Travel & Places
Hidden Cabins Near Kejimkujik Offer Stargazing Escape
A cluster of eco-friendly cabins in Kejimkujik National Park is drawing visitors looking to disconnect and explore some of the darkest skies in North America.
Isla Brennan | October 05, 2025 at 03:10 AM
Tucked away in the woods surrounding Kejimkujik National Park, a cluster of off-grid cabins is offering a unique stargazing experience that’s quickly gaining popularity with urban escapees. Marketed as eco-retreats, these small structures blend minimalist comfort with unobstructed access to one of the darkest skies in North America.
Located within a designated Dark Sky Preserve, the cabins are positioned to maximize night sky visibility. Large skylights and wide, curtain-free windows allow guests to watch the stars drift by without ever leaving their beds. Each unit comes with a stargazing guide and a compact telescope, included with the booking.
“It’s like stepping into a planetarium, except it’s real,” said recent visitor Liam Jeffries from Halifax. “We saw constellations, shooting stars, even the Milky Way. I’d never seen the sky like that before.”
The cabins are entirely solar-powered, constructed with sustainable wood and equipped with composting toilets. With no Wi-Fi and limited mobile reception, guests are encouraged to disconnect and unwind in nature. Fire pits and wood-fired saunas add rustic charm to the otherwise sleek accommodations.
Operated by a small local outfit called Keji Nightfall Retreats, the cabins were designed with input from park rangers and astronomers. “We wanted to celebrate the night sky while keeping our footprint as small as possible,” said founder Claire Boucher. “This is about reverence for the land and the cosmos.”
The retreat has proven popular among couples, photographers, and solo travelers seeking creative solitude. Bookings are currently full through mid-November, and a waitlist has been established for prime meteor shower dates in December and January.
In addition to the stargazing perks, guests can explore Kejimkujik’s extensive trail system, canoe routes, and Indigenous petroglyphs by day. Evening programming includes guided astronomy walks led by volunteer naturalists and Mi’kmaq storytellers who link celestial patterns to ancestral traditions.
As autumn deepens and the leaves fall away, visibility in the forest canopy improves even further, making now an ideal time to visit. “There’s a spiritual quality to the silence and the stars,” Boucher said. “It’s something you carry with you long after you leave.”