Taylor Head Provincial Park, Nova Scotia
The hiking trails at Taylor Head Provincial Park take hikers through various terrains along the beautiful eastern shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. The park’s trails offer incredible views of the Atlantic Ocean and nearby islands from beach terrain, thick Acadian Forest, and characteristic Nova Scotian glacier rock.
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 18.5km total trails
Suggested Duration:Â 1 to 5 hours
Signage:Â maps throughout and yellow markers on the trail
Facilities: Large parking lot and vault toilets at the beach entrance
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Taylor Head Provincial Park Trails
- Beach Walk Trail (1km)
- Bull Beach & Bob Bluff Trail (9.5km return)
- Spry Bay Trail (4km loop)
- Headland Trail – including Spry Bay Trail (8km loop)
Key Features Of Taylor Head Provincial Park
- White-sand beaches
- Boardwalks
- Coastal trails
- Kayaking
- Picnic tables
- Lookout points
- Wildlife
Facilities And Services
- Change houses
- Vault toilets
- Two parking lots
Before You Start Hiking Taylor Head Provincial Park
Before you embark on your hiking excursion through the Taylor Head Provincial Park, there are a few things we think you should know.
First things first, it is a provincial park. This means that the trails are maintained and that there are “hours of operation” along with other rules we should abide by.
- The opening dates of the park are from May 17 – October 14 (subject to change).
- Dogs are allowed so long as they are kept on leash.
- Pack in what you back out. We were thrilled to see that this rule was followed throughout the entire track.
There are two parking lots. The main trailhead is at the other lot, at the end of the park’s main dirt road.
As is the case with any Nova Scotian hike, it’s important to be aware of ticks as they potentially carry lime disease. Staying on the defined trail should keep you safe from these nasty bugs.
Being along the coastline, the hike can get rather windy. So dress appropriately for the season!
There are no campsites available at Taylor Head Provincial Park, though there is a campground called Spry Bay Campgrounds & Cabins nearby.
There’s plenty of signage and markers throughout the trail. In addition, maps are presented at each crossroad to help us understand exactly where we are.
In addition, it is important to keep an eye out for ticks and bring a tick removal tool kit with you. To learn more about tick presentation, check out our article How To Avoid Ticks When Hiking.
Other than that, prepare for awe-inspiring scenery and a short and enjoyable along the beautiful coastline of Nova Scotia.
Our Experience Hiking Taylor Head Provincial Park
We actually took two days to complete the entirety of the park. We didn’t camp out at the park. Rather, we’re fortunate enough to live nearby in Dartmouth, so it wasn’t an overly long drive to drive two and from over two consecutive weekends.
We parked at the first parking lot on our first trip and did the 4.5 km Bull Beach Trail. A storm had just passed through Nova Scotia, and the trail was a bit weathered.
We zigzagged through the trail, going back and forth between the forest floor and beach terrain. There was certainly some debris that the park staff would later remove.
The front country wooden structures on this trail (and the other trails) are well-built and make for great photos.
We made a good time through the Bull Beach Trail. The most challenging part for us was walking along the rocky beach. The elevation differences through the trail were practically insignificant other than a few fallen branches. The trail was well-groomed, wide, and easily trodden.
This trail takes hikers to a gorgeous beach (pictured below). We took some time to enjoy the sand and the view before heading back.
We ended up taking the dirt road back to the parking lot. That might seem like a tedious method, though the views from the other side of the peninsula were equally enjoyable. Since we had parked at the first lot, it was our first time seeing these views (it’s better to stop and take them in rather than drive by, anyway)!
The following weekend, we returned for an afternoon hike through the other trails. We hiked the Headland Trail (including Spry Bay Trail) and part of the Beach Walk.
This time, we parked at the second lot, where each of the four trails begins.
We decided we’d hike the trails clockwise, and so we started off to begin the Spry Bay Trail (marked in red on the map pictured below):
From the parking lot, we were greeted with a boardwalk that would take us to the beach. The trailhead took us off the boardwalk, through a bit of forest, and to a field before we entered the forest-heavy trail we would expect from the hike.
After a bit of hiking, we were warmed up. At this point, we came to the crossroads between the Spry Bay Trail and the Beach Trail. To give ourselves a complete experience of the park, we took the offshoot to the Beach Trail to grab a few photos and see what the trail would be like.
As the name suggests, the Beach Trail is along a beach. Some of the beaches are nice and sandy, while other parts are covered in rock. The beach offers beautiful views like the picture below:
Now that we were warmed up, it was time to backtrack to the main trails and continue onward!
Much of the Spry Bay Trail was in and out of the treeline, with little hiking on the rocks. There are some awesome front-country stairs and lookoff points. The elevation changes are minimal, which made the hike relatively quick for us.
Here are a few pictures worth sharing from the early parts of the hike:
Once we passed on to the Headland Trail, the hike became much more coastal.
We were no longer zigzagging in and out of the tree line. Rather, we were on the coast, looking out into the Atlantic Ocean at the nearby islands.
There are points where the trail takes hikers onto the rocks, but for the most part, it’s on the ground.
As we got closer (and beyond) to Taylor Head, the terrain became more bushlike than forest. The visuals in the early fall were reminiscent of Newfoundland. We made plans on this hike to explore hikes in the nearby province in the future!
As we continued on the trail, we began our way back toward the parking lot and away from Taylor Head.
The trail started mixing in some rocky beach terrain with the bushier, soft ground terrain. There came the point where any resemblance of a trail was gone, and we were walking along the rocky beach.
Perhaps we missed an entrance back into the wooded area; perhaps not. Either way, we kept on and eventually reunited with the trail.
Before long, we were back on the Spry Bay Trail, where we passed many other hikers. Many were taking photos of wildlife and, presumably, Stoney Island in the distance.
We met another friend on a boardwalk right before the crossroads of the Headland and Spry Bay Trails. A porcupine came waddling our way on the boardwalk. Rather than spooking the animal, we raised our voices to let it know we were approaching, and it went back the way it came. Perhaps this is an excellent reason to keep our canine friends on a leash.
The rest of the hike offered more views and a notable staircase to climb down. A bit more beach terrain and some more forest trail got us back to the parking lot with another Nova Scotia hike complete!
Checklists And Recommended Gear
The following is our recommended gear list for Taylor Head Provincial Park.
- Water Bottle
- Hiking Shoes – Women’s // Men’s
- Camera/Phone to take photos
- Snacks and/or lunch
- Sunscreen
- Hat
- Insect Repellent
- Cascade Hiking Poles
- Atlantick Tick Removal Tool Kit
- Windbreaker
