Fall guided hikes continue through Pictou County Hike Club up to December 2
NEW GLASGOW – The Pictou County Hike Club has received the 2026 Recreation Nova Scotia Connecting People with Nature Award, following an awards ceremony on Oct. 14.
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This award recognizes efforts by an organization, community, or individual to enhance access to outdoor spaces, encouraging more Nova Scotians to enjoy nature.
“We couldn’t be happier to earn such praise in such a short amount of time,” said Veronica Deno, the Active Living Manager with the Town of New Glasgow.
“With our club about to enter its first full year in December, it is very special to receive provincial recognition like this. People were excited to see that we got the award, and they feel good about being part of such a special group,” Deno said. “We’ve had people come out before who have lived their entire lives in Pictou County and not been on some of these trails. It’s special to be able to share that first experience with them. It’s very nice to know that people feel confident about coming out to explore nature as part of our little group.”
The Pictou County Hike Club was formed last December after two years of collaboration between Active Pictou County, Make Your Move New Glasgow, and Westville Recreation, who wished to create a formal group for ease of access.
The group has gone on many guided hikes and has held special events, such as a volunteer cleanup of the Johnny Miles Memorial Trail for Earth Day earlier this year.
The group will be holding a special 2026 Hiker Summit at the Town of Pictou Recreation Centre on Nov. 14, celebrating and connecting hikers new and old.
“Having participants show up each week and growing our numbers is the reason we are able to continue to do what we do,” said Leighton Hayden, the Municipal Physical Activity Leader (MPAL) with the Municipality of Pictou County and the Town of Pictou.
“There are always new folks joining our hikes, every hike, and it’s really great to welcome people like that. Since starting last year, we really haven’t had a down season, with plans going on all the time at various locations. We had a record-breaking turnout on Oct. 8 with 55 people joining us at Trenton Park, and that is just so special to see.”
The current Fall Guided Hike season is ongoing, with hikers being encouraged to discover trails in each Pictou County community to earn the new Pictou County Hiker Badge. The next scheduled hikes will be held at 6 p.m. this season at the following locations:
- Kutawtimnu Trail (2.2km) on Nov. 4
- Jitney Trail (5km) on Nov. 14
- Old Foster Trail (3.6km) on Nov. 18
- Samson Trail (4km) on Dec. 2
“We’ve really created a small community within our communities that brings us together,” said Melanie Dash, the Recreation Director for the towns of Stellarton and Westville.
“We represent five towns. I work for Westville and Stellarton. Leighton works for the Town and County of Pictou, and Veronica works for New Glasgow. Our collaboration is creating a small slice of special community within the larger communities that allows us to celebrate and explore our trails together. We encourage anyone to get out and get moving through these next few months, and to try out one of our guided hikes this season.”
For more information on upcoming events being organized by the Pictou County Hike Club, visit their Facebook page.
Anyone looking to register for a hike can send an email to melanie.dash@westville.ca or call 902-396-1059.
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