There are countless trails criss-crossing HRM. Some are informal footpaths used for generations for hunting and fishing, others are on old rail beds taken over and managed by community groups, others are in public parks. There are even water trails along the coast.
HRM's emerging Regional Trail System reflects the widest possible range of experiences associated with our diverse natural history landscapes. The system features challenging wilderness trails with a guaranteed high degree of environmental and ecological integrity, multi-use, shared trails which link communities and offer visitors a unique glimpse of our cultural/living history, coastal trails which traverse beaches, truncated headlands and estuaries and offer outstanding vistas, and urban greenways which offer that unique opportunity for overnight visitors to exercise in a pleasant natural setting.
Admirals Park About the Site: Caution: Although this is not a big park, it is easy to get lost. Keep checking for the paint on the trees, old blazes, and the occasional flagging tape. On the way down from Eagle Rock, the trail markers disappear at times and you have to look behind you regularly at the white markers to make sure you are still on the trail. It can be confusing because there is so little undergrowth that the trail is not always obvious. There are no guard rails at the edges of the cliffs. Use your common sense. Natural Features: Admirals Park is on the quartzite ridge that borders the Basin and is littered with quartzite boulders and exposed cliffs. There is very little soil and hikers have quickly exposed the tree roots and rocks under the thin layer of needles on the paths. The forest contains several large white pines that would take two, or sometimes three, people to reach around. The rest of the trees are mainly middle-aged red spruce, pine, and some hemlock. At the start of the trail to Admiral Rock, off Shore Drive, look for the three conifers that grow in this park. On the left is a small red spruce and on the right a small white pine and young hemlock grow side by side. Notice the differences between the needles, bark and cones on the three species. Blueberry, kalmia, and huckleberry shrubs grow on the edges of outcrops and where gaps in the tree tops provide some light. From the look-offs notice how the Basin narrows under the bridge. Thousands of years ago the basin was plucked out by glaciers on their way across HRM. It became a lake fed by the Sackville River whose channel cuts across the bottom of the Halifax Harbour. As sea level rose both the lake and river were later drowned to become the deep water port of today. Getting There: Coming from Halifax on the Bedford Highway turn right onto Fish Hatchery Lane just past the railway station. Go under the CN bridge towards the basin and turn left onto Shore Drive. Continue past the cove to Admiral Cove Road on the left. Just past where this road turns into Eaglewood Drive turn right onto Snowy Owl. Turn at the second right onto a short dead end where a sign marks the beginning of the trail. Alternately, if arriving from Dartmouth on highway 7, (Dartmouth Rd.) turn left onto Eaglewood Drive and proceed to Snowy Owl. More Info: Did You Know?: Bald Eagles are large birds of prey easily identified by the white head of the mature adult. They perch near lakes, river estuaries, and the seacoast. Here they catch fish and sometimes water birds. They are scavengers and eat dead or dying animals.
