Hemlock Ravine Park is a great spot for a walk or a hike on a busy day if you are central to Halifax. It’s a place you can pop into on a break between errands or while en route from one commitment to the next on a busy weekend. We’ve done so more than once.
Spend as little or as much time as you want here. With a system of interconnecting pathways, you can walk one loop in less than 20 minutes or spend two hours exploring and playing around. The main path from the parking lot is very central, so you’ll find yourself back on it frequently as you make your way around. If you need to take off, it’s quick to get back to your car.
You don’t need to be too well prepared, either. Stroll around in your Sunday best, plan to pick up your pace for a brisk hike or be ready for a jog. It’s a great location for families of all ages. The crushed gravel paths make up a simple and smooth terrain, suitable for strollers and wheelchair accessibility, although it’s important to note there are lots of hills. Another bonus is this park is on a transit route (check out the schedule for Route 91 Hemlock Ravine).
These trails are also great for enjoying a coffee you’ve grabbed on the way. We brought our trusty bag of trail mix to tide the kids over, even though our hiking adventure was nestled neatly between lunch and dinner. I also threw some Starburst candies in my bag as a treat, knowing the kids were cantankerous after a late night the night before. I left some apples in the car for the drive home. No one could complain about being hungry, and by some miracle, no one did.
Getting started
Hemlock Ravine Park is located at 40 Kent Drive, a steep hill leading from the Bedford Highway. There’s a parking lot for around 20 cars and some overflow residential street parking.
First, you’ll take in the charming heart-shaped pond, originally built by Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, and later reshaped into a heart by his grandson, Prince Arthur, in 1869. The kids had fun watching the playful ducks for a while. Beyond the pond you’ll find a network of trails and loops spanning two acres of forest.
The trails are dog-friendly, with a couple of off-leash sections. There are no washroom facilities. There are garbage cans along the way as well as dog bag dispensers.
On our most recent sunny Sunday afternoon hike, the park was busy, as I can imagine it is most weekends. Families getting photos taken, kids on bikes, lots of dogs. While it’s certainly busier on the entrance of the main path, with people flowing in and out, it’s still easy to distance on the wide trails. It doesn’t take long to branch off into your own space, either. From there, we passed the occasional jogger, couple, or family with a friendly wave, and enough distance between us.
Our favourite section of Hemlock Ravine park is one we recently started exploring, the Ravine Trail. This way feels a bit off the beaten path (and is not stroller-friendly or wheelchair accessible) as most others tend to stick to the loops.
We have fun making our way down the sloped embankment, over tree roots, feeling smaller as we go, surrounded by the old growth forest and large hemlocks.
It’s a one way in and out trail, alongside a stream, unless like us you scramble through the forest up out of the ravine itself and back to a main trail. There’s so much opportunity for kids to stop, play, and use their imagination in the forest along the way, climbing over mossy rocks and downed tree trunks.
This lovely piece of nature tucked along the edge of the city is a peaceful, calm, and welcome break on a busy weekend.
Heather Fegan is a freelance journalist, content creator, and blogger in Halifax, N.S. She loves exploring the great outdoors with her family. Follow more of her chronicles at www.heatherfegan.ca
