Trout Point Lodge: Activity & Serenity in the Nova Scotia Wilderness: Canoe, Fish, Kayak, Hike, Golf, Relax
  
The Trout Point Cooking School and Canoeing & Kayaking the Tusket River

New for 2008: Guided Hikes, Kayak Excursions, Fishing, & Birding with on-staff Nova Scotia Naturalists
Golf & Spa at the
Digby Pines Resort for 20% off regular rates!
2-day Artisanal Beer Making Seminars: June, July, August, & October

"The remote location encourages guests to slow down, go for a paddle in a canoe,
relax in the wood-fired hot tub, and, yes, wait for lunch to be served."
Darlene King, Harrowsmith Country Life

check the weather in East Kemptville

From the backwoods of the Tobeatic Wilderness, Trout Point offers serenity & comfort without pretension, yet lies close enough to various coastal areas and beaches to fill days with glorious exploration. Stillness and the enjoyment of nature are the essence of the Trout Point Lodge guest experience. The Great Lodge and surrounding grounds offer plenty of space to sit, converse with others, curl up with a book, or simply take in the beauty of nature. Well behaved children only are welcome. After parking your car upon arrival, you will find no other motorized vehicles on land or water at Trout Point or in the adjoining Tobeatic Wilderness Area.

Each day will be as active or still as you desire. Hear the Tusket River rapids from your room as you recline in hand-made Acadian log & twig furniture. Outdoor recreation beckons, including river & lake swimming, canoeing, kayaking, mountain bikes, & catch-and-release fishing. Hike the woodland trails of our 100 acre estate & the adjoining public wilderness, which has rugged, wilderness-standard trails for either guided hikes or venturing on your own with the Lodge's GPS units in hand. At the convergence of the Tusket & Napier Rivers, the Lodge borders the last pristine nature area in Nova Scotia. See bear, turtles, flying squirels, grouse, deer, beaver, owls, loons, eagles, and if you're luck, moose. Relax, stroll a nature path, soak in the cedar hot tub by the river, or simply read a book on the porch.

If you want to smell the salt air & feel the spray let us arrange sea kayaking, whale watching, a Zodiac cruise, or deep sea fishing for you. A short drive out of the wilderness takes you to historic Shelburne, with its 18th century historic district & natural deep water harbor, or Yarmouth, a working seaport and home to scenic Cape Forchu. A little further on beyond Shelburne (about 1 1/2 hours from the lodge) lies the Seaside Adjunct of Kejmikujik National Park, where you can visit beautiful sandy beaches and see seals playing in the pristine Atlantic waters. Both Yarmouth & Shelburne counties have numerous museums, parks, and natural areas to fill days of exploration and discovery (scroll down for list and links).



Canoe, Kayak, Fish, Bike, & Hike the Tusket & Napier Rivers

    Southern Flying Squirrel

Take out Trout Point's own canoes or kayaks on the Tusket & Napier Rivers as they flow to the ocean past Yarmouth County's 365 scenic lakes. The Tusket & Napier's native brook trout swim the lodge waters, & our trail system will lead you to thousands of acres of protected area for wilderness standard hiking. Mountain bikes allow access to local country roads that meet up with the Tusket. No skill or experience is required for gentle, safe kayaking or canoeing up the Napier and into the Tobeatic Wilderness Area, including a loop around Billy's Island. The Tusket offers seasonal rapids, and will lead you to nearby East Meadow Lake and other lakes and still waters. Daily canoe and kayak outfitting and guided tours with one of our on-staff naturalists can be arranged. Just ask.

Trout Point Lodge occupies the last private land adjacent to the Tobeatic Wilderness Area, home to the only native moose population left in Nova Scotia and a variety of flora and fauna. The Tusket River system is the most significant watershed in the area, flowing through boreal, Acadian forest, eskers, multitudinous lakes, barrens, & bogs. The area forms a veritable playground for paddling and swimming, celebrated in books like The Tent Dwellers and Paddling the Tobeatic .

 Paddling the Tobeatic book
Trout Point is an ecologically minded guest lodge where our guests can enjoy this incredible ecosystem without disturbing it. Relax in an outdoor wood-fired hot tub or cedar barrel sauna as the Tusket River rushes near by. Forage for wild mushrooms and then cook them up in our teaching kitchen. Or take a leisurely nature walk, a strenuous hike, canoe towards the Atlantic ocean, or perch on a granite boulder to read a book.

 
Trout Point's own 200 acres border well over 350,000 acres of protected wilderness in the Tobeatic and Kejimikujik National Park, which together form the Southern Nova Scotia Biosphere Reserve, recognized by UNESCO.  Easy day trips bring you to a variety of beaches and coastal areas or to over 5 different 18 hole golf courses.

Andy Pietrasik, travel editor of the London Guardian, named Trout Point's Tusket River location one of the  Top 10 fishing spots of the world :
"Then away to the heart of the deep unknown, where the trout and the wild moose are. Where the fire burns bright, and the tents gleam white, under the northern star" (Albert Bigelow Paine, The Tent Dwellers, 1908). I had long dreamed of staying in a log cabin in the backwoods of North America, Jack London-style, idling my days away flicking out a fly in search of brook trout. The Tusket River lies in the Tobeatic wilderness: deep, deep forest and home to black bear as well as moose. Take a guide - you do not want to get lost here. Accommodation is modelled on the great hunting lodges of the turn of the century - huge spruce logs and chiselled granite.


Southern Nova Scotia Biosphere Preserve

Trout Point offers guests the following activities and services:

Cooking lessons

Guided hiking and kayak trips

Guided fishing excursions

Guided birding

On-site catch-and-release fishing

Canoes and kayaks

Mountain bikes for short journeys on the country roads

Massage (by appointment)

We can also arrange whale watching, sea kayaking, and Zodiac boat excursions

Nature trails and hiking trails in the Tobeatic Wilderness

Lake & river swimming, including a defined Tusket River lap "pool" and floating dock 

Trout Point welcomes most guests for stays of two to seven days, though many others choose the lodge as an elegant and restful place to overnight on their way in and out of Nova Scotia using the Cat Ferry from Maine, USA. The lodge is a 40-minute drive from the International Ferry Terminal. Trout Point also offers Nova Scotia vacation packages that include discounts for passenger of The Cat high-speed ferry from Bar Harbor and Portland.

Trout Point's private world borders well over 100,000 hectares of protected federal & provincial wilderness: The Tobeatic Wilderness Preserve & Kejimikujik National Park. The Lodge offers numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation and learning about nature.


  Trout Point Lodge is a place to nestle.
Millie Ball, travel editor, New Orleans Times-Picayune

  

Nearby Cultural Activities:

Shelburne County & towards Halifax:

Dory Shop Museum

Ross-Thompson House & Store Museum

Barrington Woolen Mill

Old Meeting House Museum, Barrington

Tusket Court House

Yarmouth County:

Tusket Court House & Jail—Canada's Oldest Standing Courthouse

Historic Acadian Village, Pubnico

Firefighters Museum, Yarmouth

Sweeney Fisheries Museum, Yarmouth

Yarmouth County Museum & Pelton-Fuller House

Art Galley of Nova Scotia, Yarmouth Branch

Yarmouth Lighthouse


Annapolis Royal (2 hour drive)

Port-Royal & Fort Anne, National Historic Sites


Nearby Parks & Natural Areas:


Tobeatic Wilderness Area—Atlantic Canada's largest protected area: adjacent to the Lodge


Yarmouth & Clare Counties:

Cape Forchu & Lighthouse

Ellenwood Lake Provincial Park

Port Maitland Beach

Mavilette Beach on the French Shore

Smuggler's Cove


Shelburne County & towards Halifax:

Indian Fields

Shelburne Harbour—world's second largest natural deepwater harbour

Kejimkujik National Park Seaside Adjunct—25 km southwest of Liverpool

Sand Hills Beach

The Islands Provincial Park, Shelburne



     

GOLF NOVA SCOTIA FROM TROUT POINT

Exclusive for Trout Point guests: a 20% discount on the following items at Digby Pines Golf Resort:
(about 1 1/4 hours drive)
Golf:    Green Fees and Cart Rentals
Spa:    Spa Treatments and Services
Food Outlets:    All menu items 
(does not apply to Alcoholic Beverages, Pro Shop Merchandise, Spa Retail Products or Gift Shop purchases)
 
If golf is your game, there are five 18-hole courses within an easy drive of the lodge, on both the Evangeline Trail and the Lighthouse Route. The Lodge would be happy to assist you in setting up a tee time.

Courses include the
Yarmouth Links The Pines ,   West Pubnico , Clare , and River Hills . Examples of these challenging and beautiful courses include One of Sir Stanley Thompson's masterpieces, The Pines, carved out of a superb setting through an evergreen forest. Many professional golfers consider this to be one of the most challenging and picturesque courses in Atlantic Canada.