Skip to main content

Nova Scotia's Sunrise Trail


If you have ever visited Nova Scotia, you probably noticed the numerous scenic auto travelways that traverse the province. Some of the scenic routes are very well known, such as the Cabot Trail that is on Cape Breton Island, or the Evangeline Trail in southwestern Nova Scotia. However, there are plenty of other scenic travelways in Nova Scotia as well, such as the Sunrise Trail. The scenic auto trails are designed to allow the traveler to explore Nova Scotia by visiting its exciting towns, picturesque scenic vistas and memorable points of interest.

At 229 miles (368 kilometres) in length, the Sunrise Trail hugs the northern shore of Nova Scotia along the Northumberland Strait (which separates Prince Edward Island from Nova Scotia) from Amherst to Auld's Cove near the Canso Causeway, passing through places like Pugwash, Tatamagouche, Pictou, New Glasgow, Cape George and Antigonish on its way from east to west. The Sunrise Trail is signed with Nova Scotia Trunk Route 6 from Amherst to Pictou, and a hodgepodge of other routes from Pictou to the east. During my visit to Nova Scotia in 2012, I had the opportunity to drive the Sunrise Trail from Pictou to Tatamagouche. Here are some of the photos from my travels.

A few houses along the Northumberland Strait.

Entering Seafoam.

This part of the Sunrise Trail actually features a lot of trees.

Near River John.

Near River John.

A truss bridge near Tatamagouche. It looks like it is now part of recreational trail.

Downtown Tatamagouche.


Sources and Links:
TheSunriseTrail.com - The Sunrise Trail
Canadian Affair - Riding the Sunrise Trail in Nova Scotia 
EatSleepRide - Ride the Twisty Sunride Trail along the Northumberland Strait in Nova Scotia 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Tale of Tollhouse Road, western California State Route 168 and failed Piute Pass Highway

Western California State Route 168 is entirely located in Fresno County and is linked historically to the Tollhouse Road corridor.   Tollhouse Road is one of the oldest highways in the Sierra Nevada range of Fresno County. The corridor presently begins in at Clovis Avenue in downtown Clovis and extends northeast to Huntington Lake. In 1866 the Woods Brothers established mining claims on Pine Ridge. In 1867 Fresno County would grant the brothers a toll franchise to construct a roadway to the desirable logging areas atop Pine Ridge and near Dinkey Creek. The Woods would establish a tollhouse at the start of their franchise road and lumber mill. The lumber mill attracted settlers which led to the establishment of the mountain town of Tollhouse. Fresno County would purchase the Tollhouse Road in 1878 and make it a public highway. The county would remove the tolls and incorporate the corridor into the existing county road network. Prior to the establishment of Clovis in 1...

The James Dean Memorial Junction interchange (California State Routes 41 and 46)

The James Dean Memorial Junction interchange structure opened during June 2025 as a grade separation between California State Routes 41 and 46 in Cholame Valley.  This interchange structure is located a short distance eastward from the infamous 1955 crash site which took the life of actor and racecar driver James Dean.  The crash site was once a Y-junction between US Route 466 and California State Route 41 which was reconfigured in 1959.  This blog will examine the history of the highway junction in Cholame Valley from stage route times through the US Route 466-era and into construction period of the current interchange. Part 1; the history of James Dean Memorial Junction James Dean Memorial Junction is located in Cholame Valley of eastern San Luis Obispo County.  Long before the existence of the State Highway System this valley has served as the junction for the highways crossing Polonio Pass and Cottonwood Pass in the Temblor Range.  The so-called Lemoore Road...

The Vague Original Southern Terminus of US Route 91 in the Californian Mojave Desert

From a modern standpoint, the routing of Interstate 15 between Barstow to the Nevada state line is very clear.  Historically regarding US Route 91 this wasn't the case as the hostile and barren parts of the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County had few good roadways.   In 1920 the Arrowhead Trail commissioned the Silver Lake Cutoff from Las Vegas southwest to Daggett.  The Silver Lake Cutoff saved 90 miles of travel from the original highway corridor by using an alignment utilizing Jean, Goodsprings, Ripley, Kingston and Silver Lake.  Although the Silver Lake Cutoff existed during the early development of the US Route System it was far more haggard than the original Arrowhead Trail alignment south of Las Vegas through Searchlight and Bannock.  During the planning phase of the US Route System the southern terminus of US Route 91 was to be located at US Route 60 (later US Route 66) in Bannock, California to the west of Needles.  When the US Route Sys...