South Branch Falls & South Branch Mountain Trails (Baxter State Park, ME)

I genuinely cannot believe it is November. There are so many trips I want to tell you about, so many stories to share... and somehow they are already months ago!

In August, we went on our epic trip to Maine. Our favourite part of the whole trip was Baxter State Park. It is a beautiful, quiet, comfortable place to stay—unscathed by tourists and the paved roads, selfie sticks, and waste receptacles that they require. It was, for us, a dream destination for a road trip: car camping so we did not have to haul expedition packs with us for 2,000 kms, hiking trails aplenty ranging from easy to arduous, and incredible beauty! We could have spent a whole week in Baxter and still left with a list of trails to explore.

While at Baxter, we mostly visited the northern (and less popular) part of the park. Below are two of the hikes we did in that area.

South Branch Falls

South Branch Falls (map here) was exactly what we needed when we arrived to the park. After a long day in the car, we hopped out and set off on a beautiful kilometer-long trail to put our feet in the rushing water of the falls. We signed the trail register and off we went! 

Baxter, like many parks, requires you to sign into their trails
to help locate hikers should they go missing.

The trail is a sea of green followed by an exposed ridge but with little elevation change. Once near the falls, you can observe from up on the ridge or descend to the falls (recommended). 

Our 4-year-old hiking up the ridge!

Victory! We could have sat there for hours. 

South Branch Mountain

South Branch Mountain (map) was a much more ambitious hike with a 4-year-old. With an elevation gain of appx. 2,175 feet over a fairly short distance, we pushed ourselves to help our kiddo climb her first "mountain" (peak: 2,600 feet). 

This hike begins with a river crossing then quickly enters a wooded area where the trail follows a meandering brook before quickly beginning to climb. It is a difficult trail not to be attempted with kids without experience. We gave ourselves a full day knowing that we would be slower with a wee one. We were right! We got off the trail just in time for supper and completely soaked in the midst of a complete downpour that lasted well into the night.

We took fewer photos on this trail. Here is a hint as to why.
We pretended this was a castle, which made climbing it fun!

Despite the trail's difficulty, our daughter loved it. She was euphoric when we reached the top, and I was so proud of our accomplishment that I welled up. The climb back down was extremely tricky with a wee one, and once the trail leveled out again, we opted for babywearing both to hike faster and because kiddo was completely exhausted.

Yes, at 4.5 years old and 40lbs, she still fit in our mei tai.
Best $90 I spent as a parent! 

This was our most intense hike of the trip, and we cannot wait to return to Baxter over the years to hike more of the peaks with our kiddo. Before we know it, she will be climbing Katahdin with us! 


General Notes about Baxter State Park

• No running water or flush toilets. Bring your own drinking water. Cleanest outhouses I have ever used.
• Waterproof maps are available for purchase at the park entrances. (Price was $11 in 2015.)
• It takes over 1.5 hours to get from one end of the park to the other.
• There are park permit fees.
• This park has a really committed group of rangers who will want to know about your plans and make sure that you know their expectations of you as a camper. 

The Trip That Marries Provincial and National Parks: Kejimkujik Seaside & Thomas Raddall (Port Joli, NS)

On June 5th, we finally kicked off our camping season! First on our list this year was Thomas Raddall Provincial Park and Kejimkujik Seaside Adjunct.

Thomas Raddall is a beautiful, clean park located in Port Joli on the south shore of Nova Scotia. It is big but has excellent wilderness and privacy! Some of its walk-in sites mirror the backcountry while still having the convenience of car camping. 

First campfire of the camping season! Oh yeah!

Thomas Raddall is known as a "nature lovers' haven". After being there, I would agree. Even the walk to the comfort station for flushing toilets was an opportunity to take in the wilderness of the meadowy area while walking down a boardwalk. We even saw two bunnies grazing and hanging out in the campsite beside ours, which was a huge hit for our 4-year-old. 

From playing "Sleeping Bunnies" to actually photographing the bunnies!

I would love to tell you more about the trails and show you more of the sights, but we happened to visit during 24 hours of absolute pouring rain! On Sunday morning, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast and dried our gear before hitting the road for Keji Seaside! 

NOTE: Ticks are very prevalent in this area. Be sure to check your whole body twice daily. Tuck your pants into your socks if possible. Know how to properly remove a tick. 

Keji Seaside, also located in Port Joli, is an adjunct to one of NS's three national parks: Kejimkujik. Its trails lead you to Saint Catherine's River Beach, a gorgeous white sand beach on the ocean. Its view has been seen by many Nova Scotians who don't even know it as this picturesque seaside is the face of the NS health card. 

The park has two trails: Harbour Rocks trail and Port Joli Head trail. We hiked the Harbour Rocks trail along the beach. The hike is very easy, though once you are down on the beach, strollers would not work, so babywearing is a must for wee wee ones. Toddlers can certainly toddle on this trail, though be cautious of helping kiddos with their footing on the big beachrock. There is lots of wildlife, so bring binoculars! If you are a birder, you will be thrilled (or at least the birder with us expressed as much!). We saw seals, a porcupine, toads, and many shorebirds. 

After about 2 km on the wide gravel path, the trail zigs and zags from this to beach.

In case you forget your binoculars, they've got you covered. 

The view is gorgeous and the hiking is stellar, but don't take my word, get out there and see if for yourself! 

Recommended First Time Backcountry Camping at Kejimkujik National Park (Maitland Bridge, NS)

My wee one (3) and her friend (5) hiking like champions!

This post goes out to a lovely fellow, AW, who has been reading my posts and anxiously awaiting more. Thank you for reading!

Kejimkujik seriously is an amazing place to take your kids! If you have not been there yet, make it top on your list for NS! I wrote about Keji before here. This time I want to write about an even easier Keji hike that may be a bit better of a challenge for folks' first time backcountry trek with kids: Site 3. 

Site 3 is only 3.2km from the Big Dam parking lot. (See hiking distances here). It is a very easy hike. The first half is wide with crushed gravel. It runs along the Hemlocks & Hardwoods trail (map), a popular day-use spot. You could use a jogging stroller here if you were only going to Site 1. 

My 3-year-old on the smooth path near Hemlocks & Hardwoods trail.

Beyond Site 1, it becomes slightly more hilly and less smooth. A jogging stroller would still be possible, but less enjoyable to maneuver. There is the occasional boot-sinking sludge puddle if you hit the trail within a day or two of a decent rain, but for the most part, it is pine needly earth and a few protruding roots--nothing too intimidating for an adventurous preschooler!  

Second half (not necessarily literal half, but thereabout) of the trail to Site 3.

But the best part is that the hike is so short--while still leaving you feeling deeply removed from the noise of the daily grind--that even beginners could endure carrying the weight for such a short trek. Or if you really had to, someone could stay with the kiddo(s) to get camp set up while someone else could make a second run to the Big Dam parking lot for gear. (Okay you adventurous hikers who may be reading who do not have offspring: children can be volatile! Or at least unpredictable, making two trips a reality!) 

So seriously, if the thing keeping you from trying backcountry with your wee one(s) is anxiety about things going terribly wrong and being too far from "civilization" to solve any dilemmas, Site 3 at Keji would be a great starting place for you! 

The sites are almost always well-marked. Site 3 is down a small path to the left of the main trail. 

When you get to the site, you will be greeted with the wonderful comforts of backcountry at Keji: lake access at your site, privacy (in this case, the next sites are over a kilometer away), a picnic table!, dry firewood and a fire pit, a pit privy for your site, 2 tent pads, and a proper bear hang! Need I say more? It is luxurious!

Big Dam Lake at Site 3. Gorgeous view of the sunset here too!

My favourite part of Site 3 (and the kiddos' too!) was this gorgeous rock-hugging tree! 

Tent pad.

Keji has great bear hang systems, but this one was frayed, and I got a splinter from it, so do be careful! 

There is my recommendation for a first time backcountry hike with your kiddos in Nova Scotia! Now get outdoors and enjoy some nature time with your wee ones! 

Cape Breton Highlands' Only Backcountry Camping: Fishing Cove (Cape Breton Highlands National Park, NS)

I am proud to say that my daughter is 3-years-old and has already been to three National Parks. On the list for this year, as posted here, was Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The park is incredibly vast with so much hiking to offer. What shocked me though is that it only has a single area for backcountry camping: Fishing Cove! 

The hike to Fishing Cove is described as an "8 km hike down to the rugged coastline cradled at the base of MacKenzie Mountain." It was indeed a rugged hike! The 8 km hike was no way near comparable to the 7 km of the Skyline trail, which was level, even, simple, and boardwalked most of the way. Fishing Cove was really more like the kind of hiking we were looking for complete with switchbacks, steep climbs, lots of roots and rocks on the terrain, and of course, wildlife!

The first kilometer or two were old logging roads like this.

Most of the trail resembled this after the old logging road.

So, how did we do this arduous 8 km with a 40 pound child and carry everything we needed for a night of camping?  

Good question! Our 3-year-old is exceptional on the trails. She has the confidence and physical strength to walk long distances and to surmount obstacles, however I don't know any 3-year-old who can hike 8 km in a day without help let alone on steep trails! Soo, we had to carry her approximately 80 % of the trek. To make this possible, my partner carried her on his back in a mei tai (a soft kid carrier), and I carried everything else. We initially tried to strap some items onto the kid carrier as well but it proved to be too heavy and awkward. Because not all of our gear is lightweight yet (such as our tent, which weighs over 8.5 pounds!), I carried about 45 lbs in my backpack. This included food, tent, cookware, clothes, sleeping bags (2 for the 3 of us), first aid, drinking water, etc. Wearing the toddler, while lighter, proved to be much more tiring than a heavy load in a well-fitted pack.

The hike was a fantastic level of challenge for fit parents with wee ones looking to get into the backcountry! The trail was gorgeous!

Loving life!!

There was so much wildlife on the trail and in the cove: moose (be prepared to respond appropriately!), pheasants, toads, snakes, squirrels, seals, whales! The trail is covered with moose scat, and moose are observed often. We did not see any signs of bear on this trail. We saw a family of pheasants walking on the trail ahead of us. And in the cove, we observed seals, whale spray, and thousands of tadpoles metamorphosizing into froglets! This was very fun to see, especially for a 3-year-old! 

I spy a froglet swimming!

My recommendations/observations for this trail:
*kid carrier is necessary
*bring trekking poles for the climbs!
*pack a swimsuit for the gorgeous cove! We ended up skinny dipping! 
*there is a bear hang, which we used, but it is far too close to the ground
*the outhouse was really nasty!
*there is one bear-proof garbage can at the outhouse, but it was left overflowing when we arrived! Be prepared to pack it out! 
*the tent platforms may have rope left attached to them for securing your tent without pegs, however I recommend bringing guidelines for your tent!
*you may end up singing Dun-na-na-na-na-na MOOSE POOP a lot on the trail to occupy your wee one! Haha! 

Have a good sleep! You don't get to enjoy this view everyday! 

A Hike for All Skill Levels: Skyline Trail (Cape Breton Highlands National Park, French Mountain, NS)

The Skyline trail is part of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. It is the most popular and famous hike in the whole park. It is 7.5 km return (or 9.2 km return if you do the whole loop) and is wide, crushed gravel paths all the way to the boardwalks at the headland lookoff. 

This hike is for everyone!  There are many families on the paths! They are so wide and level that are excellent for accommodating strollers. Even wheelchair users could probably take advantage of most of the hike (though, I suggest checking with park staff to be sure!). 

We were surprised at how "frontcountry" this hike felt, but once we reached the headland, the views were stunning! There are many other trails in the national park that are backcountry, so it is great that this is one for people of all skill levels and nearly all ability levels to enjoy! 

The trail is so easy that it does not feel like 7.5km/9.2km. And of course, our 3-year-old loved it and was so proud to be as high as the clouds! 

Things to keep in mind:
-You will need a park daily entry pass to access the trail. 
-The roads leading to the trail are very steep and sharp.
-The trail is quiet long for toddlers to walk the entire distance, so I recommend taking a kid carrier or stroller to give little legs breaks periodically. 
-Be weary of very high winds on the headland. 
-Be cautious of wildlife.

A "5-Star" Provincial Park for Family Camping: Blomidon Provincial Park (Canning, NS)

Blomidon Provincial Park is awesome!! Let me tell you why!

1. It is found on a gorgeous cape in the Annapolis valley!

2. It is magnificently clean!

We saw one piece of garbage (part of a pop cap) the entire weekend! As an avid camper who frequents Nova Scotia provincial parks often, I was genuinely amazed! Most sites we visit have cigarette butts, beer caps, twist ties, and bandages caked into the grass so much so that the first thing I always have to do on a relaxing camping weekend is none other than cleaning up garbage! I was so impressed with Blomidon and commended their efforts! 

(They also give out bags upon registration for garbage, compost, and recyclables!) 

I did not get a great picture of the clean site, but I think you can appreciate how spotless it looks.

3. There is so much to do! Whether you are just getting into camping and would like to participate in activities hosted by the park or if you like to get your boots on and get hiking, there is so much to do!

-A 12.5 km system of 5 interconnected trails
-Explore the beach/mud flats of the Minas Basin
-Various park-hosted events (sky tours, hiking, campfires, etc.)

4. Forget fire bans; you can have campfires any time in this park using [non-sparking] Fibre Fuel bricks (sold at the park)!!  

5. Excellent for families looking to transition into more outdoors activities! 
-If you are just starting to camp with your kids for the first time, there are activities to fall back on if things really aren't going so hot (such as film screenings) in a pavillion. Just knowing this is enough to give some parents a little confidence boost to get their kiddos outdoors for the weekend! 
-Not down with being dirty? For a super wilderness-y campground, you will be happy to hear that there are flush toilets and showers!!
-Want to be camping & hiking, but lack the gear and/or experience to hit the backcountry yet? You can camp and then day-hike the cape! 
-Oh, and in case I am not the only crazy mama who thought it: yes, you can take babies/toddlers! No, they will not crawl off the cliff while you're cooking! Most campsites are not even close to the menacing line showing the cliff. (We stayed in 18 and could not even see the cliff.)

"Don't forget your bugspray or bug clothing!" says this little guy.

* * *

Off-Season Hiking in Five Islands Provincial Park: Estuary Trail (Five Islands, NS)

Five Islands Provincial Park (28 minute drive east of Parrsboro) is known for its beautiful views along the sea coast and receives lots of visitors in the summer months. What I want to tell you about though is off-season hiking at Five Islands. In the off-season (October 14 to June 12), the park is very quiet and the trails feel extra remote and peaceful. 

We hiked the Estuary Trail (below in yellow) with our three-year-old in April. It is a well-marked 4km hike. 

The Estuary Trail is seen here in yellow. This is the map at the beginning of the trail next to the parking lot. Please note that the "You Are Here" is misplaced on this map! You are on Estuary not Economy Mountain Trail.

Trail markers on the Estuary Trail, Five Islands Provincial Park.

Because our spring is so late this year, we still encountered some snow and ice on the trail in late April despite the sunny and mild weather, so I would recommend having traction devices with you for this trail during the shoulder seasons. 

The trail is about moderate difficulty, though great for beginners. It is not stroller-friendly and babies should be worn in a kid carrier or allowed to toddle if appropriate. One thing I should note is that because of the very windy winter we had in NS, there were a number of trees down along the trail. Some were easier to cross than others, and the trail became slightly unclear at one point where several trees had fallen within a short distance. 

The fallen trees really added to the experience for us, and our 3-year-old loved climbing over...

...and under them!

This day hike was splendidly quiet and a nice balance between well-marked while still giving you the sense of adventure! I would highly recommend it to families with wee ones! The bridges, planks, and log crossings were all great for enabling wee ones to feel like confident hikers! 

A toddler's favourite stopping place to throw rocks in the water!

Exploring with papa!

Come on, who doesn't love a good log crossing?

In the summer months, be sure to check out the more scenic trails in the park! We chose Estuary because it is most easily accessible in the off-season when the park is closed. It has fewer opportunities to view the sea coast but is a lovely walk in the woods! We even had a bald eagle fly a few meters above our heads! Here is to another fine walk in the woods!