The Musquodoboit Trailway is a multiuse rail trail located in
Halifax County, Nova Scotia, running the distance from Gibralter to
Musquodoboit Harbour. The entire route is part of the Halifax spur of
The Great Trail
The Trans Canada Trail is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic oceans. The trail extends over ; it is now the longest recreational, multi-use trail network in t ...
, and follows
Nova Scotia Route 357
Route 357 is a collector road in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the Halifax Regional Municipality and connects Musquodoboit Harbour at Trunk 7 with Middle Musquodoboit at Route 224.
It closely follows the Musquodoboi ...
for its length.
History
The railbed that the trail uses was originally built by the
Intercolonial Railway
The Intercolonial Railway of Canada , also referred to as the Intercolonial Railway (ICR), was a historic Canada, Canadian railway that operated from 1872 to 1918, when it became part of Canadian National Railways. As the railway was also compl ...
just prior to
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and absorbed into
Canadian National
The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue an ...
when the Government of Canada created it. The rails originally ran from
Dartmouth to
Upper Musquodoboit, hauling timber, gravel, and agricultural goods, as well as passengers. An extension to
Guysborough was planned, but never materialized.
Route
The trailway begins at the Musquodoboit Harbour Railway Museum, but it mostly considered starting at Park Road, a few hundred meters north of
Nova Scotia Trunk 7
Nova Scotia Trunk 7 is part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia's system of Trunk Highways. The route runs from Bedford to Antigonish, along the Eastern Shore for a distance of . Part of Trunk 7 is known as the Marine Drive.
Route descrip ...
in Musquodoboit Harbour, and almost immediately crosses the Trestle Bridge, a steel
truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
over the
Musquodoboit River
The Musquodoboit River is a Canadian river located in central Nova Scotia in the northeastern part of Halifax Regional Municipality. The river is approximately in length with roughly being traversable by paddle. It has a watershed area of
The ...
, offering a view of its extensive and largely undeveloped flood plains. Soon thereafter, the old Bayer Mill Road is passed on the left, and to the right, tall granite cliffs of the Eastern Shore Granite Ridge become visible, some reaching up to in height. Aptly named Little Lake is passed around the 1 km mark, and a turnoff to the Admiral Lake Trail is present at .
For about a kilometer, the trailway is squeezed between steep granite cliffs of the Eastern Shore Granite Ridge on the eastern side and Bayer Lake to the left. An intersection to the Bayer Lake Loop Trail (which goes along the top of the cliffs) is present at , and a few hundred meters beyond that lies the first picnic table.
Beyond the picnic table lie the Turtle Cove bridge, a wooden trestle bridge, and another trailhead for the Admiral Lake Loop, as well as the South Granite Ridge Trail. From this point onwards the trail passes mainly through the rich lower Musquodoboit Valley, sometimes approaching the granite cliffs to the east, sometimes with glimpses of the river to the west. At around the halfway point is Norma's Place, a picnic shelter, and a connection to the North and South Granite Ridge Trails.
The trail continues over Kelly's Meadow Bridge and through the valley until coming to another picnic table at . Here it enters thicker forest, and the last run right next to Highway 357 and a steep granite embankment. A trailhead to Gibralter Rock Loop and the North Granite Ridge trail is present at .
Spur rails
Aside from the main trail, the Musquodoboit Trailways association maintains several trails that go up into the
Eastern Shore Granite Ridge to the east of the main trail. These trails are for hiking only narrow, rugged, and have steep grades.
Skull Rock
This is a lookout off of a side trail known as Admiral Lake Loop Trail. The lookout is set on a mountain that resembles a skull. The lookout has a picnic spot. A women fell off of the rock in the late 2010s.
References
{{Canadian Trails
Hiking trails in Nova Scotia