Named for the Shubenacadie Canal, Shubie Park is a 40-acre (160,000 m²) urban park in Dartmouth maintained by Halifax Regional Municipality. The park is nestled between Lake Micmac and Lake Charles, with beaches at both lakes.

Shubie Park features several significant historic canal features, including Lock 2, Lock 3, and the Deep Cut. A series of well-maintained multi-use trails and numerous interpretive panels take visitors back in time to when the area was occupied by Irish and Scottish immigrant labourers digging through bedrock with pickaxes and shovels.

Shubie Park is also the location of the Fairbanks Centre, the main interpretive facility for the Shubenacadie Canal Waterway. The Fairbanks Centre features a working scale model of canal lock mechanisms along with various displays about the history of the canal. Visitors are encouraged to take advantage of the various informational brochures and friendly and knowledgeable staff to make the most of their visit. There is no charge for admission, but souvenirs are available for sale at the centre.

Some of the trails in Shubie Park form part of the Great Trail (formerly the Trans-Canada Trail). Please visit the Great Trail website (external link) for more information.

Trail Maps

Shubie Park Trail Guide (PDF)

Shubie Park Winter Trail Maintenance Map (PDF)

Getting Here

Driving: The park is located just off Waverley Road in Dartmouth. The main parking lot is just outside the Fairbanks Centre at 54 Locks Road. Follow the signs for the Fairbanks Centre.

Transit: Halifax Transit Route 55 Port Wallace runs along Waverley Road, with multiple stops very close to the park. The route begins at the Bridge Terminal (Bay 1) in downtown Dartmouth and also stops at the Mic Mac Mall. To get to the Fairbanks Centre or the canal locks, get off the bus at the Montebello Drive stop and walk up Locks Road from there. See Halifax Transit’s website (external link) for bus schedules and route maps, or use a supported app like Google Maps or Transit (external links).

Biking / Walking: Coming from central Dartmouth, Waverley Road offers bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides leading up to Locks Road. For a more scenic route, follow the Great Trail (external link), which connects Shubie Park with downtown Dartmouth and beyond.