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Best Lake Hikes near Halifax

15 routes near Halifax qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 3.2 km and 69 m (226 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 16.6 km.

That is 27 percent of the 55 routes we map near Halifax. They are shorter than the local average, 3.2 km against 4.1 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day.

Lake routes give you a natural halfway point, somewhere to swim in summer, and the calmest reflections of the whole week if you get there before the wind picks up. The mix is broad: 14 are rated easy and 1 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day.

Trails

Easy

Comeau Lake Trail

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
3.2 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
70 m
Typical duration
46 min
  • Lake
  • River
Easy

Ash Lake Loop

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
92 m
Typical duration
1 hr
  • Lake
Easy

Charlies Lake Loop

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
62 m
Typical duration
41 min
  • Lake
Hard

Crowbar Lake Trails

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
16.6 km
/ 10.3 mi
Elevation gain
366 m
Typical duration
4 hr 4 min
  • Lake
Easy

Fox Lake Trail

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
2.6 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
56 m
Typical duration
37 min
  • Lake
Easy

Great Oaks Loop

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
51 m
Typical duration
33 min
  • Lake
Easy

Hobsons Lake Loop

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
4.4 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
96 m
Typical duration
1 hr 3 min
  • Lake
Easy

Maynard Lake

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
12 m
Typical duration
8 min
  • Lake
Easy

Oat Hill Lake

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
18 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • Lake
Easy

Porters Lake Loop

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
1.8 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
39 m
Typical duration
25 min
  • Lake
Easy

Spider Lake Trail

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
15 m
Typical duration
10 min
  • Lake
Easy

Colpitt Lake Trail

Nova Scotia · Canada

Distance
3.6 km
/ 2.2 mi
Elevation gain
80 m
Typical duration
52 min
  • Lake

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Comeau Lake TrailNova Scotia3.2 km70 m46 minEasyApril to October
Ash Lake LoopNova Scotia4.2 km92 m1 hrEasyApril to October
Cabin Lake and Fleetview TrailsNova Scotia2.1 km47 m31 minEasyApril to October
Charlies Lake LoopNova Scotia2.8 km62 m41 minEasyApril to October
Crowbar Lake TrailsNova Scotia16.6 km366 m4 hr 4 minHardApril to October
Dollar Lake Provincial Park TrailNova Scotia1.0 km22 m14 minEasyApril to October
Fox Lake TrailNova Scotia2.6 km56 m37 minEasyApril to October
Great Oaks LoopNova Scotia2.3 km51 m33 minEasyApril to October
Hobsons Lake LoopNova Scotia4.4 km96 m1 hr 3 minEasyApril to October
Lewis Lake Provincial Park TrailNova Scotia0.7 km16 m11 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Comeau Lake Trail, Fox Lake Trail, Hobsons Lake Loop. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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