Kejimkujik National Park

Kejimkujik is the only place in the Parks Canada system designated both a national park and a National Historic Site, and the reason is cultural: the Mi'kmaq have used these waterways for thousands of years, and slate outcrops along the lakeshores carry hundreds of petroglyphs, images of people, animals, canoes and later ships and writing, made over centuries. They are fragile and shown only on guided walks with Mi'kmaq interpreters. The park is a Dark Sky Preserve, with canoe routes linking the lakes on the old travel corridors. A separate seaside section on the Atlantic protects piping plover beaches.

What you actually see

• The petroglyphs - Mi'kmaq carvings on lakeside slate, seen on guided walks.
• The canoe routes - waterways used as travel corridors for millennia.
• The dark sky preserve - one of the better star sites in the Maritimes.
• The seaside adjunct - a separate coastal section with plover beaches.

When to go

June to October for canoeing and guided petroglyph walks, which run on a limited schedule; the park is open in winter for skiing. Blackflies are heavy in June.

Honest expectations

Petroglyphs are only accessible on guided tours with limited places, and photography is restricted. The seaside section is a separate drive of over an hour. Campsites book ahead.

Nearby

Annapolis Royal lies northwest; Liverpool is southeast.