prepared to have to wait for help to arrive.

Take a hike at Kejimkujik

Transcript

[ This video contains no spoken words ]

Animated Parks Canada logo.

Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, Nova Scotia. [A scenic aerial shot of Kejimkujik's forests and lakes during sunrise.]

Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, Nova Scotia. [Kejimkujik sign.]

[A family with two adults and two children standing with bikes and putting on helmets at Jake's Landing. The Visitors begin biking along Kejimkujik's forested trails.]

[The family walks across the rainbow crosswalk.]

[The family sits at a picnic table in the forest and shares a picnic meal.]

[Two visitors run through the forest along one of Kejimkujik's trails and pass by the family who are eating their picnic lunch.]

[A visitor wanders along one of Kejimkujik's forested trails.]

[Visitors bike across a bridge crossing the Mersey River.]

[Two visitors mountain bike around twisting turns and over natural obstacles along Kejimkujik's Ukme'k Trail.]

[The back of two empty Parks Canada branded Red Chairs.]

[Two visitors sit in the Parks Canada Red Chairs overlooking Kejimkujik Lake while watching the sun set. Screen fades to black.]

Parks Canada logo.

Animated Canada wordmark.

Trails

Trails vary in length so everyone can have the opportunity to explore. Ensure dogs are kept leashed to avoid confrontations with wildlife.

Frontcountry trails

Trail map

Plus d’information
Trail Activity Difficulty Distance Type
1 Mill Falls Randonnée pédestre Biciclettes Easy 2 km (return) Linear
2 Beech Grove Randonnée pédestre Biciclettes Moderate 2.2 km  Loop
3 Flowing Waters Randonnée pédestre Biciclettes Easy 1 km Loop
4 Hemlocks and Hardwoods Randonnée pédestre Easy 5 km Loop
5 Farmlands Randonnée pédestre Easy 1.1 km Loop
6 Rogers Brook Randonnée pédestre Easy 1 km Loop
7 Grafton Woods Randonnée pédestre Easy 2 x 1.6 km Loop
8 Snake Lake Randonnée pédestre Easy 3 km Loop
9 Peter Point Randonnée pédestre Biciclettes Easy 1.9 km (one way) Linear
10 Mersey River Randonnée pédestre Biciclettes Easy 3.3 km (one way) Linear
11 Slapfoot Randonnée pédestre Biciclettes Easy 3.7 km (one way) Linear
12 Merrymakedge Randonnée pédestre Biciclettes Easy 2.7 km (one way) Linear
13 Ukme'k Randonnée pédestre Biciclettes Moderate 6.3 km (one way) Linear

Backcountry trails

Trail map

Plus d’information
Trail Activity Difficulty Distance Type
14 Channel Lake Randonnée pédestre Difficult 24 km Loop
15 Liberty Lake Randonnée pédestre Difficult 56 km (one way) Linear

Seaside trails

Trail map

More information
Trail Activity Difficulty Distance Type
Harbour Rocks trail at the Seaside Randonnée pédestre Easy 2.8 km one way Linear
Port Joli Head trail at the Seaside Randonnée pédestre Difficult 4.4 km (one way) Loop

Self-guided trails

Self-guided trail
Self-guided trails

Self-guided trails are a great way for you to learn about Kejimkujik and the natural and cultural resources it protects.

Interpretative panels offer information as you move along, so you can walk these trails at your own pace.

Self-guided frontcountry trails at Kejimkujik:

Trail descriptions

More information
#1 Mill Falls

This is a shared-use trail so please watch for bikers.

Start behind the Visitor Centre and walk downstream along the bank of the Mersey River.

Observe the sheer power of Mill Falls in the spring from the viewing area by the picnic shelter or stop in the summer for a cool spot to picnic.

Continue to the end of the trail to enjoy the quieter places in the river.

More information

#2 Beech Grove

This is a shared-use trail so please watch for bikers.

Drumlins are steep on one side and gently sloping on the other.

The top of this drumlin is clothed in beeches, bright green and full of warblers in the spring, soft brown and loaded with beechnuts in the fall.

#3 Flowing Waters

This is a shared-use trail so please watch for bikers.

Listen to the Mersey River gurgling and splashing as you wander through a wetland and along a riverbank. Gateway to Ukme’k (#12).

#4 Hemlocks and Hardwoods

The 300-year old hemlocks along this trail are among Nova Scotia’s oldest trees.

As you move into the stand of tall, stately conifers, notice how different it feels under the thick-leafed canopy: cool and dark and moist.

A hemlock boardwalk will take you over the very sensitive roots of these giants.

#5 Farmlands

Travel back into Kejimkujik's past with a walk to an old drumlin farm.

Drumlins, eliptical hills, were formed many thousands of years ago during glacial periods.

In the 19th century they attracted settlers who built their farms on the top.

Walk through the forest in the trail of ancient glaciers and search for evidence of the old farm.

#6 Rogers Brook

The trail may be short, but there’s so much to see as you explore the Rogers Brook trail.

You will cross Rogers Brook and follow the Mersey River along a red maple floodplain.

Vibrant in autumn, the floodplain is teeming with life all year.

Watch for turtles and amphibians and nesting waterfowl.

#7 Grafton Woods

Amble among towering pines and gnarled beech trees on this two-loop trail.

#8 Snake Lake

Discoveries await you: birds, lakes, bogs, diverse forests and marshes.

#9 Peter Point

This is a shared-use trail so please watch for bikers.

Birds love this area for its variety of habitats: red and sugar maple and hemlock.

People love this area for its secluded sandy point.

#10 Mersey River

This is a shared-use trail so please watch for bikers.

Follow the river’s edge to see the Mersey in all its different moods.

From the trail’s parking and picnic area, head along the river, up into the darker woods, and back to quiet, still Mersey pools.

Listen to the swish of the lush grasses as you pass through. 

#11 Slapfoot

This is a busy shared-use trail so please watch for other trail users.

Access Slapfoot Trail from Meadow Beach, various points in Jeremy’s Bay campground, Jim Charles Point, Jake’s Landing, or Merrymakedge.

Skirt the forested shoreline of Kejimkujik Lake, joining either the Mersey River trail or continuing on to Jake’s Landing.

The views of the lakeshore change with the season and the weather. Every turn brings something new.

The Slapfoot Trail continues at the far end of the Jake's Landing parking lot, climbing steeply through scattered granite boulders. This is a good place to watch for Pileated Woodpeckers.

Enveloped in trees, you’ll pass the viewing tower on your way to the picnic area and shelter at Merrymakedge P1. From here the trail follows the lakeshore, flat and easy, to the canteen and the beach at Merrymakedge P4.

#12 Merrymakedge

Adventure awaits at Merrymakedge: Visit the encampment site, have a dip at the beach, and treat yourself at Lakeview Café & Eatery.

#13 Ukme’k

Our newest trail will have you twisting and turning with the Mersey River as you weave your way through the landscape by foot or by bike. 

More information

#14 Channel Lake

More information

#15 Liberty Lake

More information

Harbour Rocks trail at the Seaside

This trail passes through dense coastal forest, beside bogs rich with orchids, over coastal barrens, and then to the sandy beach and rocky islands at Harbour Rocks.

Along the trail, a viewing platform provides a spectacular view of St. Catherine's River Beach.

In the thick growth of shrubs at the trail’s edge you may see birds such as the Common Yellow-throat, Savannah Sparrow, and Palm Warbler feeding on insects or berries.

At the shore, a viewing scope provides a close-up look at offshore seals and seabirds like the Northern Gannet and the Common Eider.

This route then follows the headlands and small sheltered coves to St. Catherine's River Beach.

Park staff protect the Piping Plover by closing the beach to public access during the nesting season.

Port Joli Head trail at the Seaside

This trail branches from the Harbour Rocks Trail, and crosses an extensive bog to a viewing platform overlooking Boyds Cove.

The trail skirts clumps of coastal forest, which provide shelter for White-tailed Deer and forest birds, and then follows the coast to Port Joli Head.

Here is the full force of the ocean. Crashing surf announces the energy of the waves, the wind whips salty spray into the air, cobbles clatter as the waves recede, cries of gulls and eiders drift ashore, and the smell of seaweed is heavy in the air.

Large boulders left behind by the glaciers sit perched on the rocky headlands, now encrusted with orange coastal lichens.

When you explore these headlands be careful to keep your distance from the water’s edge, since rogue waves can wash across them.

From Port Joli Head, the trail loops along the shoreline to Harbour Rocks.

Safety – a shared responsibility

Please help us ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable visit.

Contact us

Summer

Winter and spring

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