Several camping and day-use parks will be open in time for the Victoria Day weekend. Nova Scotia’s provincial parks will start opening Friday, May 19, for another season of adventure with gorgeous views, peaceful surroundings and beautiful beaches.
“Our parks offer physical and mental health benefits for Nova Scotians and they’re also important for tourism and business all across our province,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables. “That’s why we’re making a significant investment in our park infrastructure this year. We’re doing a variety of upgrades with a focus on safety and improving the visitor experience.”
This year’s Capital Plan invested $10.2 million for provincial park repairs and upgrades, an increase of $9.2 million. Potential projects for repairs and upgrades are being assessed and prioritized based on visitor safety and experience, including accessibility improvements.
Confirmed projects include:
— the multi-year redevelopment work at Blomidon, Canning, and Dollar Lake, Wyses Corner
— a washroom at Lawrencetown Beach, East Lawrencetown
— a parking lot, signage, vault toilet and beach access path at Carter’s Beach, Port Mouton
Provincial campgrounds continue to grow in popularity. About 1.5 million people visited camping and day-use parks in 2022, up by about 200,000 from 2021. Camping parks hosted 99,304 paid overnight stays, an increase of nine per cent.
Quick Facts:
— all provincial parks are expected to be open by early June
— alcohol and cannabis are not permitted at camping parks from opening day to July 2; from July 3 until closing in the fall, they are only permitted at rented campsites; they are never permitted at day-use parks
— despite damage from hurricane Fiona, most parks are expected to open on schedule, except for Rushtons Beach Provincial Park in Pictou County where the boardwalk is being reconstructed
— people should take precautions to prevent tick exposure when they’re outdoors, such as tucking in shirts and pulling socks over pant legs
— for early protection against Lyme disease, people can visit their local pharmacist to have their tick bite assessed and determine if a preventative antibiotic is appropriate
Day use parks open May 19
Camping parks opening Friday, May 19:
— Blomidon, Canning, Kings County
— Cape Chignecto, Advocate Harbour, Cumberland County
— Ellenwood Lake, Deerfield, Yarmouth County
— Graves Island, East Chester, Lunenburg County
— Porters Lake, Porters Lake, Halifax Regional Municipality
— Rissers Beach, Petite Riviere, Lunenburg County
— Thomas Raddall, Port Joli, Queens County
Camping park opening Friday, May 26:
— Mira River, Albert Bridge, Cape Breton Regional Municipality
Camping parks opening Friday, June 2:
— Amherst Shore, Amherst Shore, Cumberland County
— Battery, St. Peter’s, Richmond County
— Boylston, Boylston, Guysborough County
— Caribou-Munroes Island, Caribou, Pictou County
— Dollar Lake, Wyses Corner, Halifax Regional Municipality
— Five Islands, Five Islands, Colchester County
— Laurie, Grand Lake, Halifax Regional Municipality
— Salsman, Country Harbour, Guysborough County
— Smileys, Brooklyn, Hants County
— The Islands, Shelburne, Shelburne County
— Valleyview, Bridgetown, Annapolis County
— Whycocomagh, Whycocomagh, Inverness County
Source: Release
