Mkwesaqtuk/Cap-Rouge Campground

Mkwesaqtuk/Cap-Rouge is a walk-in campground on the western Cabot Trail, about 16 km from Chéticamp. Come for a coastal stay with Gulf views and a cobblestone shore; choose another campground if you need to park beside your tent.

You park in a central lot and use Parks Canada carts to move gear to your campsite. There are walk-in tent sites, oTENTiks and tiny cabins; the walk varies by site, so keep your gear manageable. Flush toilets, showers, potable water and covered kitchen shelters with picnic tables are available. There are no electrical hookups at campsites, but device-charging stations are provided around camp. Some accessible sites and shared facilities are listed; check the assigned site's layout if step-free access matters. Chéticamp, about 16 km away, has groceries and restaurants.

Some sites sit near the cliff edge above the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Parks Canada's Red Chairs look out over the coast, and a short path leads down to the rocky, cobblestone beach. Tree cover gives parts of the campground a tucked-away feel, though site privacy and spacing vary.

Mkwesaqtuk refers to a place that turns distinctly red; Cap-Rouge is the later French name for the cape. The campground opened in 2022 and recognizes both Mi’kmaw ties to the region and Acadian families whose land was expropriated when the park was created in 1936. Its Acadian-style interpretation house and multilingual panels tell more of that story. The campground replaced an older Chéticamp-area site that closed after flash-flood damage in 2015.