Crown lands of the Five Bridge Lakes area of Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) have now been designated under the Wilderness Areas Protection Act.
The new wilderness area protects close to 8,600 hectares (about 21,250 acres) of near-urban Crown lands between Highways 103 and 333 (map (PDF: 3.1mb)).
This is a rugged landscape of forest, barrens, wetlands, rivers and lakes, ringed by communities.
Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness Area protects nature in the city, contributes to air quality and watershed protection, and much more. It is almost five times the size of Halifax Peninsula, and is only minutes away.
With its scenic views, natural setting, cultural history and location, the wilderness area offers superb opportunities for outdoor recreation like hiking, trail running, canoeing, trout fishing, hunting, and nature appreciation. It is also ideally suited for education and research.
The entire Bluff Wilderness Hiking Trail lies within the wilderness area, offering more than 30 km of backcountry trail for hiking, trail running and other uses.
The designation follows two years of public consultation, socio-economic study and consultation with the Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq. A public consultation summary (PDF: 3mb) is available, as is the socio-economic study (PDF: 1.5mb).
Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness Area is the 38th wilderness area to be designated in Nova Scotia. Wilderness areas protect nature and help ensure that future generations have the opportunity to experience, learn from, and enjoy our province’s special wild spaces.
Additional information on the new wilderness area, including final boundary decisions, next steps, and management considerations, is available here (PDF: 3.5mb).
More Information
Designation Documents
- Read the government's news release
- Download: Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness Area map (PDF: 3.1mb)
- Download: Designation information (PDF: 3.5mb)
Consultation Documents
Socio-economic Study
- Download: Summary: Socio-economic Analysis (PDF: 116k)
- Download: Socio-Economic Analysis of Five Bridge Lakes Candidate Wilderness Area (PDF: 1.5mb)
- Read the government release (June 2011)
Public Consultation
- Download: Public Consultation Summary (PDF: 3mb)
- Read the government news release (August 2010)
- Download: Consultation Information - Five Bridge Lakes Candidate Wilderness Area (PDF: 2.2mb) (Winter 2010)
- Download: Five Bridge Lakes Candidate Wilderness Area map (PDF: 1.6mb)
- Read the prior government news releases: October 2009 | February 2010