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Outdoor Nova Scotia: Features; an Indepth Look at 'The Great Outdoors' in Nova Scotia!
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 At Cape Chignecto Provincial Park, towering 185-meter (600-foot) cliffs rise from the Bay of Fundy while the world’s highest tides lap at their base. A magnificent and striking landscape that rises from the restless tidal waters, carved and eroded into spires and pinnacles, an edge of the world kind of place. Located at the western tip of Cumberland County, Cape Chignecto includes 29 kilometers (18 miles) of pristine coastline, some of Nova Scotia’s most significant geological features, deep valleys, sheltered coves, rare plants, remnant old growth forest, scenic views, and a rich cultural heritage. Cape Chignecto Provincial Park is a 4,200-hectare natural environment park on a dramatic coastal peninsula. The park offers wilderness camping in secluded coves and ravines along this remote shoreline. A spectacular hiking trail will take visitors along high cliffs and deep valleys. Cape Chignecto, the largest of Nova
Scotia’s Provincial Parks, is a unique environment. Red spruce tower within steep
ravines and on the upper plateaus, wildflowers blanket the ground beneath forests of sugar
maple. The Cape Chignecto peninsula is vital
habitat for moose, whitetail deer, black bear and wild cats, and while they are wary of
humans, it is not uncommon to see the flash of a stag leaping through the forest. According to Mi’kmaq legend, the Cape Chignecto area was long considered important to aboriginal peoples. One of the first recorded accounts of this area was made in 1604 by noted French explorer Samuel de Champlain. An Acadian community at Advocate Harbour was abandoned about 1755 when the British expelled most French-speaking Acadians from Nova Scotia. The community of Eatonville was established in the 1870s with the development of a shipyard and lumber mills. In its heyday during the 1890s, over 350 people lived at Eatonville. Today, remnants of old lumber mills, traces of former logging roads, a few abandoned fields, and several old cellars are all that remain of a once active settlement. In 1991, the Province of Nova Scotia acquired the 4,200 hectares of land on which Cape Chignecto sits. The government then appointed a community advisory group to help prepare the park’s development and management plans. The Federal and Provincial governments provided funding for capital costs in building the park infrastructure. With funding from HRDC, a two-year training program was launched for 15 local people. The program covered topics from business and life skills, to trail development and park management. The program’s trainees studied about the rocks, plants, trees and animals they would encounter while creating the trail. They also learned survival skills to help them while working deep in the wilderness during some of the development. A crew spent six weeks in the forest at one stretch during trail development, because it would have wasted too much time hiking in and out of the trail each day. Today, the volunteers, community groups, business operators and outdoors enthusiasts who worked together to create their park now manage it through the Cape Chignecto Park Management Committee. Their achievements have earned the Nova Scotia Community Economic Development Award for Excellence in Cooperation. The Department of Natural Resources has signed a 10-year agreement with the Cumberland Regional Economic Development Association (CREDA) and the Cape Chignecto Management Board to operate and manage the park. Cape Chignecto Provincial Park offers a 50-kilometer (30 Mile) coastal trail, which begins and ends in West Advocate, along with 47 backcountry hike-in campsites, 25 walk-in sites, a picnic area, park entry building, and access to the Bay of Fundy shoreline. The coastal hiking trail is the centerpiece of Cape Chignecto. Hikers should be prepared for strenuous conditions, especially between West Advocate and Cape Chignecto. Here the trail descends into steep-sided canyons at McGahey Brook, Mill Brook and Refugee Cove which may be as much as 200 meters (650) feet deep.
Reservations are required for hike-in campsites and cabins, and recommended for the walk-in campsites. Reservations may be made in advance by calling (902) 392-2085 or at the administration building upon arrival at the park. A community-operated campground on Mills Road at Advocate Harbour, 5 kilometers from the park, also offers overnight facilities for the traveling public. Cape Chignecto is just over an hour off the Trans Canada Highway. From Amherst on the Nova Scotia border, take Exit 2 to Maccan and drive via Joggins along the Fundy Shore (Route 242) to Advocate Harbour. From Halifax, Cape Breton, and other parts of Nova Scotia take Exit 12 on Highway 104 at Glenholme, follow Route 2 to Parrsboro on the north shore of the minas Basin, then take the Fundy Shore Drive (Route 209) along the coast to Advocate Harbour. Follow the signs to the Cape Chignecto Park Visitor Centre in West Advocate. For more information on the Cape Chignecto Provincial Park hiking trail call the visitor information center at 1 (902) 392-2085 or check out the Cape Chignecto webpage: http://www.capechignecto.net Related Links: Adventure Hogg - Look for 'My First Level Five'
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Peregrine falcons can be seen
swooping over the cliffs and in the coves large
numbers of seals bask in the sun on rocky outcroppings during late summer.
Hikers can walk the coastal trail in two to three days, but at least four
days are recommended if you want time to explore some of the hidden coves or contemplate
the many exhilarating views. Wilderness campsites are located in coves and valleys
throughout the 50-kilometer hiking trail. If they wish, hikers can reserve wilderness
cabins at remote sites along the coastal trail. Imagine, a comfortable place to sleep,
miles from civilization. Open your door to one of the most spectacular coastlines in
Eastern North America. Cabins are 10-15 kilometers (8-10 miles) apart in exceptional
locations off the trail. courtesy
