Victoria Day weekend kicks off a deeply rooted camping season across the Maritimes

By Judith Mendiolea

(Story originally published by PNI Atlantic News on May, 08, 2025)

Camping is often a favourite activity for Victoria Day weekend. Judith Mendiolea

Bryson Guptill remembers the smell of woodsmoke and melted sugar. As a boy growing up in Nova Scotia, tradition meant family camping trips, heavy canvas tents that “you couldn’t touch the edge or it would leak,” and roasting over an open fire.

“Camping for me is what we did when I was a kid… cook marshmallows, camp anywhere,” said Guptill, now based in P.E.I. and best known as the creator of the Island Walk, a 700-kilometre loop that hugs the Island’s land.

These days, his focus is on helping others discover the joy of slow, outdoor travel—whether by foot, bicycle or tent. And if there’s a weekend that signals it’s time to start, it’s the May long weekend.

“That 24th of May weekend is just a tradition,” Guptill said, recalling the years he lived in Newfoundland. “Newfoundlanders go out and camp… one memory that sticks in my mind is of people swimming in a pond close to the ocean, and there were icebergs in there.”

From across the region, Maritimers mark Victoria Day as the unofficial launch of the camping and hiking season. This year, Victoria Day falls on Monday, May 19. Some head to organized campgrounds, others hit the trails, roll out hammocks or plan backyard fires—each ritual reflecting how outdoor culture continues to evolve.

A long weekend, a long walk

However, for Guptill and others, Victoria Day has become more than a memory—it’s a logistical marker.

“As the Island Walk continues to grow, we are now focusing this year on finding more places to camp,” he said, noting that while P.E.I. has a wealth of licensed tourist accommodations, there’s a rising interest in more modest options.

“Some people don’t want to tent anymore… they’re getting beyond that stage,” he said. “There now are about five or six places on the Island Walk where you can have that kind of accommodation,” such as bunkhouses or rustic cabins.

Wild camping, meanwhile, is still frowned upon in P.E.I.—something that frustrates experienced hikers like Camilla Choi.

“It’s actually illegal… you can’t camp in P.E.I. unless you know somebody with private land,” she said. “Car camping is like a lot of the camping that’s available in P.E.I.—which is unfortunate.”

Choi, who has lived on the Island for 10 years, said her passion for backpacking began after she moved away from her family’s no-outdoors upbringing and discovered hiking through friends.

Since then, she’s biked the Confederation Trail, hammock-camped around the Maritimes and developed her own mental map of ideal trails.

“There’s a meditation to it… I can really zone my brain out,” she said. “It allows me to calm the anxiety.”

Even when she’s not pitching a tent, Choi still honours the spirit of the season. She plans to spend Victoria Day hiking in British Columbia with her sister.

“It just kind of awakened something in me,” she said of long-distance hiking. “It was really fun to do something that’s point A to point B and you can see the progress you did.”

Hikes, badges and a burst of life

In Nova Scotia, the season starts with boots on the ground. Janet Barlow, executive director of Hike Nova Scotia, said their organization will offer around 50 guided hikes between May and July this year.

“The May long weekend… it does tend to be the launching point for the outdoor season,” she said. “Spring tends to be a time for people to get back outside… everything’s bursting with life again.”

Barlow said hiking appeals to a wide demographic, especially post-pandemic, and the province’s network of trails makes it easy to start small and build confidence.

“There’s a long history of people just being connected to the outdoors… it’s part of our culture,” she said. “The pandemic kind of reintroduced the outdoors to a lot of people.”

To encourage people to explore more, Hike Nova Scotia offers a “hiker challenge badge” system that lets participants earn rewards for completing hikes across the province.

“It’s a great way to kick off your spring season,” Barlow said.

Campgrounds open—and quiet

In western Newfoundland, Alice Keeping’s campground has hosted visitors from around the world. But Victoria Day weekend at the Grand Codroy RV Campground isn’t a time for noise.

“We highly respect our people that are coming from the ferry and are tired… it’s really not a party place,” she said. Her family has run the site for 28 years, on land her father donated to the government in the 1960s.

The campground opens each year just before the long weekend, catering to travellers in search of quiet trails, ocean views and a communal firepit.

“We don’t do anything fancy… no swimming pools and things that some people are attracted to… just walking trails and sunsets,” she said. “One very, very unique thing we do… is that we provide free firewood. You know, there’s nothing better than a good campfire.”

Keeping said she’s noticed a shift in recent years—campers are arriving in smaller vehicles, using tents more often, and seeking a simpler experience.

“A lot of people now are resorting to, ‘let’s just put a tent in the car and go that way,’” she said.

Her guests aren’t looking for elaborate attractions. “People want to be near nature… we try to keep things as natural as possible.”

Patios, popcorn and party games

Back in Charlottetown, Discover Charlottetown is also gearing up for Victoria Day weekend, but the gear looks more like tents for food vendors than for campers.

“There was just opportunity missed to kind of push that summer launch… like that was really missing in Charlottetown,” said Hayley Cardiff, content and events manager of the tourism association.

This year, the organization moved its Street Feast to May 16 and 17 to coincide with the May long weekend, aligning with the reopening of patios downtown.

“We try to amp up the less busy seasons to help our hotels… that’s why we moved Street Feast to May,” Cardiff said.

The event features food, DJs, carnival games, and new additions like magician shows and trivia contests in partnership with local cinemas.

“I feel like summertime is when things take on a life of their own… there’s so much happening in the city,” she said.

Though not pitched as a nature experience, Street Feast mirrors the same desire that draws people to trails and campgrounds: to be outside, together, after a long winter.

Bryson Guptill, creator of the Island Walk in P.E.I., says Victoria Day weekend is a tradition for many Maritimers for the start of the camping season. (Photo by Judith Mendiolea)

Hayley Cardiff, events and content manager with Discover Charlottetown says Street Feast was moved to the May long weekend to help kick off the summer season downtown. (Photo by Judith Mendiolea)

Camilla Choi, a long-distance hiker based in P.E.I., says backpacking helps calm her anxiety and connects her to nature. She plans to spend Victoria Day weekend hiking with her sister in B.C. (Photo by Judith Mendiolea)

A camping tent at the Chignecto Campground in the Bay of Fundy National Park, N.B., in September 2024. (Photo by Judith Mendiolea)