Reviews of McNabs and Lawlor Islands Provincial Park (Park)

Todd Miller

Jewel in the harbour. Love this place. Great spot for a walk and a picnic lunch while you learn the history.

Dan Christensen

A large island, with long walking trails between historic sites. We got a tour from a volunteer, who did a good job.

Lisa R Bishop

Was part of a historical hike. Great fun

Peter Nelson

1000 acre wilderness island with cool old military forts and surviving buildings from when the island was inhabited. Lots of trails and historic sites to visit. Camping is permitted without cost, but you must call to get a permit. Halifax is fortunate to have such a large wilderness protected island in the mouth of the Harbour that anyone can visit. Well worth the trip over. Especially on hot summer days to beat the city heat. It'll take a full day or more to explore the island. Bring food and lots of water as there are no services on island.

Nick Bottomley

Took a day trip with the friends of McNabs and it was splendid. A herb and heritage walk taught me a whole lot about this hidden gem. Highly reccomend

Kristina Noel

Serene, clean, and so much to see! 1000 acres of near wilderness, historic sites, beaches and hiking trails

Martin Kidd

Nice way to spend an afternoon. Very quiet island with few other people around, good hiking and lots of nice photo ops. No real services to speak of other than the occasional outhouse here and there so bring your own food and drink. You need to organise your own way to and from the island, we used Taylor Made Tours who were great to deal with.

Gregory Minacapelli

Camping hiking boating

Spencer Clerk

Though it's so close to the largest city on the east coast it feels as if you've been transported to another world. What I love about this park is how untouched it feels. The island is not overburdened by signs cautioning or forbidding you. It just simply is.

Doug MacNeil

Awesome wild place - just a 20 dollar boat ride away from Eastern Passage.

John Tracy

Great spot. Feels kind of remote despite the fact it is pretty close to downtown. The one drawback is that you pretty much need a private boat to get there.

patrick wetmore

Been there and like it

Curt Mavis (GTAflix)

very fun kayak ride from fishermans cove

CARLOS ARRIAGA

If you have a boat and want a place to have a good time without too many people around this is the place to go. You have historic sites, warm waters (sometimes) and sandy beaches.

Braedon Van Gorkom

Peaceful getaway from the city, only a boat-ride away. There are some terrific heritage sites here such as British forts, and some nice trails to walk through. Learned a lot about the old British Empire! Bring mosquito repellent!

Nick Dollimount

What a fantastic place to visit.

George Dao

A great place to visit. Nice hiking, great 360 degree views from the fortress, and a beautiful beach at wreck cove

Trevor Orser

Great time. Beautiful Island.

Greyson Jones

I had so much fun hiking here, and camping. Few amenities so pack well, but it is absolutely gorgeous, and a cheap excursion.

Matthew Hennigar

More of a wilderness area than a "park". That's what I love about it.

Tina Boutilier

Loved the island. Place to pic nic. Nice beach. Bring bug spray. Plenty of toilets. Good hike.

John van Gurp

McNabs Island really is the jewel in Halifax harbour. I despite being a provincial park it has very minimal infrastructure and it seems that most of the work that’s been done recently was completed by the local nonprofit society, the Friends of McNab’s Island. There are two or three boat services that will take you to the island and pick you up when you’re done, just do a simple search for them. The cost is very reasonable. You need to pack all your supplies for a day though, including water and appropriate clothing as there are no amenities on the island whatsoever. Some of the hiking is a little rough but there are plenty of side post around and with a simple mapping app on your phone you can find your way around easily enough. The coastal scenes are spectacular with lots of birdwatching.

Kathleen Caught

Back to nature at it's simplest

Krista Whitehouse

This is truly the best gem in the city of Halifax. I can't beleive I haven't written a review of this park before. I have been coming here for years and gave many tours here years ago. The island is a wonderful nature retreat right in the middle of the Halifax harbour. Three old abandoned military forts here, and lots of military history. The old McNabs family cemetery just off Fort McNab. You can bring a bike and cycle the roads/trails or hike and explore all the secondary trails. You can camp on the island for free as well. You just have to contact Natural resources to let them know you are coming. There are a ton of geocaches here for people to explore further. There is no water source on the island so pack in all your food and water and pack out your trash. There is no garbage pick up on the island. Washroom facilities are limited to a combination of old fashioned outhouses and composting toilets.

Varick LeBlanc

Beautiful piece of nature in the halifax harbour with lots of old forts to explore. The islands tends to have brighter sun and be warmer than the city as a heads up, beautiful trails and beaches. Wreck cove or back cove (the beach closest to eastern passage) has bioluminescent bacteria at night. As you disturb the water you'll see little flashes of bright light, it looks almost like little sparks. Amazing night swimming if you don't min that it's technically part of Halifax harbour. At low tide you can also walk in some of the shipwrecks (the hull is left in the ground, but the tip is gone. Very cool). There are a number of folks who will give you a lift over from the eastern passage side and pick you up for a reasonable fee per person. Really enjoyable for overnight stays. Gone there every summer for the last 4 years and had amazing experiences each time. An under rated resource literally in the city's harbour. I would highly recommend it.

Scott Whitehouse

Wonderful, big island for great hikes, and neat historic forts with cannons and buildings you can explore.

Terry Bigelow

Took a guided tour of the island. It was great.

Marc Charbonneau

We love it here! Short boat ride from the city and you can enjoy nature. Great hiking and old fortifications to explore!

Stephen Logan

We went with our 4-H group, boat ride was short, lots of history to see, the beaches were really nice.

Dylan DeGrace

Visited the island to take part in the island cleanup with the Friends of McNabs Island Society. It was my first time to the island and had a great time exploring the trails inbetween cleaning up the beaches. Checking out the old fort is a must. In 5 hours was only able to see 1/4 of the island. Will definitely be going back soon.

David Fraser

Absolutely beautiful gem in the middle of the city. Go there via the Harbour Taxi and spend the day walking the trails and enjoying one of the nicest beaches in Halifax.

Alain B

Nice park to visit

Amanda Grimaldi

Definitely worth spending the day and exploring! Much to see!

Sean Williams

Simply beautiful.

Paul L

Great place for a day hike with plenty of different trails.

Thiago Souza

Beautiful place

Sean McMullen

It's a fun island to explore – lots of history on it. I've been leading photo meets every April for the last five years on the island, taking large groups of photographers. The main takeaway I always hear is "how is this so close to Halifax and no one talks about it?"

Don MacKenzie

Well worth seeing.

George Pizzinato jr

Be nice to see the rest

June Pettipas

Nice beaches. Trails, old forts and houses, and an osprey nest too. Always a good time here

irene martell

Awesome place

Graham Duncan

Great place

Leon Cordeau

Great place for hiking, biking and history.

Brad MacLeod

Fantastic place. Give yourself lots of time and I recommend access from Halifax using Capt Dave at NW Arm Ferry. Ride out is great

Mwango K.

Lots of big make sure to bring bug spray

Chris Young

Very interesting place to visit but you should look up the history on the Internet before or during your visit as there is not a lot of information there. The small info center on the south middle of the island has some info. The 2 forts are worth visiting and the trails are in good condition. The boats do charge a lot for the short ride, but unless you have a boat that is the only way to get to the island.

Ashley Marlin

Fantastic experience. Beautiful boat ride and hikes on the island.

Tyler Turner

Amazing and untouched

Todd Thompson

Wonderful place to spend a day. Great views.

J. Ross Mayhew

Although becoming increasingly difficult to get to these days, this is a FANTASTIC place to just escape from everything for a while and enjoy mystery, adventure, a wonderful natural landscape, and just the feel of being on an island with hardly anyone else around, and no way to escape until the ferry comes back at the end of the afternoon. Used to go there on YMCA day trips in the summer: the crumbling old forts and sense of isolation was absolutely DELIGHTFUL!! The McNab's Island Preservation Society (or something like that, lol) has done a very wonderful job of fixing the place up but not TOO much, and getting the entire island preserved in a natural condition. Three cheers to this determined bunch of men and women!!!

Domenico Lucinio

I was impressed with the park. Mostly because it is so close to downtown Halifax yet it is secluded because it is an island and not a lot of ways to get there. The Halifax Harbour Taxi has scheduled trips in the summer for a very reasonable price. Highly recommended.

Mike Drillio

Beautiful spot

David McDougall

VERY nice place to spend the day and see alot of history

Dave T

Very nice, though remote, park. If you can get there, you should get there.

Nick Daniels

I did this tour back in this summer. The price for this tour was good, including a good boat ride which was a bit longer than expected. The tour of the island itself was extremely informative, and provided plenty to see. The group was a good mix of age as well so it wasn't juts myself and "older people" which helped. I'm not sure if I'd do this again, but the old buildings and forts were lovely, and I'd strongly recommend this if you haven't done it already.

Desiree Del Rey

If you love hiking and completly abandoned islands then holy heck this is the place for you!!! I love me some old abandoned military forts!

Andrew Ferguson

McNabs is a great place for a secluded hiking escape from the city. A bunch of ruined treats to discover, and simple camping grounds if you want to rough it for the night. Murphy's offers a round trip for $22 a head. Word of warning to wanderers: don't stray too far from the trail when you have to catch a scheduled boat! That's what we did...walking the NE shore will get you nothing but rocks and sore feet. Wish we had more time to see the south half of the island.

Thomas Rogers

Firstly, seeing everything this Island has will take you a solid day and you are not getting there without chartering a ship. The Friends of McNabs Society offers guided tours for a very reasonable rate that include transportation on and off the island. There is a lot of history that wouldn't probably go unknown without going your first time with someone knowledgeable. That being said, there are ruins of military forts, older houses, ruins of homes, beaches, walking trails and more. Bring your own food and water for the day as there is nothing available on the island. There are washrooms of the non-flush variety and trail markers and signage to help you navigate the area. You can even tent on the island in some locations. It is off the beaten path, but lots of beautiful scenery and history are here and it would be a shame to miss it.

Joe Cheng (joeFNcheng)

Absolutely amazing day for a bit of a hike and exploration around the historic forts!! Good for dates or families looking for a unique off the beaten path day trip. Time total = 5 hrs including transport to and from with 3 hrs on the island, although it can easily be extended to 4 or 5 hrs. Plenty of washrooms with generally easy walking required on gravel paths.

Evan Mac

Beautiful. Lots of history.

Jessica Hodgson

History. Beaches. Walking trails. Camping Sites. Incredible views. A great day trip for all!

Jen Oween

I really didn't know anything about this place until we went for a company event. The beach was great, compared to the rocky beaches in used to. Great hiking trails. Very relaxing.

Stella Parkin

Natural

Ryan D

Great island to visit and see the fort or just hang out on the beach.

Brian Cox

Beautiful scenery

adioable

Great place to visit

Tom Wills

Great day trip. Bring a picnic. Use Northwest Arm Boat Tours.

CallMeMrFrog

Amazing ????

Croft Seymour

Small wooded island in Halifax harbor. Lots of old fortifications

Seafoam Arts

A hidden jewel in the middle of Halifax Harbour. Nature, history, the island is full of adventure. I try to get over to the island at least six times a year.

David Andrews

If you are looking for a great hike that gives great views and a mix of history, then this is the place to plan a day for. Lovely trails, beaches and look-offs are all there.

AK

Such a cool place to explore.

Stanley Hansen

Awesome park away from all the people!

Jamie Fulmore

McNabs Island was on my bucket list for awhile! There is so much history and exploring to take in. Definitely recommend checking out the friends of McNabs Island website and connecting with a local tour guide for transportation to and from the island.

Ryan Duggan

A must see if you've never been!

Billy Swayzie

This was the Best camping ⛺ trip on Mcnabs IslandMy Son and I have ever had what a blast thanks for getting us half way there Christopher Columbus's lmao ???? ???? we had so much fun also big thanks to Dave, Cris who brought there Sons along my son had a blast huge thank you and can't wait to do it again

Jason Bradley

McNab's is a hidden gem in plain sight treasure . It makes for a great day trip with the kids to go delve into some early Halifax history and check out all of the historical sites . BRING some bug repellent though , tons of every bug out there

Jon Riley

Fantastic place to hike. Beautiful scenery,clean and quiet.

Amanda Hatfield

Awesome historical adventure. Musquitos were very bad this time of year. I have been there in the fall and it is wonderful.

Carrie Powell

What a hike! Absolutely gorgeous with some spectacular views. I particularly loved all the itty bitty toads (careful where you step!). The washrooms were nicer than the regular outhouse I was expecting, but bring hand sanitizer!

Jim Wilson

Great get-away from the city.

Julie Bergeron

Great escape right here in the HRM. With Fort McNab and Ives, the teahouse and more to explore. Or spend the day on the beach swimming or scouring the shore for treasures!

Jenny Hastings-James

Serene and uncrowded. You really feel like you've discovered your desert island!

Corey Smith

Really nice beach! Beautiful place.

Bob Currie

It was a kayak kinda day.