6 PAWFECT PLACES FOR A DOG-FRIENDLY DAY TRIP FROM HALIFAX

Time to get out of the city of Halifax and take a day trip with your pooch. 

Halifax is the capital city of the province of Nova Scotia in Canada.  Most Nova Scotians live in and around Halifax.  Despite being a large city, it doesn’t feel overcrowded, except in the summer with the tourists.

Cities can be overwhelming when you are travelling with a dog or two. If it’s the summer, you need to find green spaces to walk on to avoid the hot and sizzly sidewalks that can hurt your dog’s paws. We tend to avoid cities when we travel with our dogs as we can’t do much with them in tow aside from just walking around.

Luckily, Halifax does offer a proper place for dogs to enjoy which makes me wonder why Montreal can’t provide the same.  Also, there are some beautiful and exceptional sites right outside Halifax or just a short drive that you and your dog will enjoy, for free.

Day trip in Halifax

During our Nova Scotia road trip, we briefly stopped by Halifax on our way to Cape Breton Island.  It was the only day where it poured which kinda bummed us out.  Originally we were supposed to have a little more time in Halifax, but we had to adjust our itinerary due to unplanned back pains on my part.  We stopped in Halifax for two reasons: to eat and to walk the dogs.

We stopped for food close to the citadel and parked next to a small park.  Even though the park had picnic tables, we ate in the car because of the rain.

We got to go food from Indochine Banh Mi located on 1551 South Park Street. It’s a small fast food place. The service was quick and the Vietnamese style food was absolutely delicious and savoury.

We definitely recommend trying:

• ½ banh mi lemongrass chicken $5.75, spicy
• Small Pho Ga $7.25, large $11.25
• Fusion taco Korean BBQ $5.25

(prices in July 2022)

In front of the restaurant you’ll find the Halifax Public Gardens, but sadly dogs aren’t allowed there.  Across from the entrance there is a non gated park with picnic tables where you can eat. It’s not ideal but at least it is shaded.

Once we were done devouring our lunch (we were starving), it was time to head down towards the South end of Halifax.  Throughout the drive, you’ll be able to admire some gorgeous homes and a little bit of street art.  Unfortunately, we did not stop along the way until we got to our main stop due to the weather.

Point Pleasant Park

If you have a dog or dogs, YOU HAVE TO go to Point Pleasant Park.  This park makes up the entire southern tip of the city of Halifax.  With 39km of walking trails, you could spend a few days there.

The park has a rich history, notably with the Prince of Wales tower built in 1796 which was used as a powder magazine.  It has now become a National Historic Site of Canada.

But what makes this park special is that not only dogs are allowed in this park but there are tons of off-leash trails.  It’s just a fantastic site to see your dog enjoy his freedom on trails winding through a forest.

However, you need to pay close attention to the signs as some trails do not allow dogs on, but they are rare.

Sadly for us, due to the downpour of rain, we didn’t get to enjoy this park as much as we would have loved to.  Our Nouki would have none of it.

We didn’t find the parking lots which you probably need to pay. Therefore, we parked in a residential street close to the park.

Outside Halifax, there are tons of places that are dog-friendly and can make fun day trips.  Here are some we did during are road trip or wanted to try.

Sherbrooke Village

Since we had to reorganize our itinerary, we did not get to visit Sherbrooke Village.

This village is about a 2h30 drive from Halifax, which makes it a fairly easy whole day trip.  It was on our list of places to visit since it is dog-friendly. There is of course an entrance fee.

Sherbrooke Village is a recreated 19th century Nova Scotian village. You can discover and plan your visit HERE.

Queensland Provincial Park

Queensland Provincial Park is about a 40 minute drive from Halifax.

There is a Free beach access and parking. The beach is long and sandy with lifeguards during the day. If you arrive early in the morning, you’ll have the beach to yourself and enough room for your dog to splash around.  However, beforehand, you’ll have to check the tide schedule.

The park is a stone throw away from the quaint little town of Hubbards. You can find other beaches there and fun places to eat.  Also, there is a walking trail called Rails to Trails offering some panoramic views of the bay (not tested) that you can jump on from Hubbards.

Oak Island

Oak Island is located 45 minutes from Halifax. Since it is privately owned, you need to book a tour to visit.  Legend has it that a buried treasure lies somewhere beneath it. 

We did not know about the tour, so we just drove across the bridge and made a quick pit stop  there for our dogs.

The whole thing was disappointing.  There is also an Oak Island in New Brunswick where dogs are allowed there and no tour required.  Hence, I probably got both islands confused.

Peggy’s Cove

Peggy’s Cove and its lighthouse are about a 50 minute drive from Halifax.  It’s one of the most popular and photographed site in Nova Scotia.  In case you were wondering where all the tourists are while driving around Nova Scotia, the answer is Peggy’s Cove and the towns listed below.

Despite the crowds, we loved it. There is ample parking and it’s free up to 2 hours.  That’s enough time to walk around the tiny fisherman town, take pictures, have a bathroom break and enjoy some ice cream at the café.

If you arrive before 10am it will be less crowded.  This will allow you to freely jump on and off boulders while preventing your dog from wanting to jump into the water.

Mahone Bay

Mahone Bay is popular on the tourist route but a little overshadowed by Lunenberg close by. This charming old and colourful town is about a 1h drive from Halifax.

There is free parking in front of Tim Hortons and bathrooms.  It’s a practical spot to park at as it is located close to the popular three churches and main street.  At the parking lot, you’ll also find a poop bag dispenser for your dog in case you run out.  It is free.

The town has a very laid back feel and we enjoyed walking around it while admiring the cheerful colonial style buildings housing restaurants and boutiques.

We found a dog store as we had forgotten our leashes at home.  It offers grooming services.  If you book in advance, you could enjoy a meal at a waterfront restaurant while your dog gets pampered.  Free dogsitting! It’s a win-win for everyone.

In Mahone Bay, you also have access to the Dynamite Trail (not tested).  It is a walking trail about 11km long where dogs are allowed on leash.  Access is free.

Lunenberg

The town of Lunenberg is part of the Unesco World Heritage Site.  You can’t visit Nova Scotia without stopping by this town.  It is a 15 minute drive from Mahone Bay.

I had never heard of this town before until I watched the TV show Locke & Key.  The setting seemed so cool and colourful that it made me wonder where it had been filmed.

Since it is a popular site, you can imagine the crowds.  It is hard to enjoy this town with dogs because the sidewalks are crowded and not very wide or so they seemed to be (just like in Europe). Avoid stopping there around lunchtime which was our mistake.  There are line ups for restaurants everywhere you look.

The sidewalks aren’t shaded at all but many shop and restaurant owners do provide water bowls outside for dogs to quench their thirst. The town is also built on a hill.  This could be problematic if your dog is old as walking in the hot sun and up could be tiresome for him.

• Park close to the Ironworks Distillery, then walk into town.  It is close to the port.  The distillery is worth a visit from what we heard but we did not go inside.  It has an open setting and a bench outside in the shade.  We didn’t know if dogs were allowed inside or not.

Due to Lunenberg’s popularity, we do not recommend stopping there for lunch with dogs in tow.

If you drive along Tannery road toward the Golf course, you’ll get the best view of the town.

Gaff Point Trail Kingsburg

Finally, if you want to walk and play in the water with your dog, check out Gaff Point Trail in Kingsburg. It is about 1h30 away from Halifax and 30 minutes from Lunenberg.

Unfortunately, the trail was closed when we tried to go there or maybe our GPS didn’t lead us to the right spot. Who knows?

So there you have it. A list of dog-friendly places outside Halifax to visit on a day trip. However, there are so many other places in Nova Scotia that are equally dog-friendly.

Read our dog-friendly articles about the Bay of Fundy, Shelburne and Cape Breton Island.