Tough walking on this cobbled section of beach

Kejimkujik National Park Seaside Hiking

Much of the hiking in Kejimkujik National Park Seaside is superb. I loved the desolate beauty of the place – wild flowers galore including the orchids pictured below that I’d never seen before, rocky beaches, stunted trees and spectacular ocean vistas.

What I didn’t love was locking eyes, not once but twice with a black bear before I bolted. I’d been looking out at a wave breaking over a rock in a beautiful section of Kejimkujik National Park Seaside. It was a peaceful and Zen-like coastal scene with nary a soul around. I could have stopped and watched the waves breaking for hours.

I was all alone. It was about ten in the morning and there wasn’t another car in the Kejimkujik parking lot when I pulled in. I in fact had congratulated myself of having the place to myself.

Kejimkujik National Park Seaside orchids
The northern pitcher plant
Aiming to hike the loop trail along the coast
Aiming to hike the loop trail along the coast

Hiking plans in Kejimkujik National Park Seaside

I had planned to hike about a kilometre out to the start of the 5.5 km loop hike around Port Joli Head, do it and then call it a day. I was about 80% done with the loop – making good time even with lots of photo stops.

I should have known something was up. I saw bear scat – fresh too – but mistook it for a dog and figured someone had walked rather then driven in with their dog to hike the trail, perhaps from nearby Thomas Raddall Provincial Park.

The scat didn’t have any berries in it – as it wasn’t berry season – and looked pretty darn pebbly if you want to inspect the picture. The scat should have been obvious clue #1.

After admiring the waves crashing on the shore, I turned around to read the blurb about the shepherd’s ruins. It  wasn’t until I got my camera out to take a picture of the ocean that I noticed not only a big, beautiful black bear – but her two cubs. And no I don’t have any proof – just the memory of my thumping heart.

There was a section of boardwalk I hiked before I got to the shelter – and I thought it was rather strange that all the ferns coming out through the cracks were torn and beaten up. I actually made some noise through here – just in case. Well duh.

If I’d put two and two together I would have known I was about 15 minutes behind the bears. Sometimes ignorance is bliss – and I continued to snap pictures of the pretty scenes below.

Nice stretches of boardwalk in Kejimkujik National Park Seaside
Nice stretches of boardwalk in Kejimkujik National Park Seaside
Fresh - though not steaming bear poop in Kejimkujik National Park Seaside
Fresh – though not steaming bear poop in Kejimkujik 
Looking out towards Thomas Waddell Provincial Park
Looking out towards Thomas Waddell Provincial Park
A path through the ferns on the way to the coast
A path through the ferns on the way to the coast 
Beautiful pink flowers - also new to me
Beautiful pink flowers – also new to me
Tough walking on this cobbled section of beach
Tough walking on this cobbled section of beach
No shortage of lobster traps washed up on the beach
No shortage of lobster traps washed up on the beach
Markers leading the way down the beach
Markers leading the way down the beach
Wild iris line the trail in places in Kejimkujik National Park seaside
Wild iris line the trail in places in Kejimkujik seaside
An inukshuk marking the seaside trail
An inukshuk marking the seaside trail
Pitcher plants
Pitcher plants

The Shepherd Shelter

Once I’d seen the bears from the ruins of the shepherd shelter I started to back away. In fact I ducked behind the shelter to see if I could get a quick shot of the bear. But mama was still staring at me. That’s when I decided I was out of there and there was no time for a picture.

You’re not supposed to let a bear see you running – and I didn’t but as soon as I turned the corner and was hidden from view I ran with everything I had in me.

I put many kilometres between she and I before I slowed down to a normal walking pace. For the first 15-20 minutes I glanced back every few seconds. I also picked up a few pieces of driftwood to make myself look larger.

"Ruins of an old shepherd's shelter"
Ruins of an old shepherd’s shelter
Kejimkujik National Park Seaside landscape near the ocean
Landscape near the ocean

Don’t forget the bear spray

Since I’m writing this blog I obviously didn’t have any ongoing bear issues. In fact, I ran into four people on the return and warned them. At that point I had some peace of mind because they were now between the bear and I – unless she completed the loop and started back in my direction.

The bottom line is that the hiking in Kejimkujik National Park Seaside is sublime, but some bear spray is in order.

More hiking information for Kejimkujik National Park Seaside

There is also the 5.2 km Harbour Rocks Trail in this part of Kejimkujik National Park Seaside. It’s an out and back hike.

No matter what hike you do, you can knock it off in a half day.

Highlights in Kejimkujik National Park Seaside include secluded rocky coves, wildflowers in season, beaches, rugged coastal scenery and wildlife.

The best time to hike is between May and October but it is accessible year round.

Beautiful walking on a white sand beach at the end of the Harbour Rocks Trail
Beautiful walking on a white sand beach at the end of the Harbour Rocks Trail in Kejimkujik National Park Seaside

Useful Kejimkujik National Park Seaside information

Location: Kejimkujik National Park Seaside is roughly 185 km west of Halifax and 25 km southwest of Liverpool via Highway 103 and St. Catherine’s River Road.

Fees: Entrance is free.

Camping: Not allowed.

Facilities: They are basic – a washroom, a phone and some maps.

Bears: It’s bear country obviously so travel with others and bring along a can of bear spray. If you see fresh scat make a lot of noise! Read: Tips for Staying Safe in Bear Country 

More information: Check out the national park website for more details on the park.

Further reading on things to do in Nova Scotia

Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards.

Hiking the coastal trail in Kejimkujik National Park (Seaside area) in Nova Scotia

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20 Comments

  1. I had a similar experience (2011) but saw her on the other side of the trail. I was jogging the trail with a friend and we were about to end the beach rock section and there she was with her cubs. Momma Bear on ins side of the trail and two cubs on the other side. We slowly backed away and headed back in the direction we came – essentially doubling our jog. In July 2016 I walked the trail and there is bear scat ALL OVER THE PLACE – easy to assume the bear population is healthy at Keji Seaside 🙂

      1. I stopped there last year on the way back from Thomas Raddall. They have a warning sign noting that there is a bear in the area. My kids noped right on out of there when they saw it.

  2. I’ve just come here through a link in a recent post, Leigh, where I was intrigued about your mentioning the bear encounter. Lovely photos here — except you know which one!

  3. Pretty scary. Again, you’re so brave! The bear poop kind of looks like red beans and rice. :-/

  4. Leigh, I cracked up when I read the line, “Since I’m writing this blog I obviously survived.” I’d been thinking how brave you were for doing this hike alone but you weren’t alone, not really. Kudos!

    I, too, was surprised to see orchids. They’re so beautiful; the landscape so captivating.

  5. I didn’t know that orchids grew in Canada- I think of them as tropical or sub-tropical. Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me.

  6. It’s kind of a scary story but said in a quite a funny way (or maybe it’s just me?) 🙂 I can picture you running and making yourself look large with driftwood (sorry, I’m laughing now. They say you should play dead when a bear comes but I guess it’s easier said than done. With all that happening, you’ve managed to capture some beautiful photos.

    1. @Salika You play dead if you’re about to be attacked and she didn’t see me running. All the things you’re supposed to do were going through my head the minute I saw her. (And I know hiking alone isn’t always the best idea but I had no choice if I wanted to do this one.)

  7. They say you are not supposed to run, but that might be a good idea when they have cubs. They say that running triggers their predatory instinct, but if they have cubs, that does not apply. They attack when they have cubs out of a fierce instinct to protect their offspring. If you run away that fear is gone and they are not going to leave their cubs unprotected.

  8. How scary and cool! I would have been shaking. I’m visiting the north tip of Vancouver Island in the fall and this is one of the reasons I’m hesitant to hike alone there. Beautiful photos — especially the flowers!

    1. Thanks Christy. Are you hiking the North Coast Trail? It’s very rugged hiking on northern Vancouver Island – with lots of mud. There may be some bears but I bet they’re unaccustomed to humans and will takeoff if they see or hear you.

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