UPDATE: The province lifted its wildfire-related ban in Halifax and counties farther northeast (including Antigonish & Guysborough) on Aug. 29, 2025, with Premier Tim Houston saying in a news release that conditions were “heading in the right direction in certain parts of the province.”
The Province of Nova Scotia notified municipalities and trail groups on Tuesday August 5th 2025 about new restrictions being implemented to support ongoing wildfire prevention efforts. Because of the exceptionally hot and dry conditions, as of 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 5, 2025, the Province has placed restrictions on travel and activity in the woods across Nova Scotia. This is in addition to the province wide burn ban that was put in place on July 30, 2025.
Woods, as defined in the provincial Forests Act, include forested land, rock barren, brush land, dry marsh, bog or muskeg.
Parks that are all woods will be fully closed. Parks with non-woods areas – such as greenspaces, playgrounds, sports fields and ball diamonds – will remain open for use.
For parks which have both woods and non-woods areas, the woods are closed, and the non-wooded areas remain open. An example of this would be Columbus Field where the monument, playground and sports field remain open but the woods, or Pipers Glen are closed.
Closures include:
-Keppoch Trails (including Cameron’s Lake)
-Bethany Trails – Contemplative, Woods Road and Sacred Heart
-The Landing Trail
-Fairmont Trails
-Eiggman and Eigg Mountain Trails
-Cape George Trails
-Arisaig Provincial Park trails
-Beaver Mountain Park trails
-John’s Pass (Annie’s Bluff to Arbor Drive)
– Please note this is not a complete list. If the public trail or space is wooded, please consider it closed.
PARKS, PLAYGROUNDS & BEACHES REMAINING OPEN
The following areas are remaining open for use are this time:
-Multi-use pathway running along the old Trunk 4
-Beaches
-Columbus Field (playground, courts, sports field, dog park)
-AEC & SAJS Playgrounds
-Scotiabank Mini-Pitch
-Sports fields and ball diamonds
People can still access beaches and parks, but wooded trail systems are off limits until further notice. Please consider all trails closed, as per Provincial Mandate, whether signage is visible on site or not. The fine for violating these restrictions is $25,000. People who witness restricted activity on trails are asked to please report it directly to the Dept of Natural Resources: 1-800-565-2224.
We ask our residents to remain vigilant during this extremely dry period and to take care when using public spaces. We also remind folks to properly dispose of cigarette butts and other waste that may pose a potential fire hazard.
Let’s all do our part to keep our community safe!
For more information: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/08/05/travel-activities-woods-restricted-prevent-wildfires?fbclid=IwY2xjawL_GyFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFoNHhCU29yeTJNRXk1N0ZIAR4bbynjwaI4VW9kBXVSvU35kxuWIV2wDI4K2B1uKidqFjI8iU4M46RclIQlMA_aem_wiOY2jQp26JmybjPv-T0Jg
