Spider Lake trail is a series of interconnected trails mostly used by mountain bikes and ATV riders. That said, there are many “off shoots” and the main trail “Skull Trail” is a great single track ( no ATV’s) that goes all the way back to Lake Major around the back side of Spider Lake. This is a great trail area with very scenic trails but can be very confusing to get on the hiking portion of the trails and avoid getting confused on the other trails especially in the first part of the trail system.
The best place to park is at the usual trail head on Marjorie Anne Drive and take the Spider Lake Trail northwards. The first part of the trail is an old road and is wide so it’s often used by ATV’s – it can be very muddy depending on weather conditions 🙁
Keep an eye out for a single track trail on the right after a kilometer ( approximately) and take that trail onto the Skull Trail and follow it northeast toward Lake Major – Once you are on the Skull Trail – Enjoy! – easily one of the nicest hikes in the HRM!.
The Skull Trail is a narrow, singletrack that weaves through open hardwood forests and occasional pine stands and goes up and down with the terrain. This part of the trail is 99% dry nearly year round and continues on past spider lake and along Lake Major.
Trail/Terrain: Varied – Old Farming areas, Pine Forests, single track trails, frequent hills, lake shore.
Estimated Hiking Time: 2 – 5 hours – depending on length and loops.
The Trail Overview: A combination of ATV trails, mountain bike trails and single track trails that wander through some very scenic forest areas along the back side of Spider lake and near a few other smaller lakes. Trail is not a loop, for the most part you come back on the same trail as you enter.
What to Bring for a Hike: Hiking Boots, Drinking water 1- 2 liters, Layered active clothing ( depending on weather), Camera, Extra socks, bug repellent.
Access roads offer a nice mountain bike ride over a hard packed surface. The trail winds its way through spruce trees and various other hardwoods. Top part of trail intersects old roads and old trail left from farms and other past developments.
Side Trails are mostly single track with some woods roads. Great Winter mountain bike riding Trail!
Use some caution after large rainstorms and wet periods. The trail has many potholes that grow into large mud puddles. The upper part of the trail follows an old logging road that can fill up with water after a rain or wet period – lots of black flies and Mosquitos.
DIRECTIONS
Take route # 318 from Dartmouth. Turn onto Spider Lake Road. Turn onto Marjorie Anne
Drive. Take the first left and drive to the end of the road.
Great Trail for: Walking, Hiking, Mountain Biking, X-Country Ski, ATV trails
For more info – check out this meetup com hike.