MUSQUODOBOIT TRAILWAY




GENERAL INFORMATION

     Trail length:    30km round trip     
     Season:          Year round 

EMERGENCY INFORMATION

     Emergency:	      911
     Phone location:  The nearest phone is at the Wind River Bed and Breakfast which is
                      beside the Musquodoboit Trailway at 0.75km at the end of Bayers
                      Mill Road.
     Cell phone:      Coverage has been checked for most of the trail.  Towers are present
                      on Jerusalam Hill and coverage is excellent wherever these can be
                      seen.  Coverage is spotty over several kilometres at the Gibraltar
                      end of the trail.

      

DIRECTIONS

From Dartmouth, take highway 107, then highway 7 to Musquodoboit Harbour.  A trail
originates at the Musquodoboit Harbour Railway Museum and Tourist Bureau.  This trail
is 670m from the official trailhead.

The official trailhead is reached from the Museum by continuing on highway 7 for a few 
hundred metres, then taking highway 357 to Park Road, then right to the trailhead
parking lot opposite the arena.
 

ACTIVITIES

     Walking:             Y        Hiking:	    Y         
     Mountain Biking:     Y        XCountry Ski:    Y
     ATV:                 N        Horse:           N
     Snowmobile:          N        Coastal:         N
     Loop:                N        Wheelchair:      N
     Wheelchair Assisted: N 


DESCRIPTION
The Musquodoboit Trailway begins at the Caboose Information Centre at the Musquodoboit
Railway Museum, crosses highway 357, passes the arena and ball fields and links up with
the official trailhead by the parking lot.  The 130 foot trestle bridge offers a scenic
view of the Musquodoboit River and its broad flood plains.  After passing the end of
Bayer's Mill Road, the jutting crag of Skull Rock is visible and can be accessed off of
the Admiral Lake Loop.

The main trailway continues along the rocky eastern shore of Bayer Lake passing between
scenic cliffs and glistening water. A picnic shelter is situated at the 2.3km mark and a
washroom at the 2.5km mark.

Leaving Bayer Lake behind, the trail passes through mixed coniferous and deciduous forest.
Occasionally the river with its overarching oaks and maples can be glimpsed through the 
meadows.  Here cattle once grazed and some fence posts are still visible.  Now waterfowl
and beaver can be observed in this rich habitat.

At the 6km mark, the most spectacular of several ridges overlooks the trail and forms the
western boundary of the White Lake Wilderness Area.  Keep an eye out for bald eagles who
make their nests in crag niches.

The river winds closer to the trail again and reaches a picnic shelter and toilet at 7.3km.
The nearby bridge affords a view of the expansive Kelly Meadow.  The trail continues through
low birch, fir, and alder woods, crosses a pheasant preserve, and reaches a third picnic
shelter at 11km and toilet at 12.3km.  For the last 2km the trail parallels highway 357
under the Gibraltar cliffs.