Nova Scotia's 100 Wild Islands: Where Wilderness Still Rules

The 100 Wild Islands: Nova Scotia's Last True Wilderness

Just an hour’s drive from Halifax, where the modern world fades into quiet fishing coves and wind-brushed headlands, lies a secret most travelers have never heard of — the 100 Wild Islands.

Picture turquoise water so clear you can see starfish resting on the sand below, soft golden beaches that appear and vanish with the tides, and spruce forests so ancient they’ve stood unchanged since the last Ice Age. It sounds like somewhere tropical — the Galápagos, maybe, or an atoll in the South Pacific — but it’s right here, off Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore.

When I first heard about the 100 Wild Islands, it sounded almost mythical: a stretch of over a hundred pristine islands, largely untouched by human hands. I imagined a scatter of green gems floating in the Atlantic, hidden behind fog and salt spray. And as it turns out, that’s not far from the truth.

A Dream That Almost Didn't Happen

It’s hard to believe that in our era of highways and high-rises, a place like this could still exist. The 100 Wild Islands were nearly lost to development — private ownership, potential resorts, even logging once loomed on the horizon.

But in 2014, the Nova Scotia Nature Trust launched the 100 Wild Islands Legacy Campaign, a massive effort to permanently protect the archipelago’s 7,000 acres of wild land and more than 282 islands.

At the start, the idea felt risky and uncertain, but those involved believed it was worth trying. And they did succeed — beyond anyone’s expectations. Today, over 85 percent of the islands are protected forever, thanks to a coalition of locals, landowners, scientists, and dreamers who saw this piece of the world as too precious to lose.

What began as an almost impossible goal became a milestone in conservation, proof that even small coastal communities can achieve extraordinary things when they work together.

A Wilderness Since the Ice Age

Standing on one of the islands, it’s easy to see what all the effort was for. The landscape feels ancient and untouched. Granite boulders rise like old bones from the earth. Moss and lichen form soft carpets underfoot. Spruce and fir twist and lean against the wind.

Scientists call this place a living window into the past. The islands are ecologically unique, virtually intact for centuries, perhaps millennia. They hold bogs, wetlands, and even pockets of coastal rainforest — a rainforest in Nova Scotia, which sounds impossible until you see it.

To explore them is to walk through time. Glacial ridges still show the marks of the Ice Age. The tides carve the same coves that once hosted Indigenous Mi’kmaq fishers long before European settlers arrived.

These lands tell the story of evolution and endurance. They have witnessed every shift of the shoreline since the glaciers retreated and will continue to bear witness to whatever comes next.

Kayaking Into the Unknown

The best way to experience the 100 Wild Islands is from the water. The moment you dip your paddle into the calm Atlantic off Tangier or Murphy Cove, you enter another world — a shifting maze of islands, lagoons, and tidal sandbars.

On my first trip, I joined a small group of paddlers at sunrise. The sea was mirror-still, the fog soft and silver, and the air smelled of pine and salt. Our guide from Coastal Adventures, a local outfitter that’s been exploring this coast for decades, smiled as we pushed off, confident that the day would reveal something unforgettable.

Within minutes, the mainland disappeared. Ahead, dozens of green silhouettes rose from turquoise water, each one shaped differently — some ringed with beaches, others jagged and wild. Seals surfaced beside our kayaks, watching with wide eyes. An eagle glided above, its shadow rippling across the waves.

We landed on Borgles Island and pulled our kayaks onto a golden sandbar. The tide was low, revealing a long stretch of beach that connected two islands like a natural bridge. There were no footprints, only wind-drawn lines across the sand and the rhythmic hush of waves.

It felt untouched and eternal.

Borgles Island: The Beating Heart of the Wild

Borgles Island is often the first stop for paddlers exploring the 100 Wild Islands. It’s large enough to wander but small enough to feel completely your own. One side offers calm, sheltered coves; the other meets the open Atlantic in a rush of spray and sound.

Inland, the terrain shifts from meadow to mossy forest to rocky headland. Wildflowers bloom in cracks of granite. A hare darts between the bushes. It feels like stepping into a world unmarked by time.

That sense of purity is exactly what the Nature Trust set out to protect. They didn’t just save a landscape; they safeguarded a living ecosystem connecting ocean, forest, and sky.

Some islands are home only to birds — sanctuaries for herons, terns, and sandpipers. Others harbor rare lichens and plants that exist nowhere else in Atlantic Canada. Each island adds another page to the story of coastal biodiversity.

A Community's Love Letter to Its Coast

Conservation here is as much about emotion as science. Many people involved in the campaign have family roots stretching back centuries. Their ancestors fished these waters, built homes on these shores, and passed down the same reverence for the sea.

One local told me his family first arrived in 1765 and that these islands feel like an inheritance. Protecting them is not just about preserving nature; it’s about preserving identity.

Residents often describe the campaign as a collective gift — something to be proud of, a reminder that the community can still come together for something greater than itself. There’s also a lingering sadness that more people don’t realize how critical this work is, that the balance between development and preservation remains fragile.

But the 100 Wild Islands stand as proof that when people act with care and conviction, miracles happen.

The Kayaking Experience

If you plan to explore the islands yourself, sea kayaking offers the most intimate way to do it.

Launch points like Murphy Cove, Tangier, and Sheet Harbour provide easy access. The archipelago stretches roughly 30 kilometres along the coast, so there’s endless room for adventure, from half-day outings to multi-day expeditions.

Best Islands to Visit

• Borgles Island – Wide beaches, long sandbars, perfect for landing.
• Baltee Island – Sheltered lagoons and calm waters ideal for beginners.
• Middle Island – Rugged cliffs and seabird colonies.
• Ship Rock – A dramatic granite tower rising from the waves.

Tips for Paddlers

• Check the tides carefully; sandbars appear and disappear fast.
• Bring extra layers — Atlantic wind can chill even in July.
• Keep a respectful distance from wildlife.
• Carry everything out; the ecosystem is fragile.

First-timers should consider a guided trip. Local operators know the tides, currents, and best landing points, and their stories deepen the experience.

A Rainforest by the Sea

Perhaps the most unexpected discovery in the 100 Wild Islands is its coastal rainforest. In the misty interior of some larger islands, the air thickens with humidity, and the forest floor becomes a lush tapestry of moss and ferns.

The canopy filters light into a green-gold glow. Spruce and fir reach upward through fog, and every fallen branch is draped with lichen. It feels more like the Pacific Northwest than Atlantic Canada.

Biologists have documented rare species here that hint at the province’s ancient climate — remnants from the age when glaciers melted and forests crept back to reclaim the land. Exploring these rainforests is like stepping into another era of Earth’s story.

The Feeling of Finding Forever

Standing on a granite outcrop and looking across hundreds of tiny islands scattered like stepping-stones into the horizon, it’s impossible not to feel humbled. The 100 Wild Islands capture something rare — a glimpse of how the world looked before human hands reshaped it.

Experiencing this place stays with you. It’s not only about scenery or solitude; it’s about gratitude. Gratitude that wildness still exists, that people fought for it, that it remains ours to protect.

The 100 Wild Islands offer a window into the past, revealing how coastal ecosystems once thrived, and a window into the future, showing what can still be saved when we act with care.

Some landscapes are meant to remain as they are — unspoiled, enduring, eternal. This is one of them.

Planning Your Visit

Getting There: Drive east from Halifax along Highway 107 to the Eastern Shore, following signs for Tangier or Murphy Cove. The trip takes about 90 minutes.

When to Go: Late spring through early fall (May–October) offers calm seas and mild weather.

Where to Stay:

• Murphy’s Camping on the Ocean – Waterfront campsites and kayak rentals.
• Liscombe Lodge Resort – Riverside comfort about 45 minutes away.
• Local Cottages and B&Bs – Scattered along the Eastern Shore.

Guided Experiences:
Join a sea-kayaking tour with Coastal Adventures in Tangier or contact the Nova Scotia Nature Trust to learn about volunteer opportunities and conservation work.

Why It Matters

The 100 Wild Islands are more than a paddler’s paradise. They are a reminder that wildness still has a place in our world.

In a century when untouched landscapes are disappearing, Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore has done something extraordinary — preserving a piece of Earth that looks and feels as it did thousands of years ago.

Out on the water, the horizon endless, the salt on your skin, and the wind tugging at your paddle, you realize that this isn’t just about protecting land. It’s about protecting wonder.

Because some places are meant to stay wild forever.