Hemlock Ravine Park — Attraction in Halifax

First, note that there are several entrances to the park, the main entrance is at the end of Kent Avenue, off Bedford Highway, across from Princess Lodge (the round house). Park in the lot down the hill if your left, down the hill. If your GPS has lead you to Crozier Court, then you are in the wrong spot and can not access the park from Cabin Lake and Cabin Lake Trail.

The Ravines Park is a fantastic place to go for walks on well maintained and well marked trails. There are a variety of native trees, bushes and shrubs, as well as some old growth deep in the park on the dead end Ravine Trail. It is also a great place to walk your dogs, the Governor's Loop is an off leash area. There are numerous garbage bins to dump your dog poo, and dog poo bags at the entrance, so there is no excuse for not picking up after your pet. There are a few park benches in case you need to take a rest, or sit and enjoy the birds. You may see a variety of birds and small mammals, including deer. I have seen fix and a single coyote in the park, but have never felt threatened by the coyote.

There is no need to go off trail in the park, but if you are inclined to do so, ensure that you have a compass or GPS, as the woods, combined with ravines and bigs off the trail are barely passable, and some areas still have windfall up to 3 meters thick from a hurricane in 2003. I highly recommend this park to see what typical deep woods in Nova Scotia are like, without having to venture into...

Been a while since I have been here, but positively surprised that the parking lot is now paved and spots marked with lines. Before that, I always wondered what people were thinking when parking, as so much space was wasted. Very nice now, even designated motorcycle parking. No designated RV parking, and unless it is a Van, I do now recommend driving up here. Not much space to turn around when parking lot is full, and narrow road.

Lots of different hikes, for different needs. Short , or long by combining a few. Signage indicating which trail you are on and where you are, as well as when the dog leash area starts and stops.

Very quiet, and mostly gravel paths, very easy to walk. Lots of shade thanks to the trees, unless it’s a hot summer day, maybe bring a light sweater. Bring bug spray!

Benches with garbage bins spread out during the park.

No washrooms or stores nearby. People live along the road, and I have seen busy days where parking was full, and people just parked in front of people’s houses or drive ways....

It was over a year since I walked Hemlock Ravine Park. It was a beautiful sunny day in March and the trail is fairly sheltered from the wind. The parking lot holds about a dozen cars and I managed to snag the last space. The signage for the trails is new and shows the various routes to walk, as well as the distance of each. There is a designated ( specific hours) off leash dog trail, too. Unfortunately, dogs can't read, and their owners, don't seem to be able to either. Luckily, the dogs we encountered off leash were not interested in strangers. Afternoons are ON leash time, people! The heart shaped pond by the parking lot is a beautiful spot to relax, on one of several benches, either, before or after a relaxing walk through the woods. There are colour coded signs for the paths. Note- the trails are a combination of nature's ground covers as well as gravel to fit the gaps. Have a great walk! There are no toilet facilities...