Mountain Biking in the Annapolis Valley
Mountain bike trails are very popular these days. There are several good trails in the Annapolis Valley that are great for mountain biking. Several of the walking/hiking trails are also open to mountain bikers. If you enjoy a biking vacation, there are opportunities for touring the Annapolis Valley and all Nova Scotia this way. Check out the mountain bikes trails here in the Annapolis Valley including the Six Day Guided Bike Tour of the Valley.
Kings County has many great trails for mountain biking. One of the most popular is the Participark in Kentville. The park has 64.5 acres of natural woodland. Through this natural woodland several trails have been cut for walking, hiking and mountain biking. The trails are kept up and are in great shape. Every year in late August Kentville holds its annual Bike Festival. This is a full weekend event that is becoming more popular every year. There are five different events to enter plus guided group rides held all weekend. Throughout the weekend there is plenty of food and lots of good music happening. You can enter the Participark by two ways. Pick up on the footpath off Grant Street, or park in the parking lot off Gladys Porter Drive and enter the park from there. Both entrances have interpretive signage for your information. The Gorge in Kentville has a very nice trail for mountain biking. The main loop is 2.5 miles long, but there are several places where you may branch off the easier loop and explore more challenging sections. The main trail follows along the perimeter of the gorge with zigzags across the "Crazy Creek". Other sections of the trails follow the creek bed and have some more challenging paths up and down the banks. Approximately 12 miles west of Kentville in Black Rock is a very good 18 mile loop mountain bike trail. The trail starts near the Black Rock Beach lighthouse, along the beautiful Bay of Fundy. You will follow the coast for a bit and then start your climb up the mountain. Once on top the view is outstanding. Continue down the other side into the Annapolis Valley where you will ride through some rich orchard land. Then it is back over the mountain again and return to the coast. Along the top of the Grand Pre Dykes is a double track wide trail which is perfect for mountain biking. The hard packed dirt makes an excellent riding surface, even with the few grassy spots. The trail is approximately 10 miles full of breathtaking scenery of the Minas Basin and Blomidon. You will also be able to observe the many farms that have taken advantage of the fertile marshland. This land has been claimed from the tidal waters by the use of these dykes.
The Delaps Cove Wilderness Trail is both for hikers and mountain biking. From Annapolis Royal follow the highway across the causeway and through Granville Center. Turn left onto the Parker Mountain Road and travel over the North Mountain. At the stop sign turn left and follow this road along the shore to where the road ends at Delaps Cove. On the big turn just before the camping park look for the signs on the left side of the road. Turn onto the woods road and follow it to the parking area for the trails. You may view the map or pick up one of the interpretive brochures at the trailhead. Total length of the trail is 9 km; which is broken up into three sections, The Bohaker Trail, The Charles Trail and The Shore Road Trail. The Shore Road Trail actually joins the other two trails together. Along the trail you will travel through variety of vegetation including woods and fields where there was once a thriving African settlement. You will see many signs of this community even though there is only one house still standing. The trail will also take you down to the shores of the Bay of Fundy where you will have some of the best views of the Bay. There is a lookout at the top of Bohaker Falls that makes a great Kodak moment. This six day Bicycle tour gives you a unique way to tour our beautiful Annapolis Valley. You are shuttled from Halifax to Annapolis Royal where you will stay in an inn there for the first couple of nights. You will visit Bear River on the first day and then take the Candlelight Graveyard Tour that night in Annapolis Royal. You will visit the Fort Anne and the Habitation. Then it is over to the Bay of Fundy where you will travel along side the coast through Young’s Cove and Phinney's Cove and up to Port Lorne. Back over the mountain again and into the valley you will ride through Middleton and over the Annapolis River to Nictaux. Continuing on you will visit Halls Harbour, Wolfville, Cape Split and Grand Pre. Through out the whole tour you will stop and visit several historic sites, parks and other points of interest. All too soon the van is there to pick you up and transport you back to Halifax. This bike tour is available from Pedal & Sea Adventures, 9075 St. Margaret's Bay Rd., RR#2, Hubbards, NS B0J 1T0 or call 1 877 777 5699. Package includes 5 night’s accommodations, 4 dinners, 2 lunches, 5 breakfast, van support, guides, snacks and refreshments and entrance into the Graveyard Tour and the Grand Pre Exhibit. These are the mountain bike trails and bike tours I have found so far in the Annapolis Valley. As I find more, (I am sure there are more places to go mountain biking), I will be adding them to this list. Many of the accommodations and campgrounds rent mountain bikes for the use of their guest. You can always check at the local tourist information centres to find other places where you may rent a mountain bike or go mountain biking. Of course you may use your own mountain bike also on the trails. To find all the best trails in Annapolis County I recommend you get a copy of the guide Bicycle Annapolis County from the Annapolis County Recreation Service. The guide shows you 21 different bicycle routes all described for your convenience. You may obtain a copy from the Annapolis County Recreation Services at rec@annapoliscounty.ns.ca.
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