Annapolis County has added to its list of “must try” trail destinations as the Upper Clements Trails has officially opened.

In 2022, the Municipality contributed $22,000 to the volunteer trail building group, Annapolis Basin Outdoor Adventures Society (ABOAS), whose members created nearly 8kms of new trail development; contributing nearly 2000 volunteer hours to the project.

“Council and staff are pleased and proud to be opening this new trail system,” said Warden Alex Morrison. “The Annapolis Basin Outdoor Adventures Society (ABOAS) partnered with us to create an amazing trail system in Upper Clements that we hope will be one of the top destination trails in Nova Scotia.”

These efforts have provided Annapolis County with a ‘must-go-to’ destination for all outdoor enthusiasts, regardless of the season - hiking, mountain biking, trail running, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and fat mountain biking. Trails were designed with both single and double track opportunities for beginner and the intermediate users. Each trail represents local favourites through names like Moon Mist, Milky Way, Nor’Easter, Washtub, Millstone, Prescesky, Deee- Cent, and Gravity Cheque, just to name a few.

“The official opening highlighted the trails developed in 2022; however, the plan is to expand the trail system by the end of 2023,” noted Warden Morrison. “This is largely thanks to Annapolis Basin Outdoor Adventures Society members who have already committed almost 2000 hours of volunteer time to date and are still enthusiastic to build more trails.”

A total of $23,800 was announced during the opening for the next phase of trail development – County of Annapolis ($15,000), Province of Nova Scotia ($6,300), and the Parker Mountain Wind Turbine Society ($2500). Phase 2 is already being planned by ABOAS, and will include such names as Storm Chips, Hunkerdown, Beaver Tale and Fenderbumper.

In 2024, the plan for Phase 3 of this project will include an accessible trail.   

The Upper Clements Trails official opening took place on Saturday, June 24^th, at 2958 Hwy 1, Upper Clements.