Long Lake Provincial Park Association (LLPPA) is frequently asked why the gates to the parking lots at Long Lake Provincial Park are closed for the winter. It’s a simple question to ask but a difficult one to answer fully.
Agreement with the province
LLPPA operates the parking lots and gravel trails at Long Lake Park through an agreement with the province’s Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR). The agreement requires the association to manage the park to the province’s park standards and in accordance with the Parks Act. The association is required to carry insurance which is provided through the Nova Scotia Trails Federation, of which LLPPA is a member.
Gated entrances were one of the trail construction requirements at Long Lake. The association and DNRR correspond quite frequently about specific issues as these arise, including issues related to the gates.
Neither the government of Nova Scotia nor the Halifax Regional Municipality provides funding to LLPPA for park operations or management. LLPPA raises funds to cover costs mostly by means of lotteries and donations.
Opening and closing dates
Most provincial parks in Nova Scotia open in May and close in October. In 2023 for day-use parks like Long Lake these dates were May 19th and October 9th. In 2023 LLPPA requested that the association be permitted to open the gates earlier and close later: April 22nd and November 19th. DNRR approved this variation of normal practice as a trial run.
The association is required to close the gates when conditions are dangerous and did so twice in 2023 at the direction of DNRR. These closures were due to forest fires in early June and Hurricane Lee in mid-September. After an emergency closure the association has to check that everything is safe and then report to DNRR. On both occasions in 2023 we were able to act quickly and open the park again quickly. This work is all done by volunteers.
Use of the park in winter, parking issues
While the gates to the parking lots in Nova Scotia’s provincial parks are closed for the winter, visitors are still permitted to use the parks. Long Lake Provincial Park gets a lot of use in winter. Many of the visitors are local people who walk in. Some visitors travel by bus, while others find on-street parking nearby.
Due to the high level of visitation at Long Lake Provincial Park an issue has arisen around on-street parking during the winter closed season. Dunbrack Street is a high-speed busy road and some park visitors park on the shoulders of the road, creating safety issues. Some park users have argued that it would be safer for the parking lot to be available in winter even if the park is not serviced during this period.
Responsibility for any decision in this regard lies at a higher level than LLPPA. The association does not have the power to overrule decisions made by higher authorities. All we can do is present arguments and make recommendations.
Other issues related to winter use
Trail facilities at Long Lake Provincial Park are operated by the LLPPA (a registered non-profit society). Long Lake Adventure Company (a registered for-profit business) operates a kayak and paddleboard rental facility in the park during the summer. These two entities are completely separate and operate under separate agreements with the province.
LLPPA maintains the trails and parking lots. Keeping the trails in good shape keeps the small number of volunteers busy during the summer. Volunteers look forward to the winter break as an opportunity to turn their attention to other matters, including planning for the coming year, improving communications, conducting research, and advocacy activities. If the parking-lot gates were open year round there would be more routine work to do and these other important activities would be curtailed.
The LLPPA garbage management policy is “pack-in pack-out” (also called ‘Leave No Trace’). This policy is consistent both with the natural-environment classification of the park and with the capacity of the association to deal with garbage issues. Any garbage left in the park is officially considered “industrial waste” and the association has to pay fees to remove it.
Managing the parking lots and associated garbage in the winter would be a heavy burden for the association and could render park management impossible. Costs for parking lot maintenance are generally higher in winter than summer. The province’s parks close during the winter for similar reasons.
Conclusion
LLPPA understands that many park users would like to have access to the parking lots during the winter months. At the same time, the association cannot unilaterally decide to leave the gates open. The park belongs to the province. If the gates were open year round, LLPPA would need additional resources that are not available.
Joan Backman says
What level of government would we need to lobby to have the parking lot or at least the driveway plowed during the winter? It’s such a beautiful park for snow shoeing and skiing, The access off NW arm drive would be so much safer. Do you know who plows the Long Lake parking lot off of the Bay Road? I am assuming this is also on Long Lake provincial park property. I have been parking there in the winter for years and it’s always plowed. Thank you, we very much appreciate the work that the association does!
Martin Willison says
The parking lot on St. Margaret’s Bay Road lies just outside the boundary of Long Lake Provincial Park. It’s on land managed by the Halifax Water Commission and they probably arranged for winter plowing. While Long Lake is a NS provincial park it is not treated the same way as other provincial parks and does not have an annual budget. There has never been an adequate explanation for why this is so. Dunbrack Street is plowed by HRM and clearing the entrance to the park opposite Cowie Hill Road would require plowing by HRM. Unfortunately, only the very short paved part is suitable for plowing. For that reason it may be better for you to plan to enter the park on foot. At the same time, you might speak with your elected representatives at the municipal and provincial levels about your concerns because both levels of government are involved in this.