25 Things to Do Outdoors This Summer in Halifax & HRM

Credit: Parks Canada Halifax

Halifax Regional Municipality is the most densely populated in Nova Scotia, and there are tons of outdoor places to explore. These places also have the benefit of being fairly close to cities or towns, so it’s easy to make an escape for nap time (or if you just want burgers). On top of that, several are close together, so you can hit a few of them in one day. Here is a list of 25 things to do outdoors this summer in and around Halifax.

Festivals: Nova Scotia Summer Festivals and Family Fun Festivals

Play at the Park

Point Pleasant Park is…well, it is a pleasant place to go, so the alliteration is accurate! The park has wide fields and thick forests, steep hills and flat terrain, memorials to the past and places to make memories in the present. And if you follow the trails beside the water, you just might see a seal or a porpoise poking their head out. Here’s a challenge: look for all the buildings in the park, including the brand-new ones and the ones that are falling apart. Bonus points if you visit the gazebo!
Cost: Free
Address: 5530 Point Pleasant Park Drive, Halifax
Phone: 902-490-4700
Website

Come Ride the BLT Trail

The Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea (BLT) Trail is one of my favourite rails-to-trails in all of Nova Scotia. Since it was once a railroad, the terrain is almost entirely flat, perfect for kids and biking. You’ll see different pretty scenery at every kilometre, and it crosses into towns regularly (convenient for trains), so you can plan to get off and on wherever it suits you. My personal recommendation is to make sure that your journey includes a stop at the Bike and Bean, which has soup, sandwiches, drinks, and pastries available in what was once a train station.
Cost: Free
Trail Map
Website

Hike into the Wild

Credit: The Bluff Wilderness Hiking Trail

The Bluff Wilderness Park can be accessed via the BLT trail, but if you want to start at the very beginning, you’ll need to park at 2890 Bay Road. The trail is really a series of four connected loops—Pot Lake Loop, Mi’kmaq Hill Loop, The Bluff Loop, and the Hay Marsh Loop. In total the trail is roughly 29 km, but each loop is at least 8.7 km on its own, with a 0.7 km walk from the parking lot to the trailhead to begin. The trails provide beautiful and challenging opportunities for backcountry hiking, and it’s recommended that you bring a cell phone and emergency supplies—make sure you know your limits for daylight, and hike accordingly.
Cost: Free
Address: 2890 Bay Road for the parking lot
Website

Biking by the Lakes

Another rails-to-trails location, the Chain of Lakes trail actually connects to the BLT Trail at the end. It’s the longest fully paved trail in the whole HRM, so it’s perfect for biking and rollerblading. It follows the Chain Lakes and has several stopping points with benches. It’s 7.3 km long if you want to do the whole trail, but there’s also plenty of places to pull off if you’ve had your fill of biking for the day (perfect if you’ve got a group with varying ages and biking abilities.
Cost: Free
Address (several trailheads)
Website

Have a Sweet Day at the Lake

As a child, I was very disappointed by my first visit to Chocolate Lake Beach; it’s not chocolate, it’s just regular water! I got over it quickly though because Chocolate Lake is a wonderful place to go swimming. It’s man-made and gets its name from the former chocolate factory on-site, it’s close to central HRM, and there are tennis courts right next to the beach, so if it’s too cold to swim you can just hang out at the beach or hit a ball around. Bring your own chocolate and find out exactly why this beach is so popular.
Cost: Free
Address: 14 Purcells Cove Road, Halifax
Website

It’s Crystal Clear that this Beach is Beautiful

Credit: Nova Scotia Provincial Parks

I went to Crystal Crescent Beach last week with my parents, and I was reminded of exactly how beautiful this area is. Crystal Crescent is home to three white sand beaches, with a boardwalk connecting the first two and a backdrop of a lake and lush green foliage stretching over the hills. The water can be chilly, but it’s perfect if you just want a day at the beach with no swimming required. There’s also a bigger trail past the boardwalk that takes you out to Pennant Point: it’s 10 km long one way and requires hiking experience and navigation aids are recommended.
Cost: Free
Address: 223 Sambro Creek Road, Sambro Creek
Website

Walk with Frogs

Frog Pond is a great place to go for a walk in any season, but summer brings out the frogs, so that’s the best time to get the full effect. It’s a loop trail around the pond that’s about 1.4 km long, and takes roughly 30 minutes to complete. It’s pretty and easy, and you’re sure to see waterfowl and other birds along with the titular frogs. It also connects to the Sir Sandford Fleming Park trails (see below) if you want more of a walk.
Cost: Free
Address: Purcell’s Cove Road, Halifax
Website

Golf in the Glen

Hammonds Plains is an unsung beautiful part of the HRM, not least because of the Glen Arbour Golf Course. Their courses are appropriate for golfers of all experience level, whether you follow the 18-hole course, the 9 hole executive course, or you’re just using their practice facilities. The scenery is gorgeous, and my dad says that it’s his favourite place to golf in the HRM, so you’ve got one golfer’s word for it! Come golf by the lake and spend a day on Glen’s greens!
Cost
Address: 40 Clubhouse Lane, Hammonds Plains
Phone: 902-835-4653
Website

Find Something in Common

Ah, the Commons—or the Halifax Common if you want to get technical, but I’ve never heard anyone call it that in conversation. It’s technically two large green areas right across the street from each other, and honestly the list of what you can’t do there would be shorter. Here’s a small sampling of available facilities: soft-ball fields, soccer field, playground, skate park, the Oval (paved in summer for biking/rollerblading, iced in the winter for skating), walking and biking paths, and plenty of undesignated green spaces to picnic, play Frisbee, or just sit with ice cream and people watch.
Cost: Free
Address: 5816 Cogswell Street, Halifax
Website

Walk the Halifax Waterfront

The Halifax Waterfront has a hundred different moods, and all of them are worth exploring. The boardwalk stretches a total of 3.8 km and there are shops, food huts, performers, and play spaces all along the way. From busy summer days where the splash pad is on and there’s lots of places to get ice cream, to days when the fog is so thick Dartmouth disappears across the way and everything feels just a bit spooky, you’ll make memories at the Waterfront.
Cost: Free
Address: Lower Water Street, Halifax
Details

Stop and See the Flowers

Do you love to garden? Do you hate gardening but love looking at flowers? Wherever you fall on that spectrum, you must check out Harbour Breezes Daylilies. They grow over 750 varieties of daylilies (which in technical terms is so many), and they have even created their own hybrids. They also grow irises, so the gardens contain multiple examples of floral beauty. You can come and buy flowers, or just come to walk in the gardens—either way, this is an amazing place to let beauty into your life.
Address: 10099 Highway #7, Salmon River Bridge, Jeddore
Website

Hike the Ravine

This is one of the few parks that actually has a bus route named after it (route 91 at the time of writing this). It’s a park that resists easy classification, because there are parts of it where the trails are flat and picnic tables abound, and then there are parts (especially in the ravine) that require extensive hiking experience. Whatever suits your plans, make sure you explore the park, especially the pond, which was shaped into a heart in 1869, just two years after Confederation.
Cost: Free
Address: 40 Kent Avenue, Halifax
Website

Sun and Surf

If you love to swim, love to walk on the beach, or love to surf, head for Lawrencetown Beach. Only 19km away from Dartmouth, Lawrencetown has boardwalks and showers to help you keep sand out of your car. If you’ve never surfed in the area before, or never surfed before at all, there are lessons available that include board rentals. If you’re done with the beach, check out the trail, that’s part of the Cole Harbour-Lawrencetown Coastal Heritage Park System.
Cost: Free
Address: 4348 Lawrencetown Road, East Lawrencetown
Website

Lots of Fun at Long Lake

Fifteen minutes from downtown Halifax, you’ll find Long Lake Wildlife Park. It’s a huge park with streams, rivers, rugged wilderness, and of course the lake. You can do pretty much any outdoor activity you can imagine here, from kayaking to birdwatching to backwoods hiking, all so close to Halifax you’d beat a pizza delivery back to wherever you’re staying. Make sure you’ve got sunscreen, snacks, something to take pictures, and navigational aids if you want to go into the wilderness, and you’re good to go!
Cost: Free
Address: Intersection of Cowie Hill Road and Dunbrack Street, Spryfield
Website

Explore the Island

When you’re standing on the Waterfront facing Dartmouth, look to your right. That dark blur on the horizon is McNabs Island. You can camp on the island if you want, or you can take one of the tours that shows you the history of the place, both natural and supernatural (there are a few ghost stories). With an incredible diversity of bird species for the size of the island and plenty of places to explore, McNabs is the place to go if you want a taste of wild island life.
Cost: several options depending on how you want to get there. Rates are between 20-30$.
Address: McNabs Island, Halifax Harbour
Phone: 902-434-2254
Website

Stroll in the Gardens

Credit: Dennis Jarvis/Flickr

If you’re looking for a quieter place to take the kids, or a romantic place to walk, the Public Gardens is a great option. Right on the edge of downtown, this garden was created in the traditional Victorian garden model. There are lots of ducks, a variety of flowers, a gazebo(!), and lots of beautiful trees, some of which survived Hurricane Juan in 2003. There are lots of benches in the shade and the sun, so you can rest, smell the flowers, and watch the birds enjoy the park as much as you.
Cost: Free
Address: Corner of Spring Garden and South Park
Website

Queen’s Beach

Queensland Beach Provincial Park is in the southernmost part of the HRM County, so it makes sense that it’s known for being popular on hot days. It’s a huge sandy beach and well known to both locals and tourists. While the water isn’t always warm, the sand and sun make up for it. With no rips or currents, it’s one of the safer beaches in the province, especially in the summer when it’s supervised, so get up early and find a great spot to enjoy a day at Queensland Beach.
Cost: Free
Address: 9600 Highway 3, Queensland
Website

Follow the Rainbow to the Beach

Rainbow Haven has lots to recommend it as a beach, not least because it’s close to Halifax (and even closer to Cole Harbour if that’s where you’re staying). It’s a big beach with great swimming and decent waves. You’ll find some nice beach walking opportunities, and kite flying is encouraged (just watch where you’re walking!). Follow lifeguards’ instructions to stay out of the way of the currents, bring some beach chairs, and settle in for a family day at the beach.
Cost: Free
Address: 2249 Cow Bay Road, Cow Bay
Wefflemisite

Go to the Lake Park

Sackville is technically three areas: Lower Sackville, Middle Sackville, and Upper Sackville. It’s a lovely area, and the highlight is definitely the Sackville Lakes Provincial Park. It’s a smaller park, with two trails that go around First and Second Lakes. The park is wheelchair accessible, and so are both the main trails, so it’s a great lakeside destination for any group, including ones with mobility issues.
Cost: Free
Address: 440 First Lake Drive, Lower Sackville
Website

Watch Birds in the Marsh

Credit: Hike Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is famous worldwide for many things, from golf courses to beaches to getaway destinations. But Salt Marsh Trail is known across Canada and in the United States as a tremendous place to see birds. Over the year you’ll find over two hundred different bird species in the area, from common to rare. It’s a lovely trail through the salt marsh for 4km each way, but if you’re an avid birdwatcher, you’ve got to check out Salt Marsh Trail.
Cost: Free
Address: 806 Bissett Road, Cole Harbour
Phone: 902-435-3952
Website

Swim in Sandy Lake

It’s important to highlight swimming opportunities in Nova Scotia that don’t involve the ocean, because our lakes are awesome too! Sandy Lake Park is home to a beautiful sandy beach that’s supervised all summer. There’s also a beach volleyball court, picnic tables, and some lovely trails, both well-tended and wilder. If you want a cheerful and fun day at the lake, come to Sandy Lake Park!
Cost: Free
Address: 1110 Smiths Road, Bedford
Phone: 902-490-4000
Website

Find the New Wilderness

Shaw Wilderness Park is the bouncing baby of nature spaces in the HRM. Finalized in the winter of 2020, the park contains both popular and new places to explore the wilderness. With Williams Lake, Colpitt Lake, granite barrens, and thick forests creating wilderness trail opportunities, there’s more to do than you could ever do in one trip. Bring supplies for whatever adventure catches your fancy, and head into the wilderness.
Cost: Free
Address: Oceanview Drive, Purcell’s Cove
Website

Spend Time at Shubie

Shubie Park is almost like a gateway to several other nature destinations in the HRM and beyond. The Shubenacadie Canal leads between Lake Micmac and Lake Charles, it connects to the off-leash dog park, and some of the trails in the park connect to the Great Trail, what was once called the Trans-Canada trail. No need to head for Vancouver though; with lots of trails, canoe and kayak rentals, fishing, and camping, there’s lots to do in the park! Spend a day in Dartmouth and enjoy all that Shubie Park has to offer—although it might take a couple of days for that, so bring a tent!
Cost: Free
Address: 54 Locks Road, Dartmouth
Phone: 902-462-1826
Website

Sail on the Silva (19+)

Credit: Tall Ship Silva

The Silva is a beautiful Tall Ship, and she’s got lots of options for those who climb aboard. You can go for an afternoon cruise and learn about local history, or you can go on either the Wines on the Water or the Craft Beer Cruise to taste local beverages. They’ve also got a special tour on Thursday nights called New Scotland Brews Cruise, which combines local music with local brews. It’s a great sailing experience no matter what tour you take. Pro tip: if you’re at all worried about getting seasick, just take some Ginger Gravol so you stay wide awake and nausea-free.
Cost: Depends on tour
Address: Halifax Waterfront, Sackville Wharf, 1655 Lower Water Street Halifax
Phone: 902-420-1015
Website

Visit the Park by the Arm

Sir Sandford Fleming Park is a great place to see the Northwest Arm. It’s got a playground right by the water, a small beach that’s good for finding sea glass, a short walking trail that connects to Frog Pond (see above). There’s also the Dingle Tower, which is a beautiful tower that you can climb. It’s not for people who are afraid of heights, but the view is incredible and there are usually birds’ nests outside of the windows, so you might see baby birds too!
Cost: Free
Address: 260 Dingle Road, Halifax
Website

By: Adrienne Colborne