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Trail Etiquette in Oxford, a Nova Scotia Trail Town

Trail Etiquette in Oxford, a Nova Scotia Trail Town 

What are Trail Towns?  Often trails or abandoned rail trail corridor runs beside or through towns.  This can have many positive effects such as increased sales for accommodations, fuel and food.  Sometimes, it can mean that users enjoy the town destination so much that they even choose to live there and raise families.  A trail near a town provides outdoor access for local residents, both for short excursions and as a link to greater trail systems.  Trail clubs try to make and maintain trails for everyone, but this can only happen if all users follow common-sense rules of the trail and especially respect when a trail comes in close proximity to local homes and businesses.  In the case of Oxford, there is increased respect required due to the number of hikers and bicycle users accessing local rail trail and accessing a local hiking trail (Bunny Trail).  Keep in mind that you are on the famous Trans Canada Trail from Pictou to Oxford and to the New Brunswick Border.  The Oxford to Pictou section is receiving a lot of trail tread and infrastructure attention as local clubs are striving to make it a 4th Destination Trail for us in Northern Nova Scotia which has many requirements to achieve this designation.  Having the hard work of all volunteer clubs involved destroyed or damaged is very hard to recover from.  We know 95 percent of users respect the trail…but we need EVERYONE to be a trail hero.

Key Trail Etiquette Reminders:

Motorized must yield to non-motorized!

Leave at least one side of gates closed.  A large number of documented near misses in Cumberland County has created this need.  Thus, every intersection has a stop ahead, stop sign and a gate as visible reminders of a crossing…help save a life!

Slow/Quiet Zone/slow in residential (homes near the trail) areas.  If it is necessary to be out after 11 pm, keep speeds especially slow in residential zones.  Oxford, Pugwash Junction, Pugwash, Wallace Station, Wallace Bridge Station, Tatamagouche (Trail Town), Scotsburn, and Pictou.

Designated Trails require a pass…in essence, all trails maintained by clubs are there due to permissions obtained or given to Clubs (snowmobile and ATV)—to inherit this permission, buy a pass…and if it moves you, get a club membership.  Trails need everyone to be involved at some level to keep them in good condition.  Local clubs for motorized: Route Six Snowmobile Club and Sunrise Trails ATV Club.  Local clubs for Non-Motorized: Oxford and Area Trails Association and Cumberland Trails Association

Thank you, everyone, in advance for being mindful of the Trail Etiquette, if we all do our part it helps our communities to grow and become more partners and team players rather than showing resistance to the use of the multi-use trail system. 

To learn more about Nova Scotia Trail Etiquette, please see the NS Trails Federation Page.

Note: to purchase an “ATV Trail Pass” go online to https://atvans.wildapricot.org/join-us