Halifax North West Trails Association

Announcement Alert Maskwa Parking Lot is open and can be used, please respect the lot and leave no trace

Our January newsletter is out and you can stay tuned on our socials to share some of the main points we outlined - it’s a great time to head over to our website and become a member

Need goals for the new year? Be inspired by our goal ideas Leave your goals in the comments below

January trails may have some ice and snow so please stay safe and warm on your adventures

wishing our followers a safe and happy holiday season

Wondering where to find snowshoes? Check out our Where to Borrow, Rent or Buy Snowshoes guide online. It includes over 65 listings, including more than 40 venues where you can borrow them for free. http://ow.ly/cQRq50D3YKJ #Snowshoes #BorrowRentBuy #HikeNS #LinkInBio

We want to hear from our members and trail users! What kind of content would you like to see on our social media pages? Maybe you want to see more wildlife photography? More hiking information and tips? Let us know what you would like to see so we can work together for a great 2021!

@atlanticducks cleaning up at Little Belchers, over 300 pounds collected in 100m. We are thankful for this cleanup effort and want to take the time to send a friendly reminder to trail users and 102 highway drivers to please put trash where it belongs and leave no trace

Make Your Move and Recreation Nova Scotia are hosting an amazing photo/video challenge to promote staying active and enjoying Nova Scotia including "FIVE challenges this winter, and FIVE awesome prizes!" We want to share this with our trail users and encourage you to participate in the contest AND tag us / share with us any photos or videos you take on our trails. Use this link for more details! https://www.recreationns.ns.ca/take-the-roof-off-winter.html

such a heartwarming event, with 40 participants and 17 volunteers! Some of our participants shared their thoughts: This is a lot more fun than being home ... this is awesome making all the feeders was fun #TDParkPeople #TDReadyCommitment

Hey! Don’t forget we have an event this weekend! Check our events to register

Don’t forget to checkout our bird feeder events! Use the event to get tickets

TRAIL USERS WE NEED YOUR HELP! PLEASE SHARE I lost my car key while hiking at Hemlock Ravine Park at 4-5:20pm Friday Nov 13th. It’s a black car key with a red lion king tag on it. PLEASE, if anyone has any information please DM

Interested in the iNaturalist app that allows people to document, record, and learn about nature around them? Check out the Wildlife Speaker Series on November 19th using the link below!

Winter Tree for the Birds at Mainland Common Loop #TDParkPeople #TDReadyCommitment

Good morning everyone, Our Winter for the Birds event is now FULL. We are looking forward to seeing you all there. Remember to bring a mask!... Safety and distancing will be our top priority

REMINDER! CHECK OUR EVENT TAB TO REGISTER FOR OUR EVENT ON SUNDAY!REMINDER! CHECK OUR EVENT TAB TO REGISTER FOR OUR EVENT ON SUNDAY!

Seems really interesting! Something to check out for sure :)

What an amazing video by our Jr Trail Monitor! Thank you for sharing this video with us, and for your hard work on the trails! We really couldn't keep our trails beautiful without your help.

Our new Trail Map Sign at the Canada Games Centre!! :) Thanks to volunteer Maureen Manuge for taking the photos!

Thank you to everyone who submitted photos! It was awesome to see so many different perspectives of our trails! Thank you to @ParkPeopleCA and @TDCanada (https://parkpeople.ca/parkgrants) for supporting this new event :) We had over 130 photo entries! Our three fabulous volunteer judges sure had their work cut out for them trying to find the best images! Participants were so excited to take part in an event during these strange times. It was so fun to receive all your photos! #TDParkPeople #HNWTAPhotoContest #TDReadyCommitment

Annual General Meeting Tonight at 7 pm via Google Meet The Meeting will be hosted with Google Meet at this link: https://meet.google.com/shu-mgqd-znc ... The meeting materials are available in this shared Google Drive: folder: https://drive.google.com//15lvVS9Sbh9OcAi8COn7-cU5lyFLCzfl Alternatively they will be available during the meeting.

Check out the Halifax Recreation Summer Programs! Enjoy all that this summer has to offer! :) Info: https://www.halifax.ca//01198_P%26amp%3BR_OutdoorSummerPto Schedule: https://www.halifax.ca//01198_P%26amp%3BR_OutdoorProgramsS

Great clean up weekend at Belchers Marsh and the Mainland Common Loop! Thanks to everyone who came out to help keep our neighbourhood clean! :)

It's a beautiful day to pick up some litter on the trails! Come on down to either our tent in the parking lot of the Mainland Commons or by Belcher's Marsh on Langbrae to get some gloves and a garbage bag! Every participant gets a ballot to enter into our prize draw and we have granola bars too!

Always remember to Leave No Trace while out in the wilderness. Learn more at this webinar!

Have you checked out Old Coach Road Trail after our amazing team preformed autumn maintenance? If you’re curious about the work we did check out the photos below! And please, enjoy the trail

IMPORTANT REMINDER

With permission from Hike Nova Scotia we are going to use their wonderful safe hiking information to produce easy to read and share graphics to promote safe hiking during the pandemic. Nature is a beautiful thing and can help you physically and mentally, we want you to use the trails, but to do so safely

Great Webinar to learn about Hiking!!

Thank you to all the members and volunteers that worked hard to keep the Mainland Common Loop Trail amazing! Luckily we beat the rain and managed to spread some wood chips while making sure the trail is clean and in good shape! Thank you again to all the amazing (and photogenic) volunteers. ... If you’re interested in events like this make sure to follow this page, check out the website and other socials, or even become a member!! Enjoy this beautiful trail (Feel free to tag yourself)

So very exciting!! #savethewildblue

See the images below for details on our first ever Trail Photo Contest! This event is sponsored by TD Park People. Good luck everyone! @HNWTA, #HNWTAPhotoContest, @TDCanada @ParkPeopleCA, #TDParkPeople, #TDReadyCommitment

This photo doesn't count, but it's the information panel found at the Southgate entrance to Old Coach Road. @HNWTA, #HNWTAPhotoContest

The rain may keep you away today, but it’s a great time to plan your next trail

All Nova Scotia Trails are OPEN again! Happy May! With beautiful weather comes the desire for Nova Scotians to get out on the beautiful trails, and now we can! Please do not abuse this freedom we've been given, and make sure to maintain physical distancing (2 meters distance between people not within the same household). Have fun out there, and be safe!

An interesting read and perspective for sure!

All HNWTA trails are CLOSED except for the Mainland North Trail that runs from Parkland Dr. to Main Ave. See the message below from 311: "Mainland North Linear Trail is open. However, you cannot enter any of the parks along the way and you cannot drive to the trail. You have to be able to walk to it from where you live. The Mainland North Linear Parkway in Clayton Park is a very long trail, it has sections that cross several main roads, sections of just trail, and sections... that connect to parks. This means we’ve had a few calls about this trail as residents weren’t sure if it could be used. Even though the trail does run parallel to a few parks, the trail is open. Residents using this trail need to stay on the trail, and not access the parks along the trail. When using the trail residents must adhere to social distancing, and anyone using it needs to be a resident of the neighborhood it is in. Assuming people are following these guidelines the trail can be used" See more

During the current state of emergency announced by the Province, certain trails across Nova Scotia remain open for exercise. Provincial parks and beaches are cl...osed. Trails within the provincial park system are closed. Please visit the Trail Bulletin page of our website for the latest release from the NS Department of Lands and Forestry regarding trail use, and for a list of closures that have been reported to NS Trails by our member trail groups: www.nstrails.com/trail-bulletins Important things to remember during this time: - Only use trails for exercise, not socializing. Groups shouldn’t exceed 5 people. - Only use trails that are open and in your own neighbourhood. If you have to drive to get to a trail, please don’t go there. - If you are on a trail in your community, please remember to keep each other safe and healthy by maintaining a distance of at least 2 metres (6 feet). - We are noticing that many trails are busy only at certain times of day. To protect yourself and others, if a trail seems too crowded to practice social distancing, please choose another time of day to exercise. For more information and updates on COVID-19, please visit www.novascotia.ca/coronavirus

In speaking with people within HRM, the only HNWTA trail that is open is the Mainland North Trail. There is no access to the trail through Mary Clayton Park or the Mainland Common Area. This trail is only open for people who can access it by walking there; do not drive to the parking lot and walk the trail. Take care all, and enjoy walking in your neighbourhoods along the sidewalks.

We're looking for volunteers! Send us a message or email for more details!

Please note that the following HNWTA trails are closed due to the State of Emergency: Hemlock Ravine Park Trails, Cabin Lake Trail, Belchers Marsh Park Trails, Mainland Common Loop. Please stick to the trails that connect communities and avoid large parks and gathering places! Stay healthy and stay happy!

HNWTA is partnering with Foot Solutions Halifax to offer $10 coupons to members who are renewing their membership and to new members! Reach out to us if you're interested! Applications are on our website: https://www.halifaxnorthwesttrails.ca/

Don't forget to register for our two snowshoe events on Saturday! Looks like snow will be coming our way on Friday in preparation!! These events are part of the Hike Nova Scotia Winter Hiking Series! Register through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/d/canad/belchers-marsh-snowshoe/

Have your opinions heard! Take the Traveller Opinion Survey today! How do you get to trails in the area and commute to work/school/friend/family? Let's make travelling easier in Halifax!!!

This is what I want for Christmas...

Looks Interesting!!

We had around 70 people join us to make simple bird feeders of almond butter and seeds and hang them along the Mainland Common Loop Trail. What a great day, and the birds sure were happy!

Let's follow Melda's example and start cleaning up our roads and trails!

I revisited the BMBCL plein air art exhibit at the Keshen Goodman library today. And this afternoon I had time to read Ron Kuwahara's thoughts on painting in BM...BCL. In a few brief paragraphs, he has eloquently described important ecological and aesthetic gifts we receive from this beautiful area. The exhibit continues to the end of the month, and most pieces are available for purchase! (contact information for all artists is included)

We had a great hike out to Fox Lake as part of the @HikeNovaScotia fall hiking series! 7 eager hikers braved the cold, and we found that it was perfect weather for a brisk hike in a beautiful wilderness area!

This looks really interesting! Definitely worth checking out!

Thanks to Heather for leading a wonderful hike for HNWTA as part of Hike Nova Scotia Fall Guided Hike Series! Great photos!

HNWTA is once again helping with this event! Stop by and see the amazing artwork from our favorite wilderness area!

This is really exciting!! Thank you Nova Scotia Nature Trust!

Again, this would be an awesome thing to take part in!

We had a great maintenance morning replacing wood chips on the Mainland Common Loop Trail. Thanks to everyone who came out to help! We wouldn't get anything done without our great volunteer base!

What an amazing shot!! Beautiful work :) Shaun Lowe Photographic!

Thank you Geoff Regan for sharing these awesome photos of the Plein Air Event on September 26 at Hemlock Ravine Park! I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful day and seeing the talented artists and their amazing work!!

Check these out!

Check out some photos of our proposed trail system in the Mainland Common Area. It's going to be a beautiful set of trails that will connect even more communities. Come to the Keshen Goodman Public Library tonight at 5:30 to learn more! see our event posting for more information!

If you live in Clayton park, you will love these new trails. Come help make it happen.

Join us every Tuesday in October for guided walks on the trails surrounding the Keshen Goodman Public Library! Hope to see you there!

A Plein Air event in Hemlock Ravine

Hike to Blue Mountain on Saturday (part of Hike Nova Scotia Fall series)! Photo credit to Geoff Regan!

Great hike to the top of Blue Mountain today with Halifax North West Trails Association as part of the Hike NS Fall Guided Hike Series. Gorgeous day!

Glad you enjoyed some extra time on the trail! :) What a great day!