Belchers Marsh Park In Nova Scotia
The Belchers Marsh urban nature trails offer a wonderful, well-maintained nature walk. The trails take visitors through wooded areas and around two bodies of water (Belchers Marsh and Little Belchers Pond), all without leaving the city of Halifax. Though residential buildings surround this park, it is teeming with wildlife (largely dependent on the season). It’s a great spot to walk about, take pictures, and check out the wonderful wetlands.
This is a great hike for locals and those visiting the city of Halifax. If you find yourself in the Clayton Park area and are looking for an easy-going walk, we definitely recommend checking out the Belchers Marsh trails!
Difficulty: Easy
Length: 2.5km total (2 loops)
Suggested Duration:Â 30 minutes to 1 hour
Signage:Â maps and interpretive signage throughout
Facilities: Benches and garbage cans
Disclaimer: This article includes affiliate links. If you click one of them, we may receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Key Features Of Belchers Marsh Park
- Accessible wide gravel trails
- Dog-friendly (on-leash)
- Look-off point atop a man-made tower
- Opportunities for birdwatching and wildlife sightings
Facilities And Services
- Garbage cans
Before You Start Hiking Belchers Marsh
Before you head out for your own experience of the Belchers Marsh trails, there are a few things we think you should know.
This park is dog-friendly. However, it is asked that our canine companions remain on a leash. Of course, it’s also asked that dog owners clean up after their pets. There are free dog bag dispensers and garbage cans throughout. Please practice leave-no-trace principles!
The trail is fairly busy, and you’re likely to pass a few people during your visit. It is open to visiting year-round. Late Spring, Summer, and Early Fall offer plenty of wildlife for us to witness. The changing of the leaves in the Fall is beautiful, and the Winter months allow for snowshoeing and skating (snow and ice permitting).
The gravel/dirt trails are well-maintained, wide, and flat. We’d consider this trail to be accessible to wheelchairs and strollers.
There is a small section of the main loop that takes place on the sidewalk of Parkland Drive. I suppose that’s just part of it being an urban park.
As for parking, there are options along Parkland Drive and the side streets around the park. Multiple entrances to the trails make it relatively easy to get to regardless of where you park. There is no dedicated parking lot.
The main loop around Belchers Marsh is about 1.5 km. However, there’s an off-shoot that takes visitors up across Farnham Gate Road and Parkland Drive to the Little Belchers Pond Park. This isn’t the main attraction, but it is worth checking out if you want to explore a bit more. Heading to the Little Belchers Pond Park will add about 2 km to the overall hike (1 km in and 1 km back).
As an aside, the Mainland North-Linear Parkway is also nearby. This is a wide dirt road walking path that spans 4 km and has several off-shoot trails that go through the wooded areas of Clayton Park.
Our Experience Hiking Belchers Marsh
During our 4-month stay in a Clayton Park West apartment, the Belchers Marsh Loops became a nearby staple for us, whether that meant a morning jog, a mid-day break from the computer (we work from home on blogs like this one!), or an after-dinner stroll before sundown.
The Belchers Marsh Loops were only a few minutes away from our rental on foot and made for a quick and easy walk to get out of the house for a few minutes.
Here’s a picture from the closest entrance (Red Fern Terrace).
As you can see from the picture above (and as you will see from a few subsequent pictures), the trail is quite flat and wide. This makes for an easy walk (or run) and gives people and groups of people plenty of space to pass each other as they make their way around the loop.
Our experiences of Belchers Marsh took place mostly in the Spring and Summer months (though we’ll get back there for a snowshoeing excursion, I’m sure).
It’s a great loop for a jog, a walk with friends and family, and time alone in nature. The wetland’s biodiversity is another big seller for us. Throughout our many walks, we’ve seen countless birds, including osprey, ducks, and waterfowl. There are plenty of squirrels, and we even saw a few deer near dusk and dawn.
Speaking of dusk and dawn, the openness of the Belchers Marsh trails allows visitors to catch beautiful sunsets and sunrises, respectively.
As previously mentioned, there are benches along the trail where visitors can take a break and sit still in nature.
You’ll see in the picture below that the Marsh is certainly in a residential area. The trails are surrounded by apartment buildings and multi-storey houses that overlook the wetlands.
You’ll also see, in the picture below, a boat in the marsh. A group of volunteers from the nearby Woodbury condos launch the boat every Spring as part of their annual cleanup of the area.
As you walk along the northern part of the main loop, you’ll find a look-off to get an elevated view of the marsh and surrounding area. This platform is pictured below. Of course, we took a picture from the look-off, but figured it would be better for you to check out the view for yourself!
All in all, our experiences with the Belchers Marsh trails were plentiful. The shortness of the trail made it a nice changeup from the longer hikes. It’s nice to be able to go without any gear (and the heaviness of a backpack) every once in a while!
Checklists And Recommended Gear
Even though the Belchers Marsh loops make for a short hike, we’d still recommend bringing some supplies with you.
- Water Bottle
- Hiking shoes – Women’s // Men’s
- Camera/Phone
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent
- Cascade Hiking Poles (optional)
- Atlantick Tick Removal Tool Kit
