Laurie Saulnier Memorial Trail

We discovered this trail when we went to swim at Flat Rock in Hantsport.

I had seen the sign for this Wildlife area and went home to do some research. On our next trip to Flat Rock, we did the trail.

These two activities make the perfect combination for an afternoon!

Here’s what I found out.

The Laurie Saulnier Memorial Trail is maintained by the Hants West Wildlife Association (HWWA) and is dedicated to one of their members.

This loop trail offers 2 km in mixed woodland with tall alder, birch and spruce trees.

When you arrive, park in the parking lot, and head through the big orange gate.

You will see a sign that marks the trail entrance. The entrance is RIGHT BEFORE the sign (not around the corner as we had originally thought.)

However, if you keep going straight, there is a lovely marsh and pond to look at.

The trail is extremely well signposted. There are red rectangular arrows throughout the entire trail to let you know you are on the right path.

The path is quite rough, so it is definitely not good for strollers or really small children.

The trail weaves and winds through the woods and over boardwalks.

At one point you will come to a crossroad in the trail. In front of you is a path marked by orange hunting tape. We took this path stright ahead.

It will lead you out to what appears to be an old logging road. Follow this road for another 5 minutes.

It will take you to another orange gate and back to the parking lot.

This 2km loop hike took us 20 minutes to walk.

Looking at the map afterwards, I believe we took the shorter loop by following the orange hunting tape out to the logging road.
If we had taken the path to the left, I’m convinced this would have taken us on the larger loop. I will have to try this the next time!

It was a beautiful trail and well worth the time to discover it.

How to get there

Take Highway 101 to Hantsport.
Take Exit 8.
At the stop sign, turn left towards the Town of Hantsport.
At the stop sign by the community centre (with the church in front of you) turn left onto Holmes Road.
This road eventually turns into Bog Road and goes over the highway. In fact, this is the spot where Freddie Wilson waves to the traffic on the highway!
Follow this road over a narrow one-lane bridge.

The opening to the wildlife area is a few minutes beyond the bridge on the right hand side. There are signs marking the entrance.