Established in 1887 with land donated by Susan Wadell Stevens and named in honour of Queen Victoria, the monarch of the time. The 1000 acre Victoria Park in Truro has long been one of the top outdoor destinations in the province. The park contains lots of facilities, including a large parking area, tennis courts, baseball diamond, picnic areas, BBQ pits, playground, splash pad, heated pool, restrooms, security/info kiosk, meeting facilities and a bandstand that hosts live music for its “Sunday in the park” concert series throughout the summer.

The park is an ideal place for picnics, family gatherings, cycling, hiking and overall enjoyment of the outdoors. In winter, the trails are groomed for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing.

Victoria Park has a magical quality to its scenic trails. Scenery straight out of Harry Potter or Lord of The Rings is everywhere you look. The “Holy Well”, a replica of an early Acadian well used for baptisms, and its surrounding area could be a Hollywood movie set.

The well constructed and maintained boardwalks and stairways line the large natural gorge, helping protect it from erosion. The main trail follows along Lepper Brook and its 2 scenic waterfalls. Perhaps the park’s most famous feature is its 175 step “Jacobs Ladder” stairway which leads directly up the gorge. It’s a stop everyone who visits the park is sure to make.

The extensive trail system is well marked and maintained, with signs indicating distances. You can enjoy the park with as little as an hour or two, by walking a couple of km’s along the main trail, or you could spend all day exploring the various other looped trails which extend as far as the town of Truro reservoir.

Old-growth forest, a rarity in Nova Scotia, encompasses most of the park and is a big part of the indescribable experience everyone has here. The refreshing smells and overall magical aura of the park leave most of us with a refreshed feeling that only a place like this can provide. It’s definitely worth the 1hr drive from Halifax.

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