A Peaceful, Natural Family Getaway: Big Hill Retreat (Big Hill, Cape Breton)

As spring settles in, I am reflecting on Maritime Outdoor Family's best adventure of this past winter. It was without a doubt our week of hibernation in Cape Breton at Big Hill Retreat. In December, we escaped the noise of the winter holidays and set off to celebrate winter solstice by reconnecting with nature, with each other, and with ourselves. 

Big Hill Retreat was perfect for just that. With only three secluded cabins and a long enough uphill dirt road that you did not want to have to push your 2-wheel drive car up more than once, we truly did hibernate. Our days were spent lighting the woodstove, cooking, reading, doing family yoga, and walking/snowshoeing the trails on the property. 

Morning fire after a fresh snowfall.

Daily yoga with a 4-year-old!

 Fresh snow for snowshoeing!

Big Hill Retreat was the perfect nature getaway! The owners, Terry & Linda, are very welcoming; the cabins are rustic yet comfortable and beautifully constructed; and the property has beautiful private trails accessible without needing to get in your car. It was winter bliss! If you want to escape and feel off the grid while still having the conveniences of electricity, this is the place! 

White Pine Trail

Trail signs made from recycled tin lids.

Practicing her skills! 

Waterfalls Trail

Trails were well labeled. Our kiddo loves looking at maps! 

Little Prince Trail

Le petit prince

Little Prince Trail on a warmer day

Other hikes nearby:

• Uisage Ban Falls Provincial Park 
• North River Falls
• Lewis Mountain 

Guess Who's Back & Snowshoeing: Dollar Lake Provincial Park (Wyses Corner, NS)

Dear blog, let me breathe air into your lungs, compress your chest, and will you back to life. I'm sorry to have abandoned you, but damn, how does one find time for it all? Today I come back to you for a short and snappy post about snowshoeing. More posts to follow on various other adventures over the past 6 months. 

Today is frigid by Nova Scotia standards: -17 degrees Celsius with the wind. We piled on our layers of fleece and wool and set out to snowshoe at Dollar Lake Provincial Park, which has awesome winter trails that are groomed by Ski Martock. 

The snowshoeing was great even though snot froze to the beards of men all around me and my daughter's cheeks looked like she had rosied them with clown make-up. We may have only lasted an hour before the wee one had us convinced her legs would need to be amputated if we didn't stop, but it was worth the trip anyway. We got to get outdoors, breathe fresh air into our lungs, see cheery faces on the trail, and prove to ourselves that winter doesn't have to be something to lament about. 

A Bit More About Cold Weather with Kiddos

• Let's face it, some of the hardcore will laugh at your level of preparation & gear required, but all of this will make the adventure much smoother! So laugh away!
• LAYERS: There cannot be too many. You are better off carrying the extra layers that are shed than cutting your trip short with a miserably cold kiddo (remember, they do not suffer through silently like some adults).
• Snacks freeze, and it can be really hard for wee ones to chew granola bars and other usual trail noms. For cold weather hiking, we always bring an herbal tea in our Kleen Kanteen to warm us up. On really cold days, consider a trail treat for kiddos to spice things up. There is less variation in the surroundings on snowy hikes, so a trail treat can be something kiddos look forward to. Today, we brought oatmeal with raisins, coconut, and walnuts to warm our bellies.

• On the note of enticing trail food (even for an hour-long hike that would normally not warrant a snack), kiddos need distractions! We use distractions year-round when the trail whining comes out: Are we there yet? In the cold weather, distractions are even more crucial. Singing a song, chatting about something new at school, or planning a yummy supper meal together can help distract from whining. If they are truly cold, tired, or hungry, you will know it! 

A Bit More About The Trails

• Trails are groomed by Ski Martock. Here is their map of the trails:

• Trail etiquette: no dogs, minimize foot traffic, snowshoes keep to the ungroomed side, in-line and skate skis have their respective tracks.
• Trailhead is found at: N 44 56' 45.9" W 63 18' 54.2"

One of Our Favourite Winter Hikes: Uniacke Estates Trails (Mt Uniacke, NS)

Hey folks, 

Sorry I have been MIA since fall. I started my Masters in addition to working full-time, so as you've probably guessed, my spare time is limited. What spare time remains is for getting outdoors! Today, however, as we are all stuck inside from another whirlwind blizzard, I want to write to you about a great winter hike! 

You may not hear from me again until May, but I plan to have lots to share then because we are planning an epic family road trip this summer. More to come!


Uniacke Estates Trails are located just 30 to 40 minutes outside of HRM. When I first heard of them, I thought estates sounded lame and too urban for my kind of hiking, but I had it all wrong. Uniacke Estates Trails are located on a property formerly owned by Richard John Uniacke, a Nova Scotian Attorney-General, that was donated to the province and now serve as a museum and nature trails. The property is completely gorgeous and large enough to be full of nature. In the winter, the trails are even more isolated as the museum part (the house and out buildings) is closed. 

The trails range from very easy to hard. The map is easy to follow and the trails are too for the most part. The signage and trail markers are great! As with any trail that travels through barrens or fields, the Drumlin Field can be tricky in the winter to know if you're on the trail, but it is never too worrisome as children are often sledding down the hill alongside you. 

Trail marker colours coordinate with the colour of the trail on the map! So handy!

Many interpretive panels and trail signs mark the way. 

My favourite thing about this hike was the sounds of the ice! As you hike alongside Murphy Lake and Uniacke Lake/Lake Martha, you can hear the moaning and cracking of the ice. It's a nice break from the noise of daily life to stand in the forest and hear only the uncontrollable movements of ice. 

Frozen Lake Uniacke/Martha Lake

You can often see animal tracks in the beautiful ice!

As a great first winter hike for families, I would recommend parking behind the Uniacke & District Fire Department in the parking lot (654 Highway #1) where you will find the trailhead for Murphy Lake Trail. (Note that because the museum is not open in the winter, the main entrances to the park are rarely plowed or accessible.) From Murphy Lake Trail, you can connect with Drumlin Field Trail and then onto Lake Martha Loop where you will see the estates. This is a good amount of challenge, not too long to be out on a cold winter day, and allows you to see both the nature of the property as well as the residence. 

Recommendations for hiking this trail with kiddos:

• Stroller-friendly on the easy trails in the summer.
• Babywearing will be essential for babies up to preschoolers (depending on distance covered) in the winter. 
• Parents: WEAR/BRING TRACTION DEVICES especially if wearing children!
• In the winter, toddlers who are steady on their feet can toddle some, but be cautious of ice as the trails can be very slippery.
• Outhouses are not open in the winter, so be prepared to pee in the woods.
• Bring sunglasses for kids and adults alike to avoid snowblindness/snow headaches!

PS: We did this hike when it was -19°C with the wind chill. We had lots of warm clothes and tea, and we loved it!!

One of the Greatest Reasons to Hike as a Family

Hey all,

Sorry for my hiatus in posting. I hope you all had a great holiday! Happy 2014!

To start off this year's posts, I wanted to share with you what I think is one of the greatest rewards of hiking with children. Now, there are several: teaching your child(ren) confidence, health benefits, spending time together as a family, teaching your child(ren) about the outdoors, and so forth. There is another though that is sort of a hidden--perhaps underrated--pleasure of hiking as a family:

An opportunity to communicate [with your spouse] ! 

Have you ever tried to have a conversation about something with an awake baby or toddler or preschooler in the room? Have you gotten far? It can be quite challenging to get more than a few words in sometimes before being interrupted let alone a few sentences. Being on the trail though, there is so much for wee ones to take in so they calm a bit often times leaving long gaps without interruption. For my spouse and I, we love getting a chance to chat about a new writing project or a critique of a film we've watched or even parenting techniques themselves. It is almost like a 'family meeting'. And in years to come it will be a great time to have a more focused conversation with our child(ren) about things in our lives at the time. We love these quiet moments among ourselves. 

Feel free to leave your favourite things about family hiking in the comments below. 

A day of snowshoeing and making snowpeople at Dingle Park!