Ovens Natural Park, South Shore Every year, thousands of park visitors hike the spectacular trails along the cliffs to view the famous sea caves, or “Ovens” for which the park was named. Day visitors find solace in the paths and trails that meander along the Atlantic coast line. My family is obsessed with rocks and […]
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Sir Sandford Fleming Park and the Dingle Walking Trails, Halifax If you are looking for a great escape in the middle of the city, head to the Sandford Fleming Park, near the Armdale Rotary! It is also referred to as The Dingle. About the Park Located off of the Purcells Cove road, Fleming park is […]
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Ovens Natural Park, South Shore Every year, thousands of park visitors hike the spectacular trails along the cliffs to view the famous sea caves, or “Ovens” for which the park was named. Day visitors find solace in the paths and trails that meander along the Atlantic coast line. My family is obsessed with rocks and […]
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Sir Sandford Fleming Park and the Dingle Walking Trails, Halifax If you are looking for a great escape in the middle of the city, head to the Sandford Fleming Park, near the Armdale Rotary! It is also referred to as The Dingle. About the Park Located off of the Purcells Cove road, Fleming park is […]
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Every year, thousands of park visitors hike the spectacular trails along the cliffs to view the famous sea caves, or “Ovens” for which the park was named.
Day visitors find solace in the paths and trails that meander along the Atlantic coast line.
My family is obsessed with rocks and geology, so I knew the Ovens Natural Park would be a perfect family adventure for us.
I remember being there as a child, and being fascinated by the sights and the sounds of these natural caves.
History of the Ovens
In the 1860s, the Ovens was the site of a major gold rush. For the next 6 years, over 1000 miners were present and an entire community grew up around the mining sites. As quickly as it began, it was over. There are still remnants from the mining days and spectacular caves to discover.
When you arrive at the park, you are given a paper that outlines a guided walk to see all the caves. Follow the path, and stop at the numbered signs to read the information about each of the caves or look off points.
Many of the caves make a loud echoing noise like a cannon or thunder. It is fun to climb the steep stairs down into the caves to get a better view!
Daniel has made another YouTube video outlining the experience and showing you some of the cool things you will see along the way.
The Trail
The trail is about 1km each way and with stops, the entire trail takes about 1 hour to complete.
The trail is rugged and there are a lot of steps, so it is not stroller friendly.
There are fences along the cliffs, but if you have a very active toddler, you want to make sure they are close at hand, or wait until they are a bit older.
Dogs are allowed in the park on a leash.
Other Amenities
At the park, there is also a petting zoo
A playground
And a pool that is open to day guests.
A canteen with basic food and a restaurant.
You can also go down to Cunard beach to play in the ocean.
Rent a pan and try your hand at gold panning on Cunard’s Beach. Gold fever has always been an epidemic at the Ovens Natural Park!
There is also a museum on site that outlines the 1861 Gold Rush at the Ovens Park. Visit the free little museum, full of pictures, tools and memorabilia from the 1861 Gold Rush.
The Ovens Natural Park is located on the South Shore, outside Lunenburg.
The Ovens Park did not come up on our GPS, so we had to resort to good-old fashioned maps. Directions from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to the Ovens Park From Lunenburg, NS • Head west on Victoria Road toward Brook St – 1.1 km • Continue onto Nova Scotia Trunk 3 W – 1.0 km • Turn left onto NS-332 W (signs for Riverport) – 9.5 km • Turn left onto Feltzen South Rd – 2.5 km • Turn right onto Ovens Rd • Destination will be on the right – 1.5 km Ovens Natural Park 326 Ovens Road, Riverport, NS B0J 2W0, Canada
If you are looking for a fun and unique way to explore the coastline and the natural wonders of our area, spend a half-day exploring the Ovens Natural Park on Nova Scotia’s South Shore!
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Sir Sandford Fleming Park and the Dingle Walking Trails, Halifax
If you are looking for a great escape in the middle of the city, head to the Sandford Fleming Park, near the Armdale Rotary! It is also referred to as The Dingle.
About the Park
Located off of the Purcells Cove road, Fleming park is grounds formerly owned by Sir Sandford Fleming, otherwise known as the creator of universal standard time. Fleming donated the land and the Dingle Tower monument to the city in the 1880’s.
Probably the most famous thing about the Dingle is the tall stone tower that provides a great look out over the water.
The Dingle Tower with bronze lions at the foot was dedicated in 1912 to commemorate 150 years of representative government. You can actually go inside the tower and climb to the very top!
The 95-acre park has four natural habitats (woodlands, heath barren, salt water and pond), walking trails, the Dingle Tower, a sandy beach for supervised swimming, a wharf and a boat launch.
Walking Trails
We spent some time exploring the walking trails of the Sandford Fleming Park. All the trails are well labeled, but we recommend looking at the map at the main parking lot and plotting your route.
Being type A, I printed the map before we went, and David had it on his phone for easy consultation.
There are about 2.8km of trails within the Sandford Fleming Park itself, not including the frog pond, across the street.
Then, we headed inland and crossed the Dingle Road to loop around the Frog Pond Trail.
You can access the frog pond by a large set of stairs on the Dingle Road (can’t miss), or a path slightly further down. You can make the walk from the Frog Pond Parking lot to the waterfront and back in less than an hour.
At one point, the trail actually leads to a main road. Walk along the edge, following the shore of the pond, and you will be able to pick up the trail again a few minutes down the road in another parking lot.
The trails are extremely well groomed with crush gravel. They are perfect for toddlers or strollers. Dogs are welcome on leashes.
What is great, is that you can make your own combination of trails depending on how far you want to go, and how long you want to walk.
How to Get There
The Sandford Fleming park is located 2.2 Km after the intersection of Herring Cove and Purcell’s Cove Rd. Enter on Dingle Road.
The Sir Sandford Fleming Park is a great way to spend an afternoon, and you would never know you were still in Halifax! Check it out!
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