Musquodoboit Trailways
While this is a popular trail system, I do think this might be one of the most underrated hiking areas in Nova Scotia.
Between the Rails to Trails and rugged paths that wind up and down the neighboring granite ridge, this system has over 40km of trails to explore.
Here’s a glimpse into the Musquodoboit Trailway!
Finding the Trail
There are two access points. The southern trailhead is in Musquodoboit Harbour. Turn onto Highway 357 and then right onto Park Road. The parking lot will be on your left.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/FFd3pfYj7Q6V2kK57?g_st=ac
The North Trailhead is a 15 minute drive past The South Trailhead. Make the same turn onto Highway 357 and continue straight for 16km. The parking lot will be on your right.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/PfxcFmFzwwrZLAtJ7?g_st=ac
The Hike
There are two sections of this system: The North Granite Ridge and the South Granite Ridge. Within each you’ll find shorter hikes that can be done on their own or linked together, so there’s a length and difficulty for everyone. For today though, we will focus on a popular hike from each section.
One of the most popular hikes on the South Granite Ridge is the Admiral Lake Loop. For this hike, follow the Rails to Trails for 1.7km, and then turn right onto the Admiral Lake Trail.
Within the first 3.5km, you’ll tackle most of the elevation gain and hit 2 beautiful lookoffs, Rolling Rock and Harbour Lookoff.
Another 1.5km past that, you’ll reach the Admiral Lake Lookoff. This marks the halfway point, so it’s a great place for a lunch break. From there, the trail gradually works its way past Eunice Lake back down to the Rails to Trails.
On the North Granite Ridge, a shorter popular hike is the Gibraltar Rock Loop.
From the parking lot, take a left almost immediately. After a short but steep climb, you’ll be on top of the Rock with a great view of the Musquodoboit River.
Past the lookoff, it’s a short 1km through a beautiful Acadian Forest until you reach an intersection. Go right to descend to the Rails to Trails.
These are just two examples of adventures you can have on this trail system. There’s countless lookoffs and places to explore, so go create your own adventure. You can also do what we did and hike all 40km at once!
