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Nova Scotia trails · Minas Basin Trail

Minas Basin Trail

A 3.7-mile out-and-back in Nova Scotia, with 385 ft of climbing. Reaches Minas Basin Lookoff.

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Length
3.7 mi
Elevation gain
385 ft
Difficulty
Moderate
Max grade
20%
Steepest mile
+276 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
0.3 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Surface
Ground

Elevation profile

76 – 459 ft123

Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 87% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 1.2. It gives back about 224 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Minas Basin Trail

NRCAN MRDEM ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:02 a.m., the sun rises at 7:32 a.m. and sets at 6:34 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:04 p.m. (ADT) — 11 h 03 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 7.4-mile round trip takes roughly 3 h 08 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 10:40 a.m. — 7 h 55 min before sunset.

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