Minas Basin

Hants, Colchester and Cumberland Counties

Also known as the “Glooscap Trail”, this region covers parts of Hants, Colchester and Cumberland counties, encircling the Minas Basin with its abundance of wildlife and rugged scenery.

The coast here is dramatic, and a mecca for fossil-hounds, beachcombers and gem-hunters. The area is also home to the world’s highest tides, which sweep into the Bay of Fundy, rising swiftly to up to a record 54 feet.

For the second-home buyer, the region is conveniently placed for easy access from Halifax International Airport. Truro, the area’s major town, has more than 11,000 residents, and is a pleasant community that offering many services, shopping, restaurants and recreational facilities (including two golf courses and a harness-racing track). The architecture in its heritage conservation districts gives Truro the feel of a Victorian market town.

Further afield is Parrsboro, a smaller regional centre with a population of 1,600, and the starting point for a number of scenic drives. It’s also the base for prospectors and rock hounds and hosts an annual Gem and Mineral Show in August. The picturesque little town has a theatre, museums, shops and a number of services.

Approximate distances:
Halifax to Truro: 47 miles/69 km
Halifax to Parrsboro: 102 miles/163 km

Regional highlights and attractions:

• Two Nova Scotia’s most spectacular provincial parks, Cape Chignecto and Five Islands, offer hiking trails through woodlands and along rugged coastal paths. Learn about wilderness hiking and camping in Cape Chignecto Provincial Park at www.chignecto.net. For a detailed guide to Five Islands park’s hiking trails, check out, www.colchester.ca/Services/Trails/fiveisls.htm
• More information about all of Nova Scotia’s provincial parks can be found on the government website.
• A must for fossil-hounds is the Fundy Geological Museum in Parrsboro, where the oldest dinosaur bones in Canada can be found (learn more at www.fundygeo.museum.gov.ns.ca). The Joggins Fossil Cliffs, a rich palaeontological site being considered by UNESCO for World Heritage status, is the world’s richest Coal Age fossil site. Visit www.creda.net/~jfcliffs/about.htm and www.museum.gov.ns.ca/places/joggins/joggins.htm for more information.

• The Glooscap Heritage Centre in Truro is the starting point to learn about the Mi’kmaq First Nation. “Kluscap” (Glooscap) was the first human, created out of a bolt of lightening in the sand. See www.glooscapheritagecentre.com.

• Ride the tidal bore and shoot the rapids on the Shubenacadie River. You can also view the tides and their spectacular rise from the South Maitland Village Park Tidal Bore observation deck. www.tidalbore.info/canada/shubenacadie.html is the official website of the Tidal Bore Research Society, while www.tidalboreraftingpark.com and www.shubie.com give you information on adventure outings.

More interesting websites about the region:

• The Central Nova Scotia Tourism Associations website, with details about attractions, festivals and events throughout the region: www.centralnovascotia.com. Also useful are www.glooscaptrail.com and www.explorenovascotia.com
• Plan your own eco-tour of the region with help from www.fundyshoreecotour.ns.ca
• www.truro.ca – official website for the town “Begun in Faith, Continued in Determination”
• Blueberries are one of nature’s “super foods”, and Nova Scotia is the world’s largest processor of wild blueberries. http://www.wildblueberryfest.com is the website for information about celebrations across the region at the end of August.
• And what’s more Canadian than maple syrup? Sugar Moon Farm is the place for tours, tastings and buying (www.sugarmoon.ca)
• Fun and quirky folk art centre: www.heritage models.com and wood carvings and “tree spirits” by local artist http://www.brucehebert.com/
• “Conveniently located halfway between the Equator and the North Pole”. See www.mastodonridge.com to learn about the home of the lifesize replica of a 89,000 year old mastodon. The museum also has an indoor fossil discovery area for children.