Since Salt Marsh Trail is pretty much a causeway in the middle of stunning Cole Harbour (the actual harbour, not the area where Sidney Crosby grew up) it’s pretty hard not to love.  I’ve been to Salt Marsh Trail in the early morning, in the early evening, and once, as a thunderstorm rolled in.  The landscape was different (and incredible) every time.

The trail being a section of TCT, it’s nice and flat, and there are km markers, so it’s great for running.  I am not sure how far it goes (I have only run to the 4km-mark and back; I’m not a long distance runner!), but I think it goes for about 5km.  The only thing I would say is that farther down the trail, the crushed gravel becomes a little more like crushed rock (the rocks are a bit chunkier), and I think this can be a rough on dog paws after a few kms.

There are spots where the ocean is accessible for swimming, although from the looks of things, the current is pretty strong in a lot of these places, so I don’t consider it to be a good place to get in the water.

How to Get There

Drive up Portland Street, or, if you’re headed eastbound on the Circumferential Hwy (Hwy 111), take exit 7E.  From the Circumferential Hwy, continue driving up Portland Street (which turns into Cole Harbour Road) for about 4.7 km.  Turn right on Bissett Road.  This is the same road you would turn down to go to Rainbow Haven Beach.  Continue for about 3.1 km, and the parking lot will be on your left.  On the way, you’ll pass both the main parking lot and the secondary parking lot for the Cole Harbour/Lawrencetown Coastal Provincial Park.

On the other side of Bissett Road, there is overflow parking for Salt Marsh Trail.  This is also the other end of the Shearwater Flyer Trail/Caldwell Road TCT.