Potpourri of Western Nova Scotia Adventures

After our tour down the eastern and southern shores of Nova Scotia, we headed inland and across the province to its northern shores. We stopped for a brief canoe trip in one of Nova Scotia’s famed National Parks, then proceeded north and west towards the coast. We stopped at a former Navy base trying to find a link to my Poppa, then continued along the Digby Neck – a long peninsula with two neighbouring islands. In addition to seeing a really cool rock structure and an overlook with a unique tree, Mac and I also fulfilled one of my long term dreams in a little zodiac on the ocean waves! So, without further ado, here is a potpourri of western Nova Scotia adventures!

A Potpourri of Western Nova Scotia Adventures

Kejimkujik National Park

Contrasted to other National Parks we visited and hiked through on our East Coast road trip, Keji favours canoeists over hikers. The park is located smack dab in the middle of Nova Scotia’s southern peninsula and is home to 46 lakes and more than 30 rivers and streams. While there are a few hiking trails, the most popular activity in the park is canoeing. Given our tendency to fly by the seat of our pants, Mac and I were actually quite lucky that our plans fell pretty smoothly into place at the last minute (on a weekend no less!). We were able to book a campsite on a lake (one of the last available ones for the night) and subsequently rent a canoe, load it on the car (with the help of some shuttle blocks and a bit of grunting), drive across the park to the put in, quickly and dramatically (over)pack our overnight bags, and start paddling three hours before sunset… all within two hours of arriving in the park! Phew!

After three hours of paddling and portaging, we arrived at our campsite just before sunset and went about setting up camp. Even though this was a “backcountry” site, it was quite cushy! There was an elevated shelter, a picnic table, three (3!) clear and level tent platforms, a bear hang, fire pit (with a cache of firewood), and even a walled-in long-drop toilet! We’ve paid a lot more for a lot less elsewhere and were quite excited upon first arriving! After eating dinner we went on a quick paddle at dusk under the light of a full moon, listening to the echoing loon calls across the lake.

Morning greeted us with threatening grey clouds and some far off rumbles, so we packed up quickly and hit the road… er, lake. We paddled past a beaver lodge and a shy deer, and ended up waiting out a bit of thunder that had rolled our way. Eventually the sky turned blue and we were in the home stretch! We paddled onto Kejimkujik Lake and immediately felt the resistance of the strong winds on the open water. It was tough paddling, but eventually we made it to the beach at Jeremy Bay Campground and rode the waves onto the shore. Mac hitched a ride back to our car, while I waited patiently with all of our gear. Before long, the canoe was back with Whynot Adventures, and we had secured a front-country campsite for the night and made plans to head straight to the beach to ease our aching bodies.

Speaking of which, the folks at Whynot Adventure (The Keji Outfitters) were so helpful getting us all set up with the canoe (the lightest one available), gear, and advice for our chosen route.

Our short visit to Kejimkujik National Park was such a great experience, and I’d love to go back and do a multi-day canoe trip some time! While chatting with a ranger, we learned that Keji has an 80% return rate (meaning most visitors coming to the park have been there before), and the third busiest National Park on reservation day (behind Banff and Jasper)! For such a seemingly small park, it obviously makes quite the impact on visitors, and after getting just a small taste of it, it’s not hard to see why!

Practical Information

Our route

Big Dam Parking Lot > Portage Q (400m) > Big Dam Lake > Portage R (800m) > River > Portage S (160m) > Frozen Ocean Lake > Campsite 8 > Portage T (130m) > River > Portage U (130m) > River > Channel Lake > Portage V (330m) > River > Portage W (700m) > Kejimkujik Lake > Jeremy Bay Beach

Cost

Canoe Rental: $60 – 24 hours (+4 hours of “just in case” time). Included: 16′ ‘Royalex’ canoe (58lb/26kg), shuttle blocks & straps, life jackets, paddles, bailing kit, map

Backcountry Site: $24.50 (Frozen Ocean Lake)

Front-country Site: $25.50 (Jeremy Bay Campsite – Jim Charles Loop)

CFB Cornwallis

Our first stop upon arriving at the northern coast was the Canadian Forces Base in Cornwallis. My Poppa served as a volunteer chef during the second world war at this naval base. While it’s no longer functioning today, the barracks remain and we were able to walk around and picture what it might have been like 75 years ago.

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Digby Neck

We only stopped in Digby long enough to go in the visitors’ center to get a map of the upcoming Digby Neck. But from what we saw through the car windows, Digby is a neat little sea-side town with a huge focus on fishing and scallops. We stopped just outside of Little River and drove up a very steep gravel road (Tommys Branch Rd) to a wonderful outlook. Through the forest on the way to the lookout we came across The Loving Tree. These two trees had sprouted side by side and eventually grew together, trunks and branches intertwined. There was a cute poem on the trees and little paper hearts hung from the twigs and branches. It was a quirky little attraction and I was happy to have seen it firsthand.

The lookout wasn’t too shabby either. The Ottoview Wilderness Cottages line the cliff face and I reckon that waking up in one of them and having breakfast on the porch overlooking the coast would be hard to beat.

Balancing Rock | Long Island

After our first (of four) ferries of the day, we headed straight to Balancing Rock. We had a quick lunch of leftovers in the car before walking along the 2.5 km flat trail towards the coast. Lining the trail every few hundred meters were informational panels describing some of the geological features in the area as well as highlighting some of the flora and fauna of the area.

Eventually the trail led down (a steep set of slippery stairs) to the rocky coast. Here on a viewing platform we could see the famed rock in all its glory. Caused by hundreds of millions of years of erosion from sea water and wind, this physics-denying rock stands precariously on its base, threatening to tip over at a moments notice. Fortunately for us, we eventually read the informative signs and learned that Balancing Rock is composed of basalt rock, and weighs more than 20 tonnes. It’s also been “balancing” for upwards of several million years, so we needn’t have worried about it suddenly crashing into the sea!

Brier Island

Our last activity for this area of Nova Scotia involved catching a second ferry over to Brier Island and bee-lining it to Brier Island Whale and Seabird Tours. That’s right, Mac and I were going whale watching! We donned some incredibly attractive full body life suits, met our captain Jamie, not-so-gracefully climbed into the zodiac, and hit the waves! (Literally, I was hanging on for dear life with white knuckles and aching arms from gripping the flimsy rope so tight.) We cruised for about 15 minutes off the coast before getting our first taste of sea mammal activity. Apparently there was a minke whale beside our boat, but in what would become a tragic theme throughout our ride, I didn’t see it.

We made our way over to where another zodiac and a bigger boat were bobbing patiently on the waves. And then we saw it! The tiny dorsal fin of a humpback whale!! And then! Over there!! Another fin! Now, over there! Another splash! I definitely got a bit of whiplash trying to follow the pointing fingers of our fellow passengers as they tried in vain to point out the spray from each subsequent whale.

Humpback whales can often be seen around the Bay of Fundy and Cape Breton as early as June. They can migrate up to 25,000km/year – eating and feeding near the poles, then travelling to tropical waters to breed and give birth. Full-grown adults can be anywhere from 12-16m long and weigh as much as 30 metric tonnes (~66,000lbs)!

The last whale sighting from our “cruise” was definitely the best. Throughout the duration of the entire trip I had been trying my hardest to snap some quality shots with my new zoom lens. This lens that had allowed me to get some awesome shots of wildlife while standing still on solid ground was suddenly throwing me for a loop. I was having troubles focusing and trying to zoom in on what little I could see of each whale, all while bobbing up and down and trying to avoid sea splashes. To say it was difficult for me would be a broad and shaky understatement. So, imagine my surprise when I previewed the photos I managed to snap while a whale showed off its tail for us and saw these:

Eventually Jamie turned the boat around and we headed back to the harbour. With windswept hair, and salty skin, Mac and I were positively jittering and giddy by the time we reached dry land. Brier Island is small, but it’s home to a great hiking trail and a fantastic lighthouse on the far side of the island. Unfortunately, the day was winding down and we were keen to get to our pre-booked accommodation for the night, so we took the ferries back to the mainland and enjoyed reminiscing about what a wonderful day we had just had!

Practical Information

Ferries:

You need to take two ferries to get to Brier Island. They run 24 hours/day, on demand. Both are $7/car (cash only), and you only pay one way (it’s free to come back)

Petit Passage (between the mainland and Long Island): East Ferry to Tiverton. Departs East Ferry on the half hour, and Tiverton on the hour.

Grand Passage (between Long Island and Brier Island): Freeport to Westport. Departs Freeport on the hour, and Westport 25 minutes past the hour.

Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises:

There are two options for cruises: a bigger boat with facilities (the Mega Nova), or the Zodiac – a rigid inflatable boat (Cetacean Adventure). We opted for the Zodiac for a few reasons – fewer fellow passengers, a more up-close and intimate experience with the whales, and partially for the thrilling adventure aspect! (Though I could have gone with a bit less white-knuckling!)

The Zodiac cruises are $65pp (but you can save 10% by booking online) and last 2 – 2.5 hours. There are 6 departures daily.

The Mega Nova cruises are $50pp and last 3-5 hours. There is one departure daily on weekdays, and two on weekends.

If you don’t see a whale on your cruise, your money is refunded!

*****

From canoeing to cruising, balancing rocks to loving trees, Mac and I sure managed to fill these days with a potpourri of western Nova Scotia adventures.

Tell me, have you ever been whale watching? Do you prefer canoeing or hiking?

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