Photos of a Visit to Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse (Canada’s Historic Gem)

Posted in Canada

We drove out to Peggy’s Cove to see the lighthouse on a beautiful summer afternoon in August. The sky was clear, the sun was getting lower in the sky and I was eager to see one of the most famous photography spots in all of Canada.

I wasn’t let down, either. The Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse is set on smooth rocks at the foot of the Atlantic Ocean, and it’s no wonder thousands of tourists come here every year.

There are lots of ways to take photos of this lighthouse: from up close, from far away and even from a boat in the water. Whichever way you choose, you won’t be disappointed, because a visit to Peggy’s Cove is a beautiful experience that will get wind in your hair and new photos in your camera roll.

Here’s what it is like to visit Peggy’s Cove, through my photography that day.

The lighthouse

Some sources say that this Nova Scotian lighthouse itself is “not special.” Rather, it’s the rocky setting and the natural inlet on the Nova Scotian coast that make Peggy’s Cove surreal, like a movie set or a picture-perfect postcard.

I tend to agree with the latter. The lighthouse is pretty flawlessly located on coastal rock formations and doesn’t have any type of manmade imperfection in the landscape if you snap a photo of the lighthouse alone, with the water as a backdrop.

The rocks

The rocks on top of which Peggy’s Lighthouse is built are smooth and sloping, with cracks and fissures. The lighthouse visitor walkways are built so that no one has to dangerously walk on the rocks themselves, yet they’ll always be in your photos.

I learned after my visit that local Canadians are very particular about avoiding climbing on the rocks, and suggesting that everyone take note. They can be slippery, and therefore dangerous, so visitors should stay away from recklessly walking on them.

The village

If you have a full day, I recommend sticking around the Peggy’s Cove village to have a bite, or see some art. Sure, the village’s biggest population to serve is tourists, but that is the fun of it! You’ll see in every guidebook that Peggy’s Cove is one of the best day trips to take from Halifax.

I read before I visited that there are so few full-time residents at Peggy’s Cove that you could count them on four hands or so.

How to get great photos at Peggy’s Cove

If you do what we did, wing it! The best times of day to go will be closer to sunrise and sunset. If you’re lucky, you may catch gorgeous clouds in the sky that create a dramatic scene.

If not, no worries, especially if your day trip brings you to Peggy’s Cove at a specific hour. As I mention in our Lunenburg photo gallery, our plans got delayed, and our day started out later than planned. This worked to our advantage for the Peggy’s Cove visit, as we were there toward 4 and 5pm, so that was ideal (we also had to drive back to Halifax, to our hotel, afterward).

If you plan to visit Halifax, be sure to bookmark our Halifax travel guide and our Halifax photo gallery.