Mill Run Trail

Trailhead:
920 Bedford Highway GPS N 44° 42.834’ W 63° 40.698’

Alternative Entrances:
Mill Court
Millrun Cresent

Parking/Bus Route: 
Parking lot is located next to the historic Moirs Building at 920 Bedford Highway, street parking on Millrun Crescent.
Bus route: Visit the Halifax Transit Website for up-to-date routes and schedules.

Terrain and Surface:
This 700 m trail is a combination of gravel trail and sidewalks. A metal bridge crosses the outflow from the dam and ends at Scott Saunders Memorial Park.

Rating:
This trail rated  Easy Moderate.

Description: 
This family-friendly woodland trail behind the historic Moirs Ltd. Power House building (1931) runs alongside the outflow from Paper Mill Lake (a popular swimming area) and to the dam. Return along the same trail, or a walk through the neighbourhood, looping back to the Bedford Highway and parking.

The Mill Run Trail and Park were created by the Bedford Council (now incorporated with HRM) and covers the river trail and Paper Mill Lake and Falls. On old maps the river was called Salmon River or Nine Mile River. The old Moirs Power station still exists at 920 Bedford Highway and is a designated heritage building. The trail is home to a variety of tree species including maple, hemlock and pines. Some 23 lakes, including the Birch Cove Lakes, make up this watershed area which flows into the Bedford Basin via Mill Cove and Moirs Pond. The latter was created with the installation of “the dump” which blocked the bay and carries the railway line. 

Between 2012-15 the Annapolis group rebuilt the existing dam and enlarged the park. During this period when the lake was drained, remnants of the older dams were seen and documented (e.g. the old road connecting the Bedford Highway to Hammonds Plain, the site of the paper mill and the course of the Nine Mile river plus the path of the flume which brought water from the lake to the power house). Supports for the flume may be seen today as they cross the Mill Run but can be underwater after a lot of rain.

Trail Map

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