Cranberry Lake Trails

Dartmouth is known for a lot of things (haters to the left…) but many forget that it’s the City of Lakes. Sure, you’ve got the more known Lake Banook and Mic Mac, but even the ‘burbs are stacked with prime outdoor action that’s well-​maintained, picturesque, and perfect for getting away from the terrifying Stepford drivers.
Cranberry Lake is a calm, motor-​free waterbed bridging Dartmouth and Cole Harbour. The paved path runs along the water, through the well-​groomed trees making it completely accessible for just about anyone. Plus no motorized vehicles are allowed on the trail. Despite that one time I was nearly run over by an idiot on a dirtbike, the rule seems to be pretty well adhered to.
It’s a pretty quick walk if you jump off the trail at Gregory Drive and circle back on Wildwood, but it can be much longer if you keep following the trails as they continue pretty far in between Flying Cloud Drive (baaahahahaha care bears) and Circassion Drive. Frankly if you know your way around, you can customize your route to be anything from fifteen minutes to several hours!
One gripe? It’s not an off-​leash park. That’s fine and makes a tremendous amount of sense since you’re never far from civilization and the cars that come with it. But dog owners — follow the rules, would ya? First of all, it’s not worth the stress of losing your pooch in a maze of houses and streets that all look the same. Second, in a split second your dog could end up out in the middle of the road. Third, the rest of us have ours on leash… just do the same. C’mon…