Last Full Day in Nova Scotia – Hiking in Lunenburg

The scene from our room every morning. The Rum Runner Inn was great for its views and proximity to downtown activities and restaurants. It lacked in modernization, so if you are into rustic it is a nice place to stay.

Notice the name of this treat at our breakfast restaurant.

After a couple hundred miles of biking over the last seven days I was ready for hiking at Gaff Point and The Ovens Park

Our first hike was the Gaff Point Trail. A 4 1/2 mile round trip on a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean on the south side of Nova Scotia. It is a popular coastal hiking destination known for it rugged beauty, diverse ecosystems and stunning ocean views. It winds through coastal forest, open fields, and along dramatic cliffs. The trail, which starts at Hirtle’s Beach, is a popular spot for hiking, bird watching, and enjoying nature.

Hiking at Gaff Point and The Ovens

Mark & Lauri heading out

Gaff Point is siituated on Nova Scotia’s South Shore. The area is protected through a partnership between the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Nova Scotia Nature Trust.

We were constantly mesmerized by the views as the trail is on a gorgeous headland that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean.

We saw many sea birds, but no whales or seals today. Often they can be seen in the bays surrounding Gaff Point. This is a wonderful place to connect with nature.

Much of the trail is easy traveling, but we encountered some roots and rocks. We had to look out for wet sections and some boggy ones that can be traversed by makeshift bridges.

After a morning of hiking we stopped at Rose Bay General Store and Bistro for lunch.

Pizza, lobster rolls, pear salad and fries covered in garlic aoli and hot sauce. This lunch experience at this general store and bistro in the middle of nowhere rivaled any restaurant we tried in Nova Scotia. It is interesting that some of our favorite meals where in “out-of-the-way” restaurants that don’t get a lot of notoriety. And maybe we were just starving when we were out on the trails!

The second hike was in Ovens Point Park.

Ovens Point Park is another peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic with caves carved into the cliffs by the ocean.

This was another spectacular cliffside nature trail known for its famous sea caves or “Ovens” for which the park was named.

The Ovens is a private park and offers cabins and camp sites for daily rental.

The park is south of Lunenburg on the end of a peninsula that delineates where Lunenburg Bay meets the North Atlantic Ocean.

The Ovens is the site of a famous old-time gold rush . Gold was discovered here in 1861. Some 600 plus groups crowded to the area digging for gold in the cliffs. However, the gold rush only lasted six years as the miners never uncovered the levels of gold worth the hunt.

Below is gold miner we saw panning for gold and strutting his plumber’s crack.

Thoughts for the day :

Lauri :

Nova Scotia is often called the Ocean’s Playground and I could not agree more. Being so close to water through hiking, biking, dining and sleeping was both exhilarating and restful.

Mark :

Looking back at all of the hikes and biking that I did over the last week in Nova Scotia I realize that when I was close to nature, I got far more out of the experience than I anticipated.