The seaside half of Kejimkujik is a protected stretch of Atlantic coast about two hours from Halifax. White sand beaches, pink granite headlands, seals on the rocks and a coastal trail through the barrens. It is not a swimming beach, and that is fine. Bring a lunch and a jumper.
Pick your date below. Round-trip coach from the VIA Rail Station in Halifax. $45 for adults, $23 for children aged 2 to 12.
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Cancel 14 or more days before you go and you get 90% back.
Choose your own adventure: we drop you off, and the bus picks you up in the same spot.
A few hours on real trail with roots, rocks and some climbing, so wear proper shoes.
Kejimkujik is two places. The main park is inland, all lakes and hemlock and canoe routes. This is the seaside site: a protected stretch of Atlantic coastline where white sand beaches meet turquoise water and pink granite headlands.
The walking is the point. The Harbour Rocks Trail runs 2.6 km one way from the entrance area out to the start of St Catherines River Beach, past the Harbour Rocks lookoff, Harbour Rocks Beach and a pair of Parks Canada red chairs put exactly where you would want to sit down.
Keep looking out to sea and at the rocks. Seals haul out here, seabirds work the shallows, and coastal wildflowers come through the barrens in season.
What it is not is a swimming beach. The currents are dangerous, the undertow is strong and the water is cold enough to bring on hypothermia. Parks Canada does not recommend going in, and neither do we. Come for the walk, the lookoffs and the picnic.
Protected Atlantic coast, and a bus that gets you to it for $45.
One stop, at the entrance area, with the coastal trail running out of it.
We pick you up
1161 Hollis Street. We leave directly from the VIA Rail Canada station in downtown Halifax, so it works whether you are arriving by train or starting your day here.
A stunning stretch of protected Atlantic coastline where white sand beaches meet turquoise water and rugged headlands. Hike the trails through the coastal barrens and keep an eye out for seals, seabirds and wildflowers along the way.
Good to know:
Facilities: Outhouses near Harbour Rocks Beach, Nothing to buy anywhere on site
Note: The Port Joli trail is not suitable for this day trip. It is 4.75 km one way, 9.5 km there and back, and rated moderate.
We drop you back
The bus returns to the same place it left from, so you go home the way you came.
This is our estimated return time, not a guarantee. Traffic can change it and some trips do run late, so please leave yourself some room afterwards rather than booking something tight against it.
A coastal walk with no shelter, no shop and Atlantic weather.
Swimming at Kejimkujik Seaside is not recommended. There are dangerous currents, strong undertows, and water cold enough to bring on hypothermia.
Parks Canada does not recommend it and neither do we. Do not plan your day around getting in.
They are naturally wary of people but they are unpredictable. You may see a bear or bear signs such as scat or tracks while you are out there.
If you meet one, keep calm and do not run. Back away slowly and talk in a soft voice. Record all bear sightings in the binder by the kiosk, and read the panel at the start of the trail before you set off.
Do not approach any wildlife. No feeding, no touching, no disturbing. Seals are common here and the same rule applies to them.
Endangered piping plovers nest here from April to mid-August. During that window St Catherines River and Little Port Joli beaches are closed to visitors.
The coastal trails stay open the whole time, so the walk is unaffected. Check which dates you are booking if the beaches matter to you.
It is illegal to pick flowers or mushrooms, to collect rocks, shells or cultural artefacts, or to damage anything living or natural at Kejimkujik Seaside.
Photographs only. This coastline is protected precisely because so little of the Atlantic shore still looks like this.
Parkbus riders get 20% off at Fjällräven all season. Just show your Parkbus ticket in store.
The seaside trips run through the summer. Note the piping plover closures on St Catherines River and Little Port Joli beaches, which lift in mid-August.
Placeholder dates · the real ones come from our booking system
We're Canada's national outdoor bus service. Since 2010 we've taken over 300,000 people to parks and trails without a car. You bring a daypack. We handle everything else.
Forty-five dollars there and back for adults, and just $23 for children aged 2 to 12. Supported by TD and VIA Rail, which is what keeps it there.
Kejimkujik Seaside is protected, undeveloped Atlantic shore. No cottages, no boardwalk, no chip stand. Just the trail and the sea.
Straight from the VIA Rail Station on Hollis Street. If you are coming in by train it is the same building.
Your Hike Nova Scotia ambassadors ride along to answer questions and point you in the right direction.
★★★★★ 4.6/5.0 on Google
“We took Parkbus’ first trip from Halifax to Keji and what a great experience it was! The bus was on time and all staff involved were pleasant and friendly!”Rebecca McLeod · Google Local Guide
This is a great service if you don't have a vehicle or just don't want to drive. I'm so happy to have discovered this. There will definitely be more Parkbus trips in my future!James Taylor Wilson · Happy Parkbus customer
Highly recommend them. The bus service is so useful for people who doesn’t want to drive and gives return facility. They were on time and bus facility was good too. Total worth the cost if you want to avoid hassle driving/parking.Sidhant Duggal · Facebook · Aug 2022
Parkbus is an official partner of VIA Rail and Parks Canada, helping keep car-free trips to Canada's parks and wild places genuinely affordable.
Factor in the cost of gas, parking and renting a car, it's a lot cheaper than taking a personal vehicle.Toronto Star
Parkbus is a great option for nature lovers, whether it's a day trip or overnight camping getaway.The Globe and Mail
Cancel more than 14 days before departure and you get a 90% refund, with 10% withheld for payment processing. Inside 14 days refunds are not available, except for a medical emergency in the 48 hours before departure, which needs a signed doctor’s note within 14 days of the missed trip and returns 50%. Tickets are transferable: you can change the passenger name up to 48 hours before departure.
If Parkbus cancels a trip, you get a full refund. We decide no later than 48 hours before departure and only on confirmed conditions: the park closed or the park authority asking us to stand down, an evacuation order or alert, an area restriction order, the highway closed, or the trip judged unsafe to run. A forecast is not one of those things, and trips run rain or shine.
These trips are proudly supported by Hike Nova Scotia as your Parkbus ambassadors, and made possible thanks to generous support from TD and VIA Rail.
Pack a lunch, extra water and a windproof layer, and let us handle the drive to the coast.
Not quite the right fit? These all leave from the same spot downtown.
