Musquodoboit Trailway

Musquodoboit Trailway is a non-motorized rail-trail spine in Nova Scotia that gives you a long, easy walking/cycling corridor plus branches into backcountry wilderness loops. The main rail section is described as about 15 km and functions as the anchor for multiple wilderness hiking loops totaling around 26 km of additional trail.

For the rail-trail portion, expect a flat, crusher-dust surface on the former rail bed, used for walking and also for winter travel such as snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. This makes it the straightforward day segment: hike out and back, or use it to access the off-rail loops at the trailhead connections.

The backcountry loops are the more rugged half of the system, routed along granite ridges and through wilderness areas branching off from the main rail corridor. These are intended for experienced hikers compared with the rail-trail spine, with loop options including Admiral Lake Loop and (from the system) Gibraltar Rock Loop.

Facilities are clustered along the main trail: picnic shelters and benches are available, and volunteer-maintained pit toilets are located at specific km markers on the main corridor. No toilets are provided on the wilderness trails.

Camping and open fires are not permitted anywhere on the Rail Trail or on the wilderness trails, so plan day use only and pack everything out. During hunting season, wearing orange is recommended when you’re in the wilderness areas.

If you’re planning a longer day, treat the route as a network rather than a single point-to-point hike: combine the main rail segment with one or more backcountry loops branching off along the corridor. Total system hiking distance is on the order of 41+ km depending on which loops you include, with the hiking distance figure given as roughly 14–15 km for the main railway segment.

More information: Official website, Wikipedia, Musquodoboit Trailway Guide: Rail-Trail & Wilderness Ridges