It appears staff at Kejimkujik National Park and Historic Site will be busy this year.

The park began accepting reservations on February 17 and 9,167 camp sites were booked almost immediately.

Acting visitor experience manager Mark Schmidt says the number of reservations is down slightly from 2020 but that’s to be expected.

“We’re roughly 17 percent less than we were on our opening of reservations last year. Now the one thing I do have to point out though is, we opened our reservation system in February this year. Last year it was in April. It was closer to the opening of the park, there was still a lot of uncertainty about travel beyond the provincial borders.”

Schmidt expects the number of reservations will exceed last year by the time April rolls around.

Kejimkujik closed part of its camping for the 2020 season to install new washrooms and underground infrastructure.

It was the first major renovation in the park in 50 years.

Schmidt says they’ve been hearing rave reviews from people about those upgrades and the park continues to improve the visitor experience.

The Ukme’k trail, which means ‘twisted’ in Mi’kmaq, is a 6.5 km trail connecting the visitor centre to the Mersey River trail that was updated in 2021 to not only improve the experience for hikers but expand its appeal to other users.

“It’s a multi-use experience in that it’s something that’s meant for all levels of users. But it also incorporates unique features specifically for mountain biking,” said Schmidt. “So there’s a handful of really cool optional features that will test the skills of mountain bikers that are out there.”

Schmidt says he’s most excited about the newly constructed Mills Falls Bridge which takes visitors from the Mill Falls day-use area across to the Ukme’k trail.

“It’s the first of its kind in Canada, in terms of the type of bridge that it is,” said Schmidt. “It’s actually placed in a way that you’re on the lower part of the falls so you have this feeling, like when you’re standing in the middle of the bridge, that you feel the power of the water underneath you.”

Schmidt says there are still many sites available, and others will open as people’s plans change and they change their reservations.

While summer is the peak time for visits to Keji, Schmidt says people shouldn’t miss exploring the park during the shoulder seasons as well.

“The park is amazing and different in all seasons,” said Schmidt. “So, if you come in the summer you need to come back in the fall because it’s such a different experience. I encourage everybody to get out and enjoy themselves.”

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