How to Spend A Day in Kejimkujik National Park

When I planned my trip to Nova Scotia, I knew that hiking had to be part of the adventure. Heading to the southern part of the province, I decided to spend a day in Kejimkujik National Park, exploring the captivating trails and eager to experience hiking in Canada firsthand. Little did I know what a spectacular day I was going to have, surrounded by breathtaking scenery and cute wildlife. 

Despite Kejimkujik’s popularity as a great destination in Nova Scotia, I often found myself alone on the trails. This allowed me to fully immerse myself in nature, taking in the sights, sounds, and scents of the wilderness. It was an incredible day of exploration and discovery!

About Kejimkujik National Park

Kejimkujik is the only national park in Canada that is also a historical site. The land has been inhabited for millennia by the original inhabitants of the Atlantic Provinces of Canada, the Mi’kmaq, who connected with and cared for it. It is home to some of the oldest forests in Nova Scotia, offering plenty of activities for nature lovers such as hiking, biking, geocaching, star gazing, and just connecting with nature in general. The name of the park comes from the Mi’kmaq language and translates as “little fairies”. Once you find yourself on a trail in Kejimkujik National Park, surrounded by tall trees, rivers, moss-covered ground, birds chirping, and the odd not-so-shy wildlife, you will understand why. 

Getting to Kejimkujik National Park

I spent the night in Liverpool, which is around 2 hours away from Kejimkujik National Park. I woke up early and drove on mostly empty roads, on a beautiful route through forests, until I reached the entrance to the park. 

If you are coming from Halifax, it’s an easy two-hour drive, a lot of it on the motorway. 

The entrance fee to spend one day in Kejimkujik National Park is $6.50, payable at a booth before the entrance. From there, I headed towards the visitor’s centre, where I parked the car. 

How I Spent a Day in Kejimkujik National Park

Hiking the Trails 

My main goal for the day in Kejimkujik National Park was to hike as many trails as possible. Which now I know, meant exactly four. I picked up a map from the visitors centre and asked for advice, to see which ones would be most suitable for me. 

My first question though was about the bear situation. What are the chances of meeting one? Coming from a country with a large population of brown bears that are not necessarily friendly creatures, I was terrified of meeting one. 

The lady I was speaking to laughed and told me that usually most of the encounters are harmless. That the bears are more scared of us than we are of them. The bear activity though was increased, due to the hibernation season approaching. A bear was spotted close to the visitor’s centre just the previous week. However, if I were to meet a bear whilst hiking, the best thing to do would be to make myself big and just yell at it. 

“Yell at it?”, I asked, with a pretty shocked expression on my face.  

She laughed and affirmed. She also advised me to make noise whilst hiking. And this is how my newest talent was born: sing so badly that the bears are traumatised by the sound of my voice and run away. 

I grabbed my map and headed to the first trail, Mills Falls. 

Trail 1 – Mills Falls 

I started my day with the trail leaving the visitor’s centre, following Mersey River. The early autumn, with still warm temperatures, didn’t yet have a chance to change the colour of the leaves. Looking on the other bank of the river I could spot a couple of trees with red foliage, among a sea of green. How beautiful they were reflecting in the almost still water, disturbed only by the passing of a family of black ducks.

I crossed a wooden bridge and I could hear the roar of the fall. The water picked up the pace, running faster and faster towards the bridge crossing the river. Along with it, the colour of the water changed as well – or maybe it was always the same, but I only noticed the beautiful green reflections of the trees and ferns along the banks. Because of the brown colour of the water, which can be seen much better inside the falls, the river is locally referred to as Mersey Tea. But the river is not dirty! The water gets stained by organic compounds whilst passing by bogs, getting a natural brown colour. And that’s not all. When the water falls through the rocks, it foams up because of the plant-derived organic chemicals, known more commonly as saponins. Mill Falls looks just like a bubble bath. A very angry one. 

Trail 2 – Ukme’k 

I crossed the river and continued my walk along the second trail, Ukme’k, which is one of the two trails in Keji graded as moderate. The name of the trail is a Mi’kmaq word meaning twisted – as the trail twists and turns along the river, for over 6 kilometres. This is when I noticed that I could walk the entire day on different trails, as they all connect to one or more.  

As I kept walking, the trail became less and less populated. There was the odd mountain biker passing by, but that was pretty much it. And while I was enjoying the peacefulness, deep inside, I started to panic. What if I meet a bear? It was too quiet! I didn’t have anything with me that could make noise, so I started singing – badly, very badly! 

The trail was gorgeous, with slightly steep sections climbing between boulders, or rock gardens perpendicular to the forest ground, which I later found out are used for drainage.  

I stopped often to take photos of colourful mushrooms, popping their heads above seas of moss, or between fallen trees. Suddenly, I heard a noise close to me, ruffling in the ground foliage. I stopped and looked. It was a chipmunk, munching on a green leaf. He looked at me, froze for a couple of seconds, then continued his lunch. It was my first time seeing a chipmunk.   

Trail 3 – Beech Grove

Ukme’k is not a loop trail, so I had to retract my steps and return to the bridge over Mill Falls. However, instead of crossing it, I decided to follow the signs for Beech Grove, which is the other moderate trail in Kejimkujik National Park.  

The trail left the waterside and went deep into the forest. It started with a gentle climb towards the top of a drumlin, between tall beeches. Even if the trees were still green, the ground was covered with dried leaves – a playground for chipmunks. From time to time, I could hear beechnuts falling from the branches. 

The path was a very pleasant 2-kilometre loop, back to the bridge connecting with Mill Falls and Ukme’k trails.   

Lunch by Kejimkujik Lake

I returned to my car and drove to Merrymakedge Beach for lunch. By this point, I was very hungry, after leaving early from Liverpool, with only a few snacks in the car. I was looking forward to a warm lunch in nature. I headed to Merrymakedge Beach because this is where the cafe in the national park is. The small café sells a selection of hot dishes such as fish and chips, poutine or lobster rolls, as well as cold drinks – which I was so in need of. My water, left in the car, was boiling by now. 

I decided to try the fish cakes, accompanied by a green salad with poppyseeds dressing, alongside a cold pomegranate drink. I took my lunch and sat down at one of the picnic tables on the beach. The weather was simply glorious and people were sunbathing and taking a dip in the water, to cool off. Oh, how I wish I could take a dip as well, I thought, daydreaming about how wonderful that cold water would feel…. Oh but wait, I could! I had my entire luggage in the car.

I finished my lunch, changed into my bathing suit, put my flip-flops on, left my towel on the beach, and jumped in the water. It felt as good as I imagined it to be. The surface was warm, but the depth was cold. It was such a great way to cool down after hiking three different trails. 

Trail 4 – Hemlocks & Hardwoods 

The last trail of the day was Hemlocks and Hardwoods, a five-kilometre loop through one of the oldest parts of the national park. Driving here was a bit of a challenge, as the road was not in the best condition. It was a very slow half an hour until I reached the car park. 

This is not just an extremely beautiful part of Keji, but also an educational stroll between old-growth hemlocks that were here when the Mi’kmaq were the only people living here. There are informational panels throughout the trail, in three different languages: English, French, and Mi’kmaq. Part of this trail is boarded, and lifted from the ground, to protect the roots and the plants on the forest floor. 

From the car park, I embarked on a narrow path between young aspens and pines, which have grown after several fires. I’ve learned that aspens are the first trees that emerged after the fire, and some are now 85 years old, at the end of their lives. As the aspens die and the pines growing underneath grow over, the forest will change. I noticed quite a lot of fallen trees, which make an ideal habitat for the woodpeckers, which I kept hearing pecking into wood. 

As I advanced, the path enlarged, and the “messy” forest slowly changed into a deep maple and oak-dominating ground. The temperature also dropped, changing the atmosphere from hot to refreshing. The deepest part of the hemlock is estimated to be 400 years old. Not much grows underneath, but the forest floor is covered with moss, which maintains the moisture of the soil and helps seedlings germinate and produce new trees. 

Connect With the Mi’kmaq Culture

Whilst I didn’t get a chance to do this, if you visit during summer, keep an eye on the guided activities scheduled. Just a stroll away from Merrymakedge Beach you can visit the Birch Bark Canoe Shop, to learn about the traditional crafts from a seventh-generation Mi’kmaw from the Kejimkujik region. Todd Labrador is the only practicing Mi’kmaw canoe builder and he is holding workshops all summer long. 

For more similar articles, check out my recommendations below:

• How to spend one day in Halifax
• Whale Watching in Digby
• What to eat in Nova Scotia

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