Mid-August 2022, we took advantage of a gorgeous day to go to McNabs Island, which is right at the entrance of Halifax Harbour. We took a ferry and landed by the beach, then explored part of the island before going for a quick dip.
The ferry
Although McNabs Island is only 5 km away from downtown Halifax, you can only access it by private boat. So we took the Ambassatours ferry, which cost $35 per adult (return). The ride was a bit more than 30 minutes from the Halifax waterfront to Garrison Pier on the south shore of the island.
The ride was really enjoyable. We got a good view of Halifax from the water and the pilot gave us a crash course on the history and geography of the harbour and the island.
There are other companies that offer ferry rides, either from the Halifax waterfront, the Northwest Arm or from Eastern Passage. Also, if you feel adventurous, you can rent a kayak or a canoe and do the crossing on your own, but watch out for traffic!
The beach
Maugers Beach seemed to be the most popular part of the island and we understand why: it is the closest beach to downtown Halifax. Many people moored their motor boats for the day and enjoyed the white sand beach.
We changed in the outhouse and went for a quick swim in the cool water.
We could have spent the whole afternoon at the beach, but we wanted to explore the island.
The trails
In pure #beactivelikeV fashion, there was no way we were going to sit around and be lazy. We only had four hours to spare so we set out to visit the west end of the island.
After reading the map and a bit about the history of the island at the visitor information shelter by the pier, we walked uphill towards the Teahouse then downhill and west on Garrison Road towards Fort Ives.
The walk was on a gravel road through a light forest and bushes. There was not much to see so it was left to our imagination to retrace the path of Mi’kmaq hunters and fishers, Halifax socialites and British and Canadian soldiers who all had very different uses of these trails before the island became part of a provincial park.
The abandoned houses
We walked past a series of large abandoned wooden houses. On the map, they are labeled as Jack Lynch House, Davis Conrad House and Matthew Lynch House but, on site, there was no indication of who these people were and what they were doing on this island at the time.
All that was left was an eerie feeling of a Halloween tour in the middle of the summer. The windows still had curtains hanging and through one of them, we saw a doll sitting in the middle of an empty room and staring at us. I could swear she had a devilish smirk!
Adrien’s curiosity was piqued and he resolved that next time, he would book a tour with the Friends of McNabs Island Society to learn more about the history of the place.
Fort Ives
The first thing we saw about Fort Ives was a long rusted metal fence. We then crossed a large training ground surrounded by concrete boarded up buildings then past a series of heavy canons.
We walked up the western wall of the fort to get a view of Halifax from there. It was a good spot to snap a couple of pictures.
Picnicking on the island
There is no running water on the island so we made sure we brought enough water to sustain ourselves on this hot summer afternoon.
Also, spots to sit comfortably in the shade seemed scarce so, like other visitors, we ended up picnicking on a bench under the shelter that doubles as a visitor information booth by the pier.
Lastly, camping didn’t seem to be an option this year, so we made sure we didn’t miss the ferry home!
More pictures
One of the most popular spots on McNabs Island: the beach. 
The view from McNabs Island. 
From the yard of this abandoned house, you can see Dartmouth. The canons of Fort Ives 
The metal fence that surrounds Fort Ives. One of the abandoned houses. Old Military Road between Fort Ives and Garrison Pier. 
No camping.
Be Active Like V 