Spread over 282 acres of untouched wilderness, Ellenwood Lake Provincial Park in Nova Scotia is one of the best getaway locations for vacationers and outdoor enthusiasts residing in the Easternmost part of Canada. It is a pretty little park, nestled between two lakes and located in the very heart of southern Nova Scotia.
The park offers visitors excellent camping facilities and plenty of recreational activities to keep them entertained. Campers and visitors alike can take advantage of the hiking, boating and fishing opportunities available at the park as well as its many winter based activities.
Nestled between two lakes, campers are always just a few feet away from refreshing cool waters which makes Ellenwood Lake Provincial Park a popular swimming spot for the locals. That said, the park remains equally lively in winters as the Friends of the Ellenwood Park encourages and arranges for fun winter activities such as snowshoeing, scavenger hunts, and nature walks.
If your idea of an outdoor adventure is relaxing and soaking up the scenic views around you than Ellenwood Lake can provide that as well. The fauna and flora of Ellenwood Park is unique and the views of lush green forest around you made of maple, birch, spruce, fir, pine, and hemlock will awaken your senses and your appreciation for nature.
Ellenwood Lake Provincial Park is located only 20 minutes away from downtown Yarmouth. Yarmouth was once a famous lobster fishing town and has a sizeable population. Ellenwood Lake Provincial Park is about a 19 km drive northeast of Yarmouth. Take Exit 34 off Highway 101, keep driving for 6.5 km along Route 340 and from there follow the signs until you have reached the park’s entrance.
Upon reaching, you’ll be required to park at the entrance and sign the log book. If you arrive in winters and are planning to ski, then walk 20 minutes from the entrance and you’ll find the ski cabin. You’ll get your map at the entrance so you can find your campsite easily.
Ellenwood Lake Provincial Park offers 82 unserviced sites in one campground that is divided into Loop A and Loop B. Loop B has a total of 45 campsites while A Loop has a total of 36 campsites to RV campers. The park also offers five walk-in sites for those seeking a more primitive camping experience or arrive at the park without any prior booking.
The campground accommodates campers with all sorts of amenities such as comfort stations, flush toilets, showers, group-use shelter, fire grills, firewood, ice, swimming beach area, boat launch area, wheelchair accessible areas, hiking trails, and even a dishwashing station. Leashed pets are also allowed at the campsite.
All campsites are spacious and offer partial shade and decent privacy. Some campsites overlook the lake waters and are roomier than others. None of the campsites offer electric, water or sewer hook-ups.
Bird lovers and outdoor enthusiasts love coming to Ellenwood Provincial Park for a spot of birdwatching as the park is home to Loon which can be spotted frequently in the area. These birds are mesmerizing to watch as they are excellent swimmers and divers and do not hold back from showing off. Double-Crested Cormorant is another resident bird of Nova Scotia with their long bodies and thick neck that can be spotted around the lake shores. Great blue heron, Canada goose, common eider, and common merganser are other birds that are often sighted at the park.
Ellenwood Provincial Park hosts two picnic areas that come with all the facilities that make for an enjoyable and memorable picnicking experience. This includes a number of picnic tables, nearby comfort stations, cooking shelter, fire grills and access to drinking water. A playground area is also available nearby to keep children entertained. The beach area also provides a great spot for picnicking, relaxing and basking in the sun.
During the winter months, the park offers free of cost skiing facilities to the entire family. The Ski Cabin, which is stocked up with cross-country skiing equipment, opens up at the weekend. Equipment in all sizes is available, allowing both kids and the adults to enjoy a fun skiing trip together as a family.
The ski cabin that opens every Saturday and Sunday from noon to evening is also stocked up with snowshoeing gear. 7 km/4.3 miles of ski trails are groomed and tracked throughout the park for cross-country skiing, while other smaller trails are left untouched and ungroomed for snowshoers, and winter hikers. Hot drinks and a wood stove are also provided to winter adventurers to help them keep their bodies warm and their spirits high.
Anglers love Ellenwood Lake Provincial Park for two reasons; it has plenty of fish in its deep lake waters and plenty of quiet and reclusive fishing spots where they can’t be disturbed. The quiet and peaceful shores allow anglers to throw their line and hook and wait for brown trout, speckled trout, chain pickerel, or the Atlantic Salmon to take the bait. Anglers can either to choose to fish on Ellenwood Lake or Agard Lake as they both contain the same species of fish.
The deep blue Ellenwood lake is not just a sight to behold, but also to experience. A beach area offers guests the opportunity to dive into the cool waters or use the boat launch area to get their kayaks, canoes or paddleboards onto the calm lake waters. The park management has not only appointed a separate area as a beach with beach shelters but also made sure of safety by ensuring supervised swimming. The lifeguards are stationed at all times during the summer swimming hours.
Ellenwood Lake Provincial Park is situated on largely flat landscape and only has one hiking trail that is about 2 kilometers or 1.2 miles in length. It’s a very laidback trail and suitable for people of all ages. The trail begins from the day use parking area and winds through traditional Acadian forests that comprise largely of pine, maple, birch, hemlock, spruce and fir trees. There are occasional wet spots on the trail and the path is marked with yellow markers that the hikers can find on the trees.
