Old Coach Road Trail

Trailhead:
76 Southgate Drive GPS  N 44° 42.602'  W 063° 40.458'R

Alternative Entrances:
Vanier Way

Parking/Bus Route:
Parking on Southgate Drive and Vanier Way.
Bus routes: Visit the Halifax Transit Website for up-to-date routes and schedules.

Terrain and Surface:
This 1-km crusher dust trail with undulating slopes winds through the Bedford Ravines neighbourhood. A short boardwalk crosses a cascading brook; no winter maintenance.

Rating:
This trail rated  Fairly Easy.

Description:

The Old Coach Road Trail runs from Southgate Drive to Vanier Way in Bedford. There is a continuation of the trail which runs from Vanier Way into the woods behind Fernleigh Park subdivision. The trail ends abruptly in the woods, return to Vanier Way.

Enjoy the interpretive panel with information on Cultural and Natural History interpretation and a map at the Southgate Drive trailhead, and borrow a copy of the trail guide (please return to the box at the end of the trail after Vanier Way). Discover this historic route once travelled by coaches to Bedford and beyond. The trail is lined with beautiful undulating tree cover and ferns with small ponds and brooks. It runs above and parallel to the western shore of the Bedford Basin which can be viewed from the adjacent street and walkway network. There is the remnant of an old wall, probably dating to the early years of the trail and seasonally there are several species of wild flowers (painted trilliums, etc.), and frogs in the pond. This trail is popular among individuals and groups for the interpretation of nature. Come and enjoy the nature and history, and take it all in on any of the benches along the trail.

The original road (running parallel to the Bedford Highway) seems to date from 19th or 20th century. The trail follows an old logging road or military trail and was ameliorated by Clayton Developments during the building of the Ravines of Bedford South subdivision. No conclusive evidence has appeared to determine whether it was used as an alternate to the Bedford Highway or simply as a logging road.  In this century, its original starting point was near the present Larry Uteck Boulevard with its termination at Pine Street (no longer in existence) in Bedford.

Trail Map

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Google Map

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