West Springhill: Sandy Beaches, Paddling and Nature

West Springhill is closely associated with the beach and water: at Raven Haven Beachside Family Park, you’ll find a public sandy beach and free canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards. Tourism Nova Scotia describes the park as home to the largest public sandy beach in Annapolis County. Beyond this, the wider destination of Annapolis County offers other nature and hiking experiences, from coastal trails to wetlands.

Beach and Watercraft at Raven Haven Park

Visiting Raven Haven Beachside Family Park is free. The canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are also available free of charge. Advance reservations are recommended for the watercraft, especially for larger groups. If paddling is a focus of your stay, this is a useful detail to include in your plans: the recommendation applies to the watercraft, while visiting the park itself is free.

Access to the water includes a Mobi-Mat, providing a stable path. A floating beach wheelchair is also available by reservation. If you plan to use this option, remember to make a reservation. The park brings together a sandy beach, watercraft and practical assistance for getting to the water, while still leaving room for more than one kind of activity.

Hiking Trails in Annapolis County

Delaps Cove Wilderness Trail has two loop trails of different lengths: Bohaker Trail is 2.2 km long, with an estimated walking time of one hour; Charlies Trail is 1.9 km long. The 2.7 km Shore Road Trail connects the two in one direction. This lets you choose between two individual loops and a connected route, without combining their distances into one loop distance.

A 43-foot-high waterfall is located at Bohaker Cove. From a viewing platform, you can see basalt lava cliffs. The trail runs along the wind-swept coast of the Bay of Fundy through a 130-acre forested area. In more remote sections, visitors can discover stone walls, foundations and lilac bushes; the area also offers opportunities for birdwatching and photography. The waterfall, coastal scenery and traces of earlier settlement give this trail a range of points of interest.

More Landscapes and Activities

The Harvest Moon Trailway in Annapolis County offers a different scale: the trail is about 115 km long and connects communities in the Annapolis Valley between Annapolis Royal in Annapolis County and Grand Pré in Kings County. Much of it consists of multi-use trails for hiking and cycling. The route officially opened in 2017; the historic route was known as the Dominion Atlantic Railway (CP). Unlike the shorter loops at Delaps Cove, this route links communities over a much longer distance.

The landscape also varies within Annapolis County. The 180-hectare McGill Lake Wilderness Area protects a wetland with diverse plant communities and scattered forest habitats in the natural landscape of the South Mountain Rolling Plain. Upper Clements Trails, meanwhile, is a multi-use recreational trail system with more than 16 km of singletrack and doubletrack trails for non-motorized activities. For regional paddling plans, the guide Canoe Annapolis County brings together 27 routes and covers topics including trip planning, safety, equipment and wilderness ethics.

Choose Your Vacation Rental Based on the Focus of Your Trip

When searching for a vacation rental in West Springhill, start by deciding whether the beach and paddling or hiking and nature will shape your stay. Raven Haven Beachside Family Park offers a specific point of interest in West Springhill. The hiking trails and protected areas mentioned here are in the wider Annapolis County area and offer their own ideas for planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Deep Brook, Granville Ferry, Bridgetown, Annapolis Royal.

For the broader travel overview: Annapolis County.