Cape Chignecto Provincial Park is a Canadian provincial park located in Nova Scotia . A wilderness park, it derives its name from Cape Chignecto , a prominent headland which divides the Bay of Fundy with Chignecto Bay to the north and the Minas Channel leading to the Minas Basin to the east. The park, which opened in 1998, is the largest provincial park in Nova Scotia. It also anchors one end of the UNESCO Cliffs of Fundy Global Geopark .
31-523: The park's landscape is renowned for spectacular shoreline with extensive backpacking trails and scenic day hikes. The highest cliffs in Mainland Nova Scotia are located along the park's southern coast, measuring 200 metres (600 ft). The park occupies 42 square kilometres (16 sq mi) and has 30 kilometres (19 mi) of wilderness coastline with unique geological features such as raised beaches , caves and sea stacks . The complex geology
62-546: A tree farm . Researchers from Saint Mary's University were requested to conduct a thorough archeological excavation on the site. Preliminary reports suggested that the site held evidence of human activity that pre-dated any other sites found within the northern part of Nova Scotia . The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on 19 October 1972. Debert has a humid continental climate ( Dfb ) with warm, wet summers with cool nights and long, cold, and very snowy winters. Debert's inland position gives it some of
93-454: A federal-provincial contribution of $ 350,000 announced in July 2008, the centre's completion was delayed by bad weather but opened on July 30, 2009. The Cape Chignecto Trails are part of the 400 km Cape to Cape hiking trail system under construction to connect Cape Chignecto with Cape George , Antigonish County . The park is open from mid June to mid October. It is accessible from Route 209 and
124-467: A municipal airfield. CFS Debert was closed in the mid-1990s and decommissioned in 1998 with remaining military facilities being transferred to a local development authority named "Colchester Park". The ongoing residual military communications role of Debert was transferred to the transmitter/receiver facilities near Great Village and Masstown. The Debert Airport is now also the location of Royal Canadian Air Cadets Summer Glider Scholarship program for
155-614: A skating rink, a community centre, two vehicle repair garages, one convenience store, and a volunteer fire department. Debert is situated near coal and iron ore deposits that were mined in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Debert became a station stop on the Halifax - Montreal mainline of the Intercolonial Railway in the 1870s. This railway line continues to this day under the ownership of Canadian National Railway (CN Rail), with passenger service provided by Via Rail , but without
186-606: A stop at Debert. During the Second World War Debert was the location of a Canadian Army base named Debert Military Camp and an adjoining Royal Canadian Air Force station named RCAF Station Debert. Camp Debert was an army facility capable of accommodating division-size units where personnel received training prior to deployment to Europe . RCAF Station Debert was used as a British Commonwealth Air Training Plan facility which saw pilots and aircrew from Commonwealth nations trained for military service. Demobilization of
217-669: Is a peninsula on the Atlantic coast of North America . It is called Enmigtaqamu'g in the Mi'kmaw language . The Nova Scotia peninsula is part of the province of Nova Scotia , Canada and is connected to the neighbouring province of New Brunswick through the Isthmus of Chignecto . It fronts the open Atlantic Ocean on the south and southeast, the Gulf of Maine to the west, the Bay of Fundy and its sub-basins to
248-582: Is covered by water resulting from sea level rise . The remnant is the open ended Annapolis Valley which is sheltered by the Fundy Coast and the Atlantic Interior, providing a micro-climate unique to the Atlantic provinces and conducive to fruit and vegetable farming. The term Acadian Peninsula has been used to describe the present-day Nova Scotia peninsula in historic documents. Prior to 1713, this territory
279-618: Is one of the features on the Fundy Shore Ecotour . The Government of Nova Scotia purchased the land currently comprising the park in 1989 and added it to the Crown land reserve, administered by the Department of Natural Resources. This land was redesignated for a provincial park in the mid-1990s and Cape Chignecto Provincial Park opened to the public in 1998 after several years of planning and trail and campsite development. By area, Cape Chignecto
310-641: Is the largest provincial park in Nova Scotia. Although Cape Chignecto is Nova Scotia's largest provincial park and is owned administered by Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources, it was created, and until 2012, run by a local community development organization, the Cumberland Regional Economic Development Association. The park was operated by a very small seasonal staff based in Advocate and Amherst, Nova Scotia . However, in
341-553: The Gaspé Peninsula , Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Island - all lands along the southern and western shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (some treaties have placed the boundary of Acadia as far south as Massachusetts ). The large peninsula that is today the mainland portion of the province of Nova Scotia was referred to as the Acadian Peninsula at the time that Britain took control, with this territory falling under
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#1732848469108372-649: The Atlantic coast. The peninsula can be divided into two distinct geological regions north and south of a fault line (the Cobequid and Chedabucto faults) extending between the Bay of Fundy sub-basins of the Minas Basin and Cobequid Bay in the west, through to Chedabucto Bay in the east. The northern portion of the peninsula is dominated by the Avalon Uplands (the Cobequid Hills and Pictou-Antigonish Highlands) and
403-469: The Atlantic region. More than 50 cadets earn their Transport Canada Glider Pilot License during a 6-week course each summer. The Debert Airport also offers the Advanced Aviation Course through Royal Canadian Air Cadets as of summer 2011. A significant Paleo-Indian site was discovered on the grounds of the old military camp by a private contractor who was preparing a plot of land to be used as
434-781: The Carboniferous Lowlands, the latter of which straddles the fault zone. The Cobequid Mountains contain the highest elevation points on the peninsula. This low, heavily eroded part of the Appalachian Mountains , along with the Pictou-Antigonish Highlands, comprises a highland across the northern portion of the peninsula with average elevations between 250–300 metres. It was heavily covered in sediment during glaciation; consequently it hosts an abundant forest as well as agricultural activities. The Carboniferous Lowlands includes carboniferous sedimentary rocks south of
465-605: The Carboniferous Lowlands, the southern portion of the peninsula is dominated by the Atlantic Interior (Sissiboo Lowlands, South Mountain , various slate ridges), followed by the comparatively small Triassic Lowlands (the Annapolis Valley ), and the Fundy Coast (including Economy Mountain and North Mountain) and Atlantic Coast regions. The Atlantic Interior is dominated by a glacial landscape of exposed granitic rock, thick forest, drumlins and numerous lakes. The Sissiboo Lowlands comprise many river valleys and lowland inland areas in
496-654: The Colony of Nova Scotia. 45°00′N 63°45′W / 45.000°N 63.750°W / 45.000; -63.750 Debert Debert ( English: / d ə ˈ b ɜːr t / də- BURT ; 2006 pop: 1,471) is an unincorporated farming community in Nova Scotia , Canada. Located in the central-western part of Colchester County , it is approximately 20 km (12 mi) west of Truro . The community has two churches ( United Baptist Church and United Church of Canada ), Royal Canadian Legion (Branch 106),
527-744: The Minas Basin and along the north shore of the peninsula immediately south of the Northumberland Strait. The area south and east of the Minas Basin is dominated by karst topography lending to numerous gypsum deposits. Coal seams are found in the western and central areas of Cumberland County in the Joggins - River Hebert basin and the Springhill basin, along with the Debert basin and the Pictou basin. Throughout
558-574: The boundary with the Carboniferous Lowlands. The Fundy Coast region includes the North Mountain ridge as well as the Digby Neck and the Economy Mountain areas along the north side of the Minas Basin. The Atlantic Coast region includes the barren and wind-swept regions from Yarmouth to Canso , extending several kilometres inland. The Triassic Lowlands is an area of soft sandstone, much of which
589-524: The cold tidal waters of the Bay of Fundy create frequent fogs resulting in moist rain forest -like conditions which nurture "fog forests" of large red spruce and many unique and endangered species of lichens . The park's high southern cliffs support species of vetch and primrose with Alpine characteristics which are unique in Nova Scotia. Cape Chignecto also provides shelter for Nova Scotia's endangered mainland moose herd. Tides rise and fall 12 metres along
620-503: The military during the post-war brought about many other changes at Camp Debert with many of the barrack buildings and workshops being demolished. Many materials were salvaged from the demolition and reused to help construct numerous new homes in the nearby village of Debert and throughout this part of Colchester County. For a brief period shortly after the war, the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) operated out of
651-452: The northern portion of the peninsula, the lowland plains, rolling uplands, and coastal fringe areas support numerous settlements, many of which developed around mineral extraction, particularly coal. When included with the Sydney and Inverness coal fields on Cape Breton Island, these regions were extremely prominent in the industrial and social development of Nova Scotia. In addition to sharing
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#1732848469108682-683: The northwest, the Northumberland Strait to the north, and the Strait of Canso to the east. The narrow and deep waters of the Strait of Canso separate the peninsula from Cape Breton Island , the second largest land mass constituting the province of Nova Scotia. In addition to Cape Breton Island, other much smaller islands are geologically associated with the Nova Scotia peninsula, including Boularderie Island , Brier Island , Long Island , Pictou Island , Tancook Island and various smaller islands along
713-593: The old Camp Debert hospital. The temporary relocation of NSAC resulted from a major fire that had occurred at the principal campus in Bible Hill , which destroyed many barns and academic facilities. Camp Debert's role as a training facility was eliminated in the early 1950s with the opening of the much larger Camp Gagetown in New Brunswick . The airfield ( Debert Airport ) was downgraded at this time to an adjunct facility for RCAF Station Shearwater . A new lease on life
744-502: The park's coastline, producing rip currents and rapid flooding at certain points. Several hikers have been trapped and had to be rescued when rising tides trapped them against sheer cliffs, including a couple and a dog who had to be rescued from rising waters at Eatonville by a helicopter from CFB Greenwood in July 2014. The park maintains over 50 kilometres of trails, both for day use hikers and overnight backpackers. An interpretation centre, picnic area, washrooms and giftshop are based at
775-522: The southwest and central portion of the peninsula. The South Mountain is a steadily rising slope that descends sharply at the Annapolis Valley but more gradually toward the Atlantic, resulting in a plateau across much of the southwest interior of the peninsula with average elevations of 150 m and maximum elevations of 275 m. Slate ridges are prominent in the Rawdon Hills and Wittenburg Ridge areas along
806-671: The spring of 2012 the Department of Natural Resources took over management of the park and brought its fees in line with other provincial parks. In 2020, the Park was designated as part of the UNESCO "Cliffs of Fundy Global Geopark with the Three Sisters Day Use trails at Eatonville marking the beginning of the Geopark which stretches all around Cape Chignecto and down the coast to Debert . Nova Scotia peninsula The Nova Scotia peninsula
837-504: The trailhead at Red Rocks near the community of Advocate Harbour . In addition to 51 back country campsites and 28 walk-in sites, several overnight cabins and bunk houses on the trail system may be rented by hikers. A mothballed fire tower , closed since 2012, is located at the highest point of the park in New Yarmouth . A new, off-grid interpretation centre and day use trails at Eatonville were constructed in 2008–2009. Partially funded by
868-406: The world. Substantial radio transmitter and receiver stations were constructed close to the nearby villages of Masstown and Great Village to support the military operations at CFS Debert, providing worldwide radio communications. In 1971 the aerodrome and training facilities were declared surplus and were purchased by the provincial government to create the "Debert Air Industrial Park" as well as
899-599: Was created by continental collision along the Cobequid fault . The spectacular coastal landscapes of the park make it popular for hikers and kayakers. It also contains several abandoned logging camps, saw mills and the ghost towns of Eatonville and New Yarmouth . A secluded ravine named Refugee Cove was the site where Mi'kmaq sheltered fleeing Acadians during the Expulsion of the Acadians . The mixing of warm summer temperatures with
930-527: Was given to the military facility in the early 1960s when Camp Debert was chosen as the location for a Regional Emergency Government Headquarters, also known as a " Diefenbunker ". This facility became the focus of the newly formed CFS Debert by the late 1960s. The primary unit attached to CFS Debert was the 720 Communications Squadron, which maintained the REGHQ and provided communications support to Canadian Armed Forces units throughout Atlantic Canada and around
961-476: Was the heart of the French colony of Acadia , which focused its settlement efforts along the southern and northeastern shores of Baie Francois (now the Bay of Fundy ). The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 gave Great Britain control of " Acadia "; however, the boundaries were never properly defined. Acadia is considered by many historians to have encompassed present-day New Brunswick , eastern Maine , Anticosti Island ,