This past summer I spent about nine weeks in Nova Scotia. For those of you not from Canada, Nova Scotia is a province on the eastern coast of Canada, and it’s the province I like to call my second home. Nova Scotia is known as Canada’s “ocean playground”and yes, it really is! I had a blast exploring a variety of trails during my time there. Planning a trip? Check out my top picks below!
The Ovens Natural Park.
The Ovens Natural Park is a spot I have been going to since I was a kid. It’s a pretty common camping spot for Nova Scotians. Located on the eastern shore, it’s an wonderful spot to spend the day. There’s a beach, lots of open space for kids to play and a pretty sweet loop hike you can do that takes about 40 minutes if you’re hiking leisurely and stopping to take photos. We spent an afternoon there checking out cliffs, caves and views of the Atlantic. I hadn’t been in more than 10 years, so it was nice to go back as an adult!
CastleRock Trail.
I was pleasantly surprised by this hike, it was actually quite challenging to get up to the look off point and trust me, the view was well worth it! And if you’re not up for as much of a challenge, there are modified routes you can take. This hike definitely took a bit longer to complete as the walk to the cliffs edge took about an hour, and then the climb up was another 30 minutes. We stopped for lunch at the top and then hiked down, making it about a 4 hour long journey in total!
High Head Trail.
High Head Trail was a stunning spot to spend an afternoon. An old friend of mine and I ventured out one day and spent hours walking along the rocky shoreline. Something I love about Nova Scotia is that you can get so close to the ocean without seeing another human, truly tranquil. This hike can be done a variety of ways, there isn’t really a loop so you can either turn around whenever you’ve had enough of going in one direction, or you can find a trail that’ll take you back out to the road and you then walk along the road to get back to your car. We got a little lost and ended up trekking through some brutally sharp bushes… It was a bit uncomfortable, but definitely made for a good laugh!
St. Margaret’s Bay Rails To Trails.
I spent a lot of my time on this trail as I was living in my solo oceanside apartment in Hubbards Village. I was there for 3 weeks, so I got pretty familiar with this trail! It was a great spot to run as the ground is well maintained and you can go in a variety of directions along the route so there’s always something to do uncover. It was such a pretty spot and has quite a bit of history!
Duncan’s Cove.
Duncan’s is a Nova Scotia classic. Located about half an hour outside of Halifax down the coast, it’s a really nice spot to spend an hour or two. You can hike as far down the coast line as you want, or just pop in and sit on the rocks for a while. Another gem to get away from the hustle of the city and clear your mind. (Hustle in Nova Scotia is a very different concept than it is in Toronto, but still nice to do!)
