- Difficulty: Easy.
- Facilities: Parking, benches, dog waste bags, garbage cans.
- Signage: Plenty of info panels signs and maps.
- Features: Follows 4 km of the Sackville River. Multi-use, active transportation route between Bedford & Sackville with direct access to sports fields. Educational info panels & benches throughout, thanks to the Sackville Rivers Association.
- Biodiversity: A rich corridor of floodplain forests, active wetlands, and urban greenspaces, the Sackville Greenway Trail protects a vibrant ribbon of diverse riparian flora and fauna.
The Sackville Greenway Trail
The Bedford-Sackville Greenway Connector was officially opened in 2006. It joins the two communities by a gravel pathway, which runs underneath and parallel to highways and overpasses, and is surprisingly tranquil. It’s largely for people within the community looking to commute by foot or to just get out and be active.
The Sackville River
The trail follows along the fantastic Sackville River, with its Salmon ladders and quaint footbridges which cross the river in 3 places. Towards the Sackville end of the path is a tunnel that has been painted by local students and is a charming symbol the work and dedication that a large group of volunteers has put into this trail system. The Sackville Rivers Association (donate!) has also posted signs along the route which are great for learning more about the river’s natural, historic habitat.
The trail has had a recent phased expansion with a 500m paved section along the Little Sackville River in Sackville. These planned, phased expansions hope to culminate in a comprehensive regional park. Alongside Sandy Lake, this area could become unique, highly ecologically significant urban parkland. Plans have been submitted to city council, so contact your local representative to encourage their support.
🟡 Low: Expect to drag.
Multi-Use Recreation Hub
The crusher dust surface provides an accessible trail for multiple uses. During peak seasons & times (May-October, evenings & weekends) the trail has a steady stream of walkers, joggers, cyclists, dogs, and baby strollers. Despite its popularity and proximity to a busy urban area, you’ll and still feel a sense of tucked-away solitude along the trail. There are benches and plenty of spots to stop all along the river.
2 baseball fields, a football field and a skate park (quarterpipe and ground rails) at adjacent Bud Bremner Park make the area a recreation hub that comes alive during minor baseball and football seasons. The football field is a great place to throw a ball or run around with the kids. A 400m gravel track surrounds the field, making it a good warm-up/cool-down spot, or an easy way to tack on some laps. The parking lot by the football field makes it a popular access point for the trail.
The trail consists of several sections and, at times, runs close to the highway, ending (or starting) abruptly on Old Sackville Road. There are plans to expand the trail, so with proper political initiative, it could become part of a city-wide backbone of green infrastructure.
Like other converted #rails-to-trails, it’s great for walking, jogging & biking. Also, like other #rails-to-trails, its linear nature, combined with a lack of comprehensive citywide route connections, means you’ll have to plan for an up-and-back trip. Hopefully, it’s able to continue its planned expansion and eventual connection to other active transportation trails, as the city works toward a comprehensive “greenbelting” of its urban core.
During peak seasons & times (May-October, evenings & weekends) the trail has a steady stream of walkers, joggers, cyclists, dogs, and baby strollers. Despite its popularity and proximity to urban areas, you’ll and still feel a sense of tucked-away solitude at various points along the trail.
My Sackville Greenway Photos
Remediation & Appreciation
With tranquil river views and plenty of places to stop, it’s an easily accessible, community trail that’s an example of a multi-use urban nature trail and watershed conservation done right. The trail is designed to bring the local community back to the river.
The mental, physical, societal & environmental health benefits were long overlooked when this river was a polluted mess. Native Salmon had disappeared completely, along with any reason for people to spend time by the river. With champions like the Sackville Rivers Association to spearhead its resurrection, the river is a living example of how ‘remediation through appreciation’ brings benefits to people, communities, and the environment alike. For the latest info & updates on the trail, visit the Sackville Rivers Association Facebook page.
Nature & Biodiversity
The rich riparian ecosystem flanking the Little Sackville River provides a thriving natural corridor for wildlife right alongside the community trail. Beneath a varied canopy of mature maples, alders, and mixed hardwoods, the damp riverbanks and shaded floodplains support lush ferns, wildflowers, and shrubs that offer abundant cover and food for local wildlife. Walkers frequently spot red squirrels and eastern chipmunks, while the quiet morning and evening hours offer opportunities to see snowshoe hares or white-tailed deer visiting the water’s edge.
As the trail winds past open marshy sections and slow-moving river bends, the landscape shifts to support an active wetland and aquatic community. The shallow waters and reedy shorelines are home to a wide array of waterfowl like mallards and wood ducks, along with nesting red-winged blackbirds, great blue herons hunting in the shallows, and various amphibians and dragonflies. It is a peaceful, accessible ecosystem where the rhythms of urban recreation and a protected river watershed flow together.
Recent Community Sightings
Live wildlife and plant observations logged along this route:
Spot something interesting while out on the trail?
View & Log Sightings
