About Cape Chignecto Provincial Park

Nova Scotia's largest provincial park features dramatic 200-metre sea cliffs and ancient Acadian forests.

Features & Highlights

🏛️ Nova Scotia's largest provincial park
🏛️ 200-metre sea cliffs
🏛️ 50+ km of hiking trails
🏛️ Backcountry camping
🏛️ Fundy lookoffs
🏛️ Wildlife watching

Detailed Information

Cape Chignecto Provincial Park

Cape Chignecto is Nova Scotia's largest provincial park and arguably its most dramatically beautiful - a wild, roadless peninsula where the highest sea cliffs on the Bay of Fundy drop 200 metres straight into the world's highest tides. Old-growth Acadian forest, hidden coves, and slender sea stacks arrayed along a relentless coastline make this a destination for serious hikers and backcountry campers who like to earn their views. This is the Fundy shore at its rawest: fog, tide, towering trees, and deep quiet.

Hiking

The signature route is the 52 km coastal loop, a rugged multi-day traverse that crosses headlands, drops into steep ravines, and traces the cliff edge for long stretches. It is rated difficult and is best tackled over three to four nights, using the backcountry sites spaced along the way. Carry a tide table - several sections are impassable at high water.

If you do not have days to spare, the Eatonville Day Use Area offers the park's most rewarding short walks. Graded trails lead to the Three Sisters sea stacks and the Squally Point look-off, both serving up the kind of postcard Fundy geology that most visitors hope for and few actually reach. These day hikes are achievable in two to four hours.

Camping

Overnight options cover a range of ambition:

  • Backcountry sites (51): strung along the coastal loop and reached only on foot or by kayak. Primitive, exposed, and unforgettable.
  • Walk-in sites (28): a short carry from the trailhead - ideal for a tent experience without committing to the full loop.
  • Cabins and bunkhouse: roofed accommodation for hikers who want a bed and a dry floor after a long day.

Practical Visitor Info

  • 2026 Season: May 15 to October 12, 2026. Outside these dates the park is effectively closed for camping.
  • Fees: Day use is free. Camping fees apply, and reservations are strongly recommended, particularly for backcountry sites through the summer.
  • Park Office: Open daily 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. during the operating season - register here before setting out on the loop.
  • Address: 1108 West Advocate Road, Advocate Harbour, NS B0M 1A0.

Getting There

Advocate Harbour is roughly a three-hour drive from Halifax. The final stretch is rural, so fill up on fuel beforehand and download directions - cell service drops off near the park.

Plan Your Visit: