Trail Tools
- Scope (instructions) or binoculars
- Third eye (magnifying lens)
- Reusable plastic cup
- Camera
- Vision blocker (bandana/cloth as a blindfold)
- Adults can bring supplies for art, writing, photography or poetry
- Adventure Journal
This is a magnificent wilderness trail making for a tremendous “young naturalist” experience. It is rough going in parts and not a place for new hikers to start. The first section is very steep and is not advised for younger children (under 7). A backpack carrier is required for babies or toddlers. Watch the yellow or red markers on the trees on the uphill slope as the trail can be hard to distinguish. This is a beautiful and fragile area; ensure that children can follow instructions and show respect for it.
Go towards Musquodoboit Harbour on Highway 107. At the end of the highway, turn right towards Musquodoboit Harbour. In town, turn left just past the Caboose Interpretive Centre onto Highway 357. Travel about 15 km to the Gibraltar Rock trailhead on the right. The parking lot is signed for the “Musquodoboit Trailway.”
Enter the rail to trail at the metal gate and walk about 40 m and turn left up the hill following the path for the Gibraltar Rock Loop. Stop just before you enter the path.
Gibraltar Rock is an enchanted ridge waiting to be discovered by young naturalists. It is a magical world filled with incredible wild creatures. With sharp eyes you’ll see creatures you’ve never seen before.
In your journal, record your sightings and capture them in drawings or photos. Are you up for the challenging climb? Discover the skills all naturalists need to appreciate this magnificent and fragile ridge filled with beauty. Take pictures as you go to remember the beautiful trail.
From the main trail, turn left onto the Gibraltar Loop. Go up steeply 35 m and stop just below a giant boulder on your right.
Take the oath to become a young naturalist and be welcomed by all the creatures of this ridge:
“I promise to treat this enchanted ridge with respect by:
treating all living things with great care,
watching where I step,
and appreciating new discoveries, from the smallest plants to the giant rocks.”
Walk 75 m uphill following the yellow metal markers to where the trail crosses a rocky patch. Here, there is a green and white small arrow sign indicating that the main trail cuts back uphill to the left. This is easy to miss as a secondary trail continues straight. After the left cut back, continue following the yellow metal markers for 75 m to where the trail flattens out. Approach a large boulder on the right with ferns growing on top.
Ancient giants were frozen in the boulders here long ago. Can you see this hairy giant’s head and make out a face? What other creature faces or forms can you find frozen in the nearby boulders and trees? Photograph them with a special human camera:
Return to your favourite picture and sketch it in your journal.
These frozen giants provide homes for other creatures. Stand next to the hairy giant head and look left. Find the tree with a large hole in its side. It’s a pileated woodpecker home. Don’t touch!
Look for more homes as you continue uphill and imagine what might live in them.
Follow the path up the slope 60 m (following the yellow markers) to the base of a high rock face on the left.
The Wall of Life is a great place to use your discovery skills. Take out your third eye and explore. Look for:
Take a piece of the Wall of Life back home with you! Here’s how:
Walk about 100 m up to the lookoff.
Eagles like to perch in high spots like this that overlook hunting sites, such as a river or lake. Be like an eagle and find a good safe perch where you can look off to the valley below. Imagine you are soaring and spread your arms out wide and flap them like wings. Be careful and stay away from the edge.
Eagles have incredibly sharp eyes. They could see a fish swimming in the river from this height. Use your binoculars or scope to improve your eyes:
You may want to sketch the view or your favourite cloud shapes in your journal. If you brought a camera, do a series of panorama shots:
Turn your back to the lookoff and go up to the right of the exposed rock to find the path heading uphill. Walk 120 m through a flat, forested area and stop just before a second viewing platform with a small bench. The yellow markers continue along this section of the trail.
The trees on the Enchanted Ridge are old and very wise. Meet one in a special way:
Did you find the tree you first met through touch?
Walk up to the second lookoff. Take some photos to share.
Walk 310 m from the viewing platform and stop near a huge boulder on the left in the forest. Do this activity as you go.
There are lots of wild creatures that use this trail. Look for evidence of them:
You might see some creatures if you walk quietly and watch carefully.
Stop near the huge boulder on the left with ferns and moss on top. Don’t let anyone climb on the boulder and damage its fragile vegetation.
The Enchanted Ridge is a jungle of smells. Enjoy hidden aromas by making a “Jungle Jumble Sundae” in your cups.8
When you’re done, pick a favourite smell item and rub it on a journal page and label it. Find a small plant nearby and dump your jumble under it. How does this help the plant?
Walk 300 m and stop at a bridge over a little stream.
This stream gully is a magnificent place for magic spots25 and wonder watching. A magic spot is a comfortable place 20 m apart to enjoy nature on your own: sit under a tree, propped up against a rock or at the edge of the stream. Be still and very quiet for a designated time period (like 10-20 minutes). You might see a bird or an animal because they continue their activities when you’re quiet and blend in with your surroundings. Here are some things to do as you wonder watch:
Afterwards, as a group, share what you did and saw.
Continue 35 m along the trail, turning right at the wilderness trails sign and continuing 400m downhill to where the path rejoins the Trans Canada Trail. Turn right and walk 1.1 km to the trailhead.
Apply your naturalist skills as you return. See how many of these you can find:
At the parking lot trailhead, take the letters highlighted above and unscramble them to fit in the sentence below. It’s a clue to the location of the hidden plaque. Look
something man-made. Use your pencil or crayon to make a rubbing of the mystery creature on it in your Adventure Journal.
Upload your best picture if you choose.
The plaque symbol is:
Congratulations! You’ve climbed the Enchanted Ridge and discovered its beauty and wonders as a young naturalist. When you get home, share your pictures, writing or poetry with others.