| About Us
Hike Nova Scotia encourages and promotes hiking, walking and snowshoeing throughout Nova Scotia.
You received this E-news bulletin because you are a member of Hike Nova Scotia.
|
Become a Member
Support Hike Nova Scotia by becoming a member: $10 for individuals $18 for families $25 for organizations Free: Associate Member Become a member here. |
Hike NS T-Shirts
Hike Nova Scotia now has T-shirts for purchase for $15. Contact us to place your order:
Women's:
Red - XS, S, M, L, XL
Chocolate - M, XL
Men's:
Cardinal Red - S, M, L, XL
Green - M, L
|
|
|
|
Hike Nova Scotia E-News May 2013
|
Love Canada's Parks: Sign on and Win
Love Canada's parks and want to see them protected? Show you care by signing on! Canada's parks protect extraordinary wild places where people can connect with nature. But our parks' future isn't secure, and they need your voice. Canada Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) has launched a public campaign to build a movement of people who will stand up for our parks, and they want you to join the movement. All you have to do is sign the pledge! By adding your voice, you'll be joining a growing movement of Canadians speaking up for our parks. And thanks to Mountain Equipment Co-op, when you sign on, you'll be automatically entered to win some great prizes!
Back to top
|
 |
Winter Snowshoe Hike Success 
The Winter Guided Snowshoe Hike series, organized through Hike Nova Scotia with nine local host organizations, was another success. There were 22 guided hikes offered across the province with over 450 turning out to enjoy our winter trails (that's an average of over 20 people per hike). Visit the Hike NS blog for some hike photos.
Our local host partners included: Hike the Highlands Festival Society; Municipality of Inverness; County of Annapolis Recreation Services; Cobequid Eco-trails Society; Cape to Cape Trail and Scotsburn Recreation; Lunenburg Municipal Recreation; Chester Recreation and Parks; Nova Scotia Nature Trust; and Take The Roof Off Winter (Recreation NS). Thanks to our partners for organizing the hikes on the ground and thanks to Goose Lane Editions for its donations of trail prizes.
The winner of the prize draw for filling out our online feedback survey about the hikes is Dodie Goodwin of Hopewell. She wins a copy of Michael Haynes' Hiking Trails of Cape Breton guidebook. Congratulations!
Back to top
|
|
2013 Heart&Stroke Walkabout™ Walkability Grant
Heart&Stroke Walkabout™ is offering Walkable Communities Grants to help organizations or groups take steps to increase walking participation. Deadline for submissions is Tuesday July 2nd 2013. Categories of grants include: Infrastructure; Marketing; and Advocacy. Those eligible to apply for this funding include organizations, groups of individuals or communities. Those who have previously received a Walkability Grant may reapply. Grants of $500 to $2,000 will be awarded to 3-12 groups this year.A total of $6,000 will be distributed. Inquiries should be communicated to the Director of Health Promotion, Policy and Research:423-7682 X3311 or walkabout@heartandstroke.ns.ca.
Back to top
|
|
Inverness Co. Trail in Top 25 NS Attractions
NS Trails, as the recognized agent for the Trans Canada Trail  in Nova Scotia, is pleased to announce that the Trans Canada Trail in Inverness County has been recognized on www.novascotia.com as one of the Top 25 Attractions in Nova Scotia.
For the past three years, NS Trails has been working with their partners as part of the Atlantic Canada Trails Association (ACTA) including the Nova Scotia Tourism Agency and the Trans Canada Trail to help trail groups in Nova Scotia better understand the needs of the tourism market. This partnership resulted in the creation of a destination trail assessment tool. In the summer of 2011, the Trans Canada Trail in Inverness County was assessed by ACTA for tourism market-readiness.
"This group of five community-based volunteer trail groups has been dedicated to elevating the level of their combined trails to meet the needs of the tourism market," says Vanda Jackson, Executive Director of Nova Scotia Trails. "The ACTA assessment clearly outlined the steps to be taken and our trail volunteers made it a priority."
One of the main objectives was to develop a brand for the trails as a group. The volunteers raised the funding required to achieve this goal resulting in the re-branding of the trail as the Celtic Shores Coastal Trail.
Back to top
|
|
Getting Youth & Families Outside
2013 Get to Know Contest 
Calling all youth 19 and under! Get outdoors and connect with nature! Head to www.gettoknow.ca to submit art, writing, photography, video, or music inspired by your outdoor experiences and you could win some wild prizes! The contest is now open and runs until August 1. And don't forget to tell your friends and like us on Facebook to stay in the loop on other great opportunities from Get to Know and all our contest partners.
Join the 30×30 Nature Challenge
The David Suzuki Foundation is challenging Canadians to commit to spending 30 minutes in nature each day for 30 days, starting on May 1, 2013. Start by joining the challenge here. Then get out into nature for at least 30 minutes for 30 days in May. You can sign up as an individual or challenge your entire workplace to join! You'll receive fun daily challenges, tips and inspiration to help you out. Submit photos from your time in nature for a chance to win weekly prizes. Complete our opening and closing survey and you'll be entered to win a prize package from Genuine Health.
Back to top
|
Upcoming Events
Save the Date: Hiking Summit June 21-22
Hike Nova Scotia will host its second Hiking Summit at the Gaelic College in St Ann's, Cape Breton on June 21 and 22 (Friday and Saturday). Details are still being finalized, but if it's anything like the first Summit, you won't want to miss it! Stay tuned.
NS Trails 24th Annual General Meeting: May 25
NS Trails will hold its Annual General Meeting on Saturday, May 25th at the Captain William Spry Community Centre in Spryfield (Community Room upstairs). The guest speaker will be Jennifer MacIntyre, Tourism Development Officer with the Nova Scotia Tourism Agency (NSTA). The TCT Committee meets from 10 am - 12 noon; Light Lunch from 12 - 12:30pm;
More Events
- Nature Photography Weekend Master Class, Kejimkujik National Park: May 17-19
- Nature NS 23rd Annual Conference and AGM: May 24-26
- Yarmouth Walk 'n Wheel Fest 2013: May 25-June 1
- International Trails Day: June 1
- Portage Trail Family Hike, Gully Lake Wilderness Area: June 2
- 4th Annual Cape Breton Highlands 3 Peaks Challenge, Cape Breton Highlands National Park: July 20
More events are found at http://www.hikenovascotia.ca/news-events/.
Back to top
|
|
Quick Hiking/Trail News Hits
These are some news hits from www.twitter.com/HikeNS:
- Roads on province's new Crown lands obtained from Bowater
- open read
- New way of camping without sleeping on the ground read
- Virtual hikes and tours: Google creating virtual tours of Louisbourg, Banff, Gros Morne read
- Student study sees McNabs Island as full of potential read
- Bissett Trail fills gap in system read
- Nova Scotia Trail Running: 2013 Trail Racing Schedule read
Check out Hike Nova Scotia's online events listing here.
Back to top
|
| Featured Trail: Fairmont Ridge Hiking Trails
Trail Name: Fairmont Ridge Hiking Trails
Location: Antigonish County
Description: Fairmont Ridge is a beautiful system of trails featuring old growth forest, meadows and sweeping views of George's Bay near Antigonish. "The trail system here consists of a series of stacked loops allowing hikers to enjoy routes ranging from a short 20 minute, 3 km hike to a 4 hour, 10.8 km hike."
Map: Find a map and directions here.
Find our Featured Trails listed on the Hike NS Blog.
If you have a featured trail you'd like to share, please send it along to info@hikenovascotia.ca. Please include the following: 1) Trail Name; 2) Location; 3) Brief description of no more than 250 words; 4) Website address where a map and more details can be viewed; and 5) Your full name.
Back to top
|
|
