Hiking The Hemlock Ravine Park Trails In Nova Scotia
Known for its remarkable heart-shaped pond, Hemlock Ravine Park is a beautiful escape from the fast-paced city. Located in the middle of a residential area, not far from the city center, the Hemlock Ravine Park is everything you need to get into nature without travelling far from the city. While the Bedford Highway is close by, the sounds of the highway and cars from the streets are almost unheard of once you enter the park.
The Hemlock Ravine Park is a series of well-groomed trails that are perfect for the entire family to enjoy. Whether you are seeking a short or long walk through nature, there is a little bit of something for everyone. The park features 4km over eight different trails that range from 20 minutes to two hours.
Difficulty:Â Easy to Moderate
Suggested Duration:Â 20 minutes to 2 hours
Signage:Â Signage throughout
Facilities: Parking, garbage cans and benches
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Hemlock Ravine Park Trails
- School Trail
- Cresthaven Trail
- St. Laurent Trail
- Rockingham Loop
- Prince Edward Trail
- Governer’s Loop
- Ravine Trail
- Wentworth Loop
Key Features Of The Hemlock Ravine Park
- Offers a network of walking and hiking trails.
- Features a mix of forested areas, wetlands, and ponds.
- Ideal for picnicking, birdwatching, and enjoying green spaces in the city
- Offers views of the breathtaking heart-shaped pond
- Accessible for all level hikers, including children
- Wheelchair and stroller accessible
- Dog friendly (off-leash area on Governer’s Loop)
Before You Start The Hemlock Ravine Park
The Hemlock Ravine Park is located off Bedford Highway in the middle of a residential neighbourhood. While there are multiple entrance points to the park, there is only one parking lot located at the main entrance on Kent Avenue.
There are six different entrance points to the park, with the trailhead located at 40 Kent Avenue. The alternative entrances are Grosvenor-Wentworth Park Elementary School (Wentworth Loop), Julie’s Walk (School Trail), St. Laurent Place (St. Laurent Trail), Ravine Park Crescent (Cresthaven Trail) and Lodge Drive (Rockingham Loop).
The park is open to the public all year long from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. In the winter months, it is common for folks to be snowshoeing around. However, be careful of ice accumulating on the trails. Our favourite time of the year is the fall, as all the trees have changed colour, making for a beautiful walk.
The trails are well maintained and are made up of crushed gravel, similar to Point Pleasant Park and Shubie Park, except for Governer’s Loop. While this trail is still groomed and maintained, it does offer more of a “backcountry” feel as it is a less defined trail.
All the other trails are both stroller and wheelchair-friendly, making them accessible for everyone.
Hemlock Ravine Park is also dog-friendly. However, dogs are to be on leashes on all trails except for the Governer’s Loop (pictured above).
While it is an off-leash trail, the Governer’s Loop has set time slots in place as to when dogs are allowed off-leash: 9-11 a.m. and 5-8 p.m.
The park features multiple signs and maps throughout, making it easy to follow along. The signs are also colour-coordinated with each trail.
Those seeking out the beautiful heart-shaped pond can find it located directly beside the parking lot on Kent Avenue, making it an easily accessible spot. Whether you want to complete all the trails, one trail, or even none, you can still access the pond.
History Of The Hemlock Ravine Park
Hemlock Ravine Park has a remarkable story behind it. The heart-shaped pond was no accident. Dating back more than 200 years, the pond was once an oval shape built by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.
Before it became a public park, the property was once the country estate of Nova Scotia’s Lieutenant Governor, John Wentworth, back in the 1780s. The home was later lent to Prince Edward and his partner, Julie St. Laurent. This was when he began building the pond and gardens around the property.
In 1869 one of the prince’s grandsons, Prince Arthur, visited the property and reconstructed the pond into a heart shape to commemorate his grandfather and Julie’s time. Because of this, many locals referred to it as “Julie’s Pond”.
Today, the Hemlock Ravine Park is maintained by the city of Halifax, which shares ownership over the park with the province of Nova Scotia.
Our Experience Hiking The Hemlock Ravine Park
We’ve wanted to check out the locally famous heart-shaped pond for some time now. Let us just say, we were not disappointed! This is not a strenuous walk. In fact, it was quite relaxing to walk around and explore this beautiful park located so close to home.
Not knowing there was a public parking lot, we parked on St. Laurent and started with the St. Laurent trail. This entrance does have a slit hill upon entering, while the Kent Avenue parking lot does not have any hills.
We spent around an hour and a half in the park exploring all the different trails and taking in the beautiful nature.
Our favourite part of this walk was the Governer’s Loop. This loop offers more of a “backcountry-style” path than the other well-groomed side trails and main trails (School Trail).
This is to say that the Governer’s Loop is less busy than the main attraction and a bit more difficult to hike. We like to think of it more as a short hike rather than a “walk in the woods.”
Of course, we love hiking and, therefore, preferred this loop as a hiking trail.
The Governer’s Loop has some elevation to get our heart rates up, though we wouldn’t call this a difficult hike. It is also the only trail that extends the furthest into the wooded area of Hemlock Ravine Park. This, to us, is another benefit as it gets hikers further into nature and away from the already quiet streets of the populated area around the park.
There are various types of flora found around the park. Along with Hemlock trees, there are also Red Spruce, Yellow Birch, Striped, and Mountain Maple trees. You can also spot mushrooms, blueberries, ferns, and lady slippers throughout the year.
Recommended Gear
While this is a relatively short walk, we’ve put together a suggested list of gear to bring with you.
- Water Bottle
- Hiking shoes – Women’s // Men’s
- Camera/Phone
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent
- Cascade Hiking Poles (optional)
- Atlantick Tick Removal Tool Kit
