Kejimkujik National Park – Backcountry

July 23rd to 25th, 2022 were some of the hottest days on record in Nova Scotia. On the 24th, it reached 34.4 degrees Celcius with a humidex of 41! To say we were happy to be surrounded by water is an understatement. We were also extremely grateful to be able to disconnect and hear nothing but the birds and the frogs for a few days.

If you read about our 2021 trip to Keji, you might remember that we had to cancel a backcountry trip due to an injury. Coincidentally, by the time we got through the queue on booking day this year, the only sites left without portages were the same ones we had booked last year — 22 and 10. So it turned out to be a bit of a redemption trip.

Feel free to learn more about our route, the campsites, the weather and the pesky bugs. Or just skip ahead to see the pictures.

Route

In total, we canoed approximately 28.5 km over the course of three days. Our route started and ended at Jake’s Landing where we rented the canoe from Whynot Adventure. We also parked the car here for the weekend. A quick summary of each day is as follows:

• Day 1: Approximately 11.5 km from Jakes Landing to Site 22 with a break at Luxie Cove. The total paddling time was about 3 to 3.5 hours.
• Day 2: Approximately 8 km from Site 22 to Site 10 with a break on Gloade Island. The total paddling time was about 2 hours.
• Day 3: Approximately 9 km from Site 10 to Jakes Landing with a break at Luxie Cove. Approximate paddling time was about 2 hours.

This route was great for us because there were no portages and we didn’t have to paddle all day. We also got lucky with the weather and avoided the worst of the westerly and south westerly winds.

Campsites

Site 22 – First Night

Site 22 is on West River. To access the site, we paddled west across Keji Lake and then through a grassy area to the mouth of the river. We went upstream with no difficulty, except for a few rocks that we had to navigate around. The site has a tiny beach where we put the canoe and the site is accessible through a short path through the woods. Closer to the site, there is another access to the river that we used to go swimming and watch frogs. There were two picnic tables, a fire pit, two tent pads, a bear hang and an outhouse that was conveniently away from the tents. We hung our hammock easily between two trees and enjoyed the afternoon napping, swimming, reading and snacking.

Site 21 – An aside

The next day, on our way back to the lake, we checked Site 21. It had the same amenities and had a larger opening to the river shore. The river was deep at this site, so it was perfect for a quick swim!

Site 10 – Second Night

To access Site 10, we had to drag the canoe through three to four shallow areas on the river. The weather has been extremely dry lately, so water levels were definitely lower than usual. But it was still way easier than an actual portage, as only one of us had to get out to reduce the weight and lift the boat off the rocks.

Site 10 is directly located on the river. We had a great view of the vegetation on the other side of the river and enjoyed a nice sunset. The site has two tent pads, a picnic table, a fire pit, a bear hang and an outhouse on a hill. The two tent pads are 20 m away from each other. We had a great time swimming, reading, napping, snacking and just enjoying the silence. We literally only saw one other canoe all day!

Weather

The weather was HOT, but we didn’t get any rain, which is great for camping in our opinion. Nights were a bit sticky, but we kept the fly off the tent to allow for a bit of a breeze. And during the day we just went for a swim if we got too warm.

Our main concern, however, was the 20 km/hr wind coming predominantly from the west throughout the weekend. On the first day we left Jake’s Landing early enough to get half way across the lake before it really picked up in mid-afternoon. But it was definitely hard going from Luxie Cove to the entrance of the West River. Thankfully, it was Day 1 and our muscles were still fresh.

On Day 2, the westerly tailwind pushed us across the lake from West River to the river going north to Site 10. It was luxurious, and actually made 41 degrees Celcuis tolerable.

On the last day though, we knew the wind would be pretty strong, reaching 20 km/h with 40 km/h gusts from the south west, and increasing throughout the day. From one of Justine’s previous trips she knew that this can make getting around Indian Point to Luxie Cove pretty tough. So, in the morning, as soon as it was light enough, we packed up, loaded the canoe and left by 6:15am. We then stopped at Luxie Cove for breakfast. As we watched the fog clear, the wind increased significantly, so we were pretty proud of ourselves for timing it so well. And as a reward, we got to enjoy a strong tailwind all the way back to Jake’s Landing.

In the end, Adrien was pretty grateful that Justine is a weather junkie and checked the forecast regularly. Somewhat surprisingly the cell coverage was great at both Sites 22 and 10, despite being non-existant at Jake’s Landing. Not great for truly disconnecting, but perfect for forecast checking.

Bugs

Bugs just come with the backcountry — there is no way around it. But thankfully, it usually isn’t too bad in the heat of the summer. That being said, the deer flies were relentless and nearly drove Justine crazy. They just wouldn’t stop buzzing around her head, whereas they mostly ignored Adrien. Go figure.

The wasps also loved our food, the mosquitoes came out at dawn and dusk making our crib game more challenging, and the blackflies found us on the beach at Luxie Cove. We definitely came home with more than a few bites, but thankfully they were worth the adventure.

Pictures

Several pictures of us swimming and/or in our bathing suits since it was HOT all weekend!