Five Islands

Five islands stand offshore in the Minas Basin, named Moose, Diamond, Long, Egg and Pinnacle, remnants of basalt lava flows that resisted erosion while the softer sandstone around them wore away. A Mi'kmaq story explains them differently: Glooscap, angry at Beaver for damming the basin, threw handfuls of earth at him and the islands are where they fell. The shore has red sandstone cliffs up to about ninety metres and the tide exposes a wide mudflat where visitors walk out. Semi-precious stones weather out of the basalt along this coast and the Parrsboro shore is well known among collectors.

What you actually see

• The five islands - basalt remnants standing in the Minas Basin.
• The Glooscap story - the Mi'kmaq account of how they came to be there.
• The red cliffs - sandstone bluffs up to about ninety metres.
• The exposed flats - wide mudflats walkable at low tide.

When to go

June to September; the tide governs any walking on the flats and it comes in fast here. Sunsets over the islands are the reason many people time an evening. The park closes for winter.

Honest expectations

Mudflat walking is only safe within the tidal window and the mud is deep. The park closes in winter. Facilities are basic camping and a beach.

Nearby

Parrsboro lies east; Cape Chignecto is west.