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Guide To Victoria Park In Truro, Nova Scotia

ByHikers Movement

Victoria Park is an incredible park that spreads around 3000 acres of land in the center of Truro and is the home to three separate hiking trails.

The park contains everything one could want and need in an outdoor adventure, all in one location, from playgrounds to swimming pools and hiking trails to waterfalls. You could spend an hour or an entire day exploring Victoria Park and all its wonders. One of the best parts about this park is that you do not have to travel far to reach it.

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Suggested Duration: 2-3 hours
Signage: Trail markers and maps are located throughout
Facilities: Parking, washrooms, picnic areas, canteen

Key Features Of Victoria Park

  • A well-maintained urban park
  • Offers a network of trails and paths for hiking and walking
  • Features numerous waterfalls, including Joseph Howe Falls and Waddell Falls
  • Includes picnic areas, playgrounds, and recreational facilities
  • Ideal for birdwatching and enjoying green spaces in the city
  • A serene escape within an urban setting
  • The park hosts events and activities throughout the year
  • Free admission and accessible to the local community and visitors
  • Accessibility trails within the park
  • Dog-friendly (on-leash)

Facilities And Services

  • Kinsmen playground
  • Water spray park (located in the playground)
  • Victoria Park pool (toddler’s pool, double water slide, lane swimming, and a diving board)
  • Canteen (open during the summer months)
  • Public washrooms
  • Tennis courts
  • Baseball field
  • Parking lot
  • Gazebo for events or live shows

Before You Start Hiking Victoria Park

The park’s main trail is a well-groomed path and is accessibility-friendly. It follows alongside a river and leads to many waterfalls, popular attractions (such as Jacob’s Ladder), and hiking trails. For some folks, the main trail is all they need, as it offers access to beautiful scenery with little to no inclines or declines.

The park is well-guided and has numerous signs pointing to popular sights and three different hiking trails: Hemlock Trail, Vibert Trail, and Reservoir Trail. It is almost impossible to get lost in Victoia Park. While there are few hiking markers on the trees, numerous signs can be found throughout, with arrows to help guide you in whichever direction you choose.

Many of the points of interest are a short walk away from one another, and since Victoria Park is a large looped park, every pathway will eventually lead to a hiking trailhead.

The entire park is interlinked. Therefore, if you missed something, you can always take a different route to see it rather than turning around and going the same way you came in (although there is nothing wrong with doing this)!

Information map at the beginning of the Hemlock Trail at Victoria Park.

Victoria Park does consist of an accessible trail. The main park trail is covered in lightly crushed gravel, making it easier for mobility issues and strollers.

There are also numerous bridges to help get to the other side of the park without jumping across the river. The only part that is not accessible is the access to the hikes. To reach the hiking trails, you need to ascend a stairway, which could be a challenge for some folks.

A bridge that leads to the hiking trails in Victoria Park.

Depending on the time of year you choose to hike Victoria Park, we recommend bringing appropriate gear. We went in mid-November and found the main trail to be a bit icy and slippery. Especially when hiking, the trails had a greater amount of ice. Having hiking poles can help you on the slippery parts of the trail in the winter months.

Icicles along the trail.

The park is also dog-friendly. However, all dogs should be on leashes as there is a chance to run into wildlife along the trails. We noticed that the Hemlock Trail was a popular dog-walking trail.

Lastly, it is important to keep an eye out for ticks and bring a tick removal tool kit with you. For more information on tick prevention, check out our article How To Avoid Ticks When Hiking.

Our Experience Hiking Victoria Park

After seeing numerous images of the popular “Jacob’s Ladder” all over our social media, we had to see what all the hype was about! We had a pretty busy summer with hiking and exploring, so we figured we would save this one for the fall season since it’s not that far away from our home (and we heard it was fairly easy).

Not knowing what to expect or how long it would take us, we woke up early and made our way to Truro, Nova Scotia (approximately 1 hour away from Halifax).

We arrived at Victoria Park around 9 AM and were completely surprised to see a large parking lot, baseball field, playground, and tennis court. There were quite a few locals around with their families and exercising.

We thought Victoria Park would be a small park with a few trails here and there, but it is so much more. It is where the community members go every day and where we, hikers, go to take in everything we want in nature in the center of a town.

Large sign indicating which hiking trails and waterfalls that are in the Victoria Park.

Soon after leaving the parking lot, we reached a sign that directed us to points of interest and a smaller sign for the hiking trails. We wanted to see it all! Because we had heard so much about it, we figured we would see Jacob’s Ladder first before the hiking trails.

Jacob’s Ladder

Jacobs ladder, a large ladder that people run up and down at Victoria Park.

This is by far the most recognizable feature of Victoria Park. Jacob’s Ladder has over 175 steps and makes a beautiful feature and a fitness challenge for many hikers and locals.

We were surprised that it only takes around 10-15 minutes to walk from the entrance of Victoria Park to Jacob’s Ladder.

A few locals were taking on the fitness challenge when we arrived. This challenge is seeing how many times someone can conquer going up and down Jacob’s Ladder.

At the top of Jacob’s Ladder is another loop trail that you can access at multiple other points along the main Victoria Park trail. The top trail leads to the trailheads of each hike and provides a birds-eye view of the waterfalls.

After this, we continued on the main trail to explore more. We quickly came to a bridge that crossed the Cathedral Dell, a small ravine that led to a beautiful gazebo. This gazebo is called the Holy Well.

A gazebo called the Wishing Well, where concerts and weddings can be held at Victoria Park.

The Holy Well is a replica of an early Acadian well. This can be reserved for events and gatherings. You will need to book this in advance for any functions.

Behind the Holy Well is a picturesque stairwell that leads up to the top trail. It has a whimsical feeling that compliments the beauty of Victoria Park.

Wooden stairwell that leads to the backcountry hiking trails in Victoria Park.

While climbing these stairs was tempting, we decided to fall on the main trail until the end, then make our way to the top for the hiking trails.

At the end of the Victoria Park trail is a little waterfall. There are benches around for those who want to rest or take in the view. We were quite impressed to see quite a few attractions and waterfalls before we even started our hikes.

Vibert Trail

Sign indicating Vibert Trail trailhead in Victoria Park.

The Vibert Trail is an easy and beautiful hiking loop that takes you along Leper Brook. It is well-groomed and fairly accessible, except for one semi-steep incline and decline. The total loop is only 1.79 kilometres.

We found this trail to be easier than most, but it was still enjoyable! There was a man-made bridge that crossed the brook, and benches were located throughout for rest spots. The gravel was easy on the feet and made the incline and decline not as difficult. However, if it had snowed or if there was any ice on the ground, then the decline would be quite challenging.

Because of this, we recommend bringing walking poles if you have any knee issues, difficulty with steep inclines or declines, and/or if you decide to hike during the winter season.

Hemlock Trail

Sign indicating the Hemlock Trail trailhead in Victoria Park.

The Hemlock trail is short and goes through the forest. It is a popular spot for dog walkers, locals, and bikers. The entrance is located near the Victoria Park entrance, close to the public swimming pool, and the trail ends on Serpentine Drive, which is part of the main Victoria Park trail.

We ended up going in the opposite direction as we did this hike last. We started at Serpentine Drive and ended at the swimming pool. This is a shorter trail and is not a full loop. Although, you can follow Serpentine Drive back to the entrance. Hemlock trail is only 995 meters. That’s less than a kilometre!

Before we finished our hike, we saw a few chin-up bars slightly off the trail, only a few feet from the entrance of the hike. This is great for those coming here to exercise and add a little extra challenge to their run or hike.

Reservoir Trail

Sign at Joe Howe Falls in Victoria Park.

The Reservoir Trail is the longest trail of the three, with the full loop being around 7 kilometres. This is a popular spot for hikers and mountain bikers, so expect to share the trail.

There are a few bridges and a lake along this trail that gives hikers a beautiful view. Expect a few inclines and declines along this trail, although it is only rated as a moderate hike overall. Dogs are also permitted on this trail but should be on a leash as seeing wildlife is quite common.

Arthur on the wooden trail looking into the river.

Because you could spend all day exploring the beauty of Victoria Park, we do recommend bringing some gear with you to prepare for your hike.

WATERFALLS IN NOVA SCOTIA

Julia and Arthur are the owners, creators and writers of Hikers Movement, Homestead Fox and owners of Fox Media Tech Inc.. As seasoned hikers, Julia and Arthur don't just write about the great outdoors – they live it. Their firsthand experiences, shared through hiking adventures around the world, reflects their genuine commitment to inspiring a community of outdoor enthusiasts.

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