Frequently Asked Questions

Jake’s Landing Location and Logistics

  • We’re located at Jake’s Landing, inside Kejimkujik National Park (inland, not seaside).

    Our physical address is 1507 Main Park Way. Due to our rural location inside Kejimkujik, you may see our community address come up as Caledonia or Maitland Bridge.

    When you enter Kejimkujik National Park, we’re located approximately 9kms from the park enterance. Turn right when you see the sign for Jake’s Landing.

  • Our hours of operation vary depending on the time of year. It’s best to check with our office directly.

    In general, you can expect the following:

    May, June, September & October

    9:00AM until 5:00PM Monday through Thursday

    9:00AM until 7:00PM Friday through Sunday

    July & August

    9:00AM until 7:00PM every day

    Keep in mind, our last rentals go our 2 hours prior to closing time and all hourly and day use equipment is due back by close.

  • We do! Our parking lot is HUGE. It can definitely fit your RV (and all of your friends).

  • Our guaranteed last day of each season is the Monday of Canadian Thanksgiving— typically around the middle of October.

    Some years we may offer limited services until the end of October. If you are interested in a rental after Thanksgiving, reach out to our office beginning in mid September and we should have a decision made for that season.

  • Great question— you are!

    We strive to help folks work out any kinks or hiccups in their Keji adventures; however, you are responsible for your own trip.

    We strive to facilitate your good time, but the ownership of the success or failure of your (mis)adventure is solely yours.

  • We do. We get a lot of inquiries so we usually don’t have much available. The best way to find out about equipment sales is to sign up for our newsletter or follows on social media. You can also check the “Seasonal Boat Sale” page on our website under the “Retail” dropdown.

Rental Logistics

  • All of our rental equipment is located at Jake’s Landing on the Mersey River, just around the bend from Kejimkujik Lake.

    In our humble opinion, the best hourly and day paddling is located directly from our shore.

    Our team will bring your equipment down to the water’s edge for you.

    If you are going on a backcountry canoe trip and are choosing to depart from another location, it is your responsibility to organize transport for the equipment. You are welcome to transport the equipment with your own vehicle— we do reserve veto rights if we deem your transport plan to be insufficient.

    We offer a shuttle/transport service that is subject to availability and must be reserved at least 1 day in advance. The fees for transport vary depending on location.

    We also rent shuttle blocks to assist you in transporting watercraft with your own vehicle. Shuttle blocks are complimentary but should be reserved in advance to ensure availability— we have lots but not an infinite supply.

  • No. The boats you see in the campground are campers’ personal boats or equipment folks have rented from us and transported to the campground for their personal use.

  • All of our rental equipment is located at our rental headquarters at Jake’s Landing inside Kejimkujik National Park.

  • In a 2 hour period, there are two options:

    1. Up the Mersey River— protected, relaxing, best for windy days

    2. To the closest islands on Keji Lake (Bear, Hog, Ritchie)— best for calm days, or more experienced paddlers

    In a 4 hour period (or longer), there are also two main options:

    1. Both 2 hour options, the Mersey River and the closest islands on Keji Lake

    2. Paddle to a backcountry beach on Keji Lake for a swim or a picnic

  • We have folks head out in canoes and kayaks everyday during the season with very little or no experience.

    The weather forecast during your visit, specifically the wind, will determine where we recommend going on your paddling adventure.

    Wind can be a frustrating factor for both new and experienced paddlers.

  • Our rentals do not include extended instruction.

    We will happily assist you:

    • in and out of the watercraft

    • with proper fit of safety equipment

    • understand basic paddling strokes

    • with a map and directions for where to go what to see

    • understand the weather forecast and it’s potential impact on your experience

  • If you are going on a backcountry canoe trip, we highly recommend reserving a T-formex canoe— these boats are much lighter to assist with portaging.

    If you are going on an hourly or day paddle; we recommend one of our poly (polyethylene) canoes— these boats are both stable and economical.

    We have 16ft and 17ft canoes. 16ft is our standard size and is recommended for most paddlers. If you are going backcountry with a lot of equipment or wanting to transport more than 2 people in a boat, a 17ft is preferable.

  • We permit a maximum 1 person per seat in kayaks and canoes.

    One additional adult or additional small children may be permitted in select canoes, subject to the discretion of Whynot Adventure Staff.

    1 Person Kayak = 1 person

    2 Person Kayak = 2 people

    Solo Canoe = 1 person

    16ft or 17ft Canoe = maximum 3 persons 90lbs & up

  • Canoes:

    • have elevated seats

    • no back rest

    • you sit with your knees bent

    • the paddle has one blade.

    Kayaks:

    • seats are located on the floor of the boat

    • there is a backrest

    • you sit with your legs extended out infront of you

    • your paddle has two blades

  • Great question— you are!

    We strive to help folks work out any kinks or hiccups in their Keji adventures; however, you are responsible for your own trip.

    We strive to facilitate your good time, but the ownership of the success or failure of your (mis)adventure is solely yours.

  • Absolutely!

    You are required by law to have enough certified PFDs/Lifejackets on a watercraft for each person onboard.

    If your PFD/lifejacket is not certified, you can still wear it (that’s your choice) however, you’ll need to take a certified PFD from us with you.

  • Absolutely. We love dogs!

    Do keep in mind, although we’re keen to see your pup, not all pups are keen to be in a canoe. There is an increased risk of capsize when you bring your pet.

    We rent dog PFDs.

Weather

  • If your trip is weather dependant, please keep your eye on the forecast. We do not adjust our cancellation policy due to inclement weather.

    If the forecast doesn’t lineup with your expectations or requirements for your trip; we recommend consulting our cancellation policy and making the decision to cancel your trip before the non-refundable cut-off.

  • If there is lightening in that day’s hourly forecast our team will advise you what to do if you hear thunder— in short, get your butt off the water!

    If we hear thunder at our office, we put a pause on rentals. We start the clock and wait 30 minutes after the last crack of thunder we hear before we begin sending rentals out again.

  • Here’s the general breakdown of how our cancellation policy works in regards to major storms/ potential Park closures:

    If folk pre-emptively cancel their trip before Parks Canada makes a decision/announcement on closing the Park, they’re subject to our regular cancellation policy.

    If Parks Canada cancels someone's trip (closes the backcountry) folks will get refunded everything except the 4.8% Non-Refundable Booking Fee.

    If Parks Canada decides to close the backcountry after someone pre-emptively cancelled their own reservation, their cancellation is not retroactively adjusted.

    If folks don’t want to pay the cancellation fee or wait for Parks Canada to make the call, they can also choose to move their trip to another date in the same season (one-time, date-swap freebie). This decision does have a time-limit attached to it— when folks opt for this path, we ask them to make the selection of their new date within a reasonable amount of time, usually 5 business days.

    In our experience, Parks Canada usually makes the final call on closing the backcountry around the 48hr mark before the storm is forecast to arrive (the weather modelling gets a little more reliable).

    If we don’t hear anything from Parks Canada and a forecasted storm is anticipated to impact the Park within 48 hours, this *probably* means the forecasted impact of the storm is not significant enough to meet Parks Canada’s threshold for closing the park.

Reservations, Cancellations and Alterations

  • Reservations are recommended, though not always required.

    We recommend a reservation when you know what you want (boat type), when you want it (date, time, duration), and you are happy with the weather forecast.

  • All reservations are made online on our website or in person at Jake’s Landing.

    If you have any questions or run into and hiccups during the booking process, feel free to give us a call or send us an email and we can help trouble shoot and walk you through the booking process.

  • Usually, there are a few main culprits for folks have a hard time reserving online:

    1. Poor internet connection

    2. Ancient browsers ie; Netscape Navigator

    3. We might just be sold out for the date/time/item you’re looking at.

  • Maybe.

    It is crucial to contact our office prior to the end of your reserved rental period to inquire if there is availability to extend your rental. This inquiry does not guarantee availability— please ensure you have given yourself enough time to return to Jake’s Landing prior to your rental end.

    An extension is not always possible - sometimes we’re booked up and someone else has the equipment reserved for the end of your rental.

    Late fees are applicable to any equipment returned after your specified return time. Late fees are levied at $50 per item per hour, in addition to the increase in regular rental rate.

  • You can find our full cancellation policy under the “Resources” dropdown menu.

    Here is the quick and dirty:

    The 4.8% Non-Refundable Bookings Fee is never refundable

    General Reservations:

    Cancellations made prior to 11AM the day before your reservation start date will receive a full refund less a $25 Cancellation Fee and less the 4.8% Non-Refundable Booking Fee

    Partial cancellations or alterations made prior to 11AM the day before your reservation start date will incur a $10 Alteration Fee. Any refund offered will be less this fee and the 4.8% Non-Refundable Booking Fee 

    Cancellations or alterations made after 11AM the day before the reservation start date are not eligible for a refund nor a credit.

    Group Reservations (4+ boats or bikes, or 8+ participants):

    Cancellations submitted more than 10 days before your reservation start date will receive a full refund less a $50 Cancellation Fee and less the 4.8% Non-Refundable Booking Fee.

    Partial cancellations or alterations submitted more than 10 days before your reservation start date will incur a $25 Alteration Fee. Any refund offered will be less this fee and less the 4.8% Non-Refundable Booking Fee

    Cancellations or alterations submitted 10 days or less before the reservation start date are not eligible for a refund nor a credit.

    Multi-Day Tour Reservations:

    Cancellations submitted more than 30 days prior to the tour star date will receive a full refund less a $150 Cancellation Fee and less the 4.8% Non-Refundable Booking Fee. 

    Partial cancellations or alterations made more than 30 days prior to the tour start date will incur a $150 Alteration Fee. Any refund offered will be less this fee and the 4.8% Non-Refundable Booking Fee.

    Cancellations or alterations made 30 days or less before the tour start date are not eligible for a refund nor a credit.

  • Cancellations can be made via email or phone/voicemail.

  • If you are running late to pickup your equipment (at the start of your rental), let us know as soon as possible and we’ll do our best to bump your reservation. There is no guarantee we can adjust your time but we’ll try our best.

    We honour all bookings made and will not cancel your reservation if you are late for pickup.

    There are a couple of instances where we may not be able to bump your time:

    1. We are massive sticklers for punctuality when it comes to shuttles. We bring in a driver specifically for these transports and operate on a fixed schedule. If you miss your shuttle, you will likely need to book and pay for another time slot, if there is availability.

    2. You are arriving after our office closes— our staff need their rest and time away from the office— we will not wait for you to arrive. If you think you won’t make it to the park before our office closes, reach out to our team and we can potentially set up an after hours pickup for you, so long as your digital documents have been completed.

Shuttles

  • No, our shuttle prices are 'one-way'. For example, if you and your group want to have the boats dropped off at the Big Dam parking lot for your weekend canoe trip and then have them picked up again afterwards, this would require two separate shuttles.

  • If you have a 12pm shuttle booked, it will leave Jake's Landing within a few minutes after 12pm and arrive at your destination sometime thereafter. This is true for both pick-ups and drop-offs. For example, if you have a shuttle reserved for 12pm for a pick-up at Eel Weir, this means our shuttle vehicle will depart Jake's Landing for roughly 12pm and arrive at Eel Weir for about 1230pm.

  • Yes; however, if a shuttle is not booked, it will not run -our shuttles are by advance reservation only. They can be reserved through our website (this one you're currently perusing) for 9:00AM, 10:30AM, 12:00PM, 1:30PM, or 3:00PM.

  • Scenario A: Delivery Shuttle-- includes equipment and people(s)

    The onus is on you to reserve a shuttle time which will allow you to arrive 15 minutes early. Often there is another shuttle booked immediately afterward so there is no wiggle room for late arrivals.

    Consequences: if you are late for your shuttle you will likely miss your shuttle and will be responsible for rebooking another shuttle at full price.

    Please call us as soon as you start to feel you might be late for your shuttle and we'll do our best to help you find a solution.

    Scenario B: Delivery Shuttle-- includes equipment only

    It's no problem if you're late if we're only shuttling your equipment (canoes, kayaks, et cetera). Just know the equipment will be ready and waiting for you at the delivery location by your selected delivery time.

    Please note, the moment the gear is dropped off at its destination it becomes your responsibility whether you are there or not.

    Scenario C: Retrieval Shuttle-- equipment and/or people

    If you're late for returning your boat at it's final destination please call us to discuss options. To be prudent, I should mention that our regular late fees could apply, as well as additional shuttle fees.

    Paradoxically, Cody, who is perpetually late, is extremely strict about shuttle times.