Fall Hikes in Nova Scotia

Get outdoors to experience incredible hiking (and biking on some trails), soak in scenic views, and check out the fall colours across Nova Scotia this autumn.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Trail-hop your way through Cape Breton Highlands National Park, home to 26 hiking trails, with trailheads dotted around the world-famous Cabot Trail. Ranging from quick thirty-minute strolls to challenging hikes, each trail offers up its own unique scenic beauty. From rugged coastal views to valleys of fall colours below to serene, wooded trails leading to impressive waterfalls, your efforts will be rewarded with spectacular scenery.

Kejimkujik National Park & National Historic Site

Head inland to Keji to explore the 12 front country trails at the park. These easy to moderate trails offer peaceful hikes through woods, along waterways, past 300-year-old Hemlock trees, and under canopies of bright fall colours.

Plan to stay overnight in an oTENTik, rustic cabin, yurt or a unique Ôasis accommodation, positioned amongst the trees.

Victoria Park, Truro

Explore more than 75 kilometres of multi-use trails located in this 3,000-hectare park. This trail system features natural gorges, 360-million-year-old geologic formations, waterfalls, and an old growth forest. Challenge yourself on Jacob’s Ladder, climbing the 175 steps to the top. Pack a picnic to round out your day here.

Castle Rock Trail, Chester

Follow this trail, an off shoot of the Chester Connection section of the Rum Runners Trail, to Castle Rock. Offering up views of a colourful carpet of trees below and the ocean in the distance, this approximately 9-kilometre hike is easy to navigate with three different levels of trail difficulty to choose from. Located just 10 minutes outside the picturesque village of Chester on the South Shore.

Castle Rock Trail | Photo: A for Adventure/Municipality of Chester

Celtic Shores Coastal Trail

With multiple trail heads along the Cape Breton coast from Port Hastings to Inverness, this 92-kilometre multi-use trail was once a railbed, making for a smooth, hard-packed trail. In addition to coastal views and fall colours, this trail connects multiple communities along the route. Explore Judique, Mabou, Port Hood, and Inverness as you adventure along this seaside trail.

Rum Runners Trail

Extending for 119-kilometres from Halifax to Lunenburg, this flat, multi-use trail combines charming seaside communities with spectacular fall colours. Whether you’re taking a multi-day adventure or out for an afternoon stroll, stop to explore the communities of Hubbards, Chester, Mahone Bay and Lunenburg along the way.

Shubie Park

Located in the heart of Dartmouth, just across the harbour from downtown Halifax, Shubie Park is a 16-acre urban park and perfect for a fall hike. Nine kilometres of wooded trails offer up a canopy of colours during the fall. Bring your four-legged friend for some fun in the off-leash areas and check out the interpretive displays at the Fairbanks Centre, including a model of canal locks from the Shubenacadie Canal.

Keppoch Mountain

This former alpine ski hill has been made over into a four-season adventure facility. With more than 30-kilometres of mountain biking trails, bikers will love exploring here, but hikers can also access a series of multi-use trails to take in the fall colours. The popular 5-kilometre Summit Loop leads to stunning views of the Northumberland Strait and the Keppoch-Beaver Mountain region, made even more picturesque by the colourful autumn leaves.

Ski Wentworth

While best known for skiing, visitors can also hike up and down the ski slopes at Wentworth any time of year. If a one-way hike down the mountain is more your style, visit during the Fall Festival of Colours. For four weekends during late September to mid-October, you can hitch a ride up the mountain on a chair lift, take in the fall colours laid out below throughout the Wentworth Valley and then hike back down.

Cape Split Provincial Park

Hiking Cape Split in the fall offers stunning views of the vibrant autumn foliage against the dramatic cliffs and the Bay of Fundy. The 13-kilometre round trip trail is well-marked and moderately challenging, making it accessible for most hikers. As you reach the cliff edges, the cool breeze and breathtaking scenery create an unforgettable experience.