Nova Scotia Opens Hwy 308 in Tusket to ATV Riders

Riders in southwest Nova Scotia now have a new stretch of road they can legally travel, and the group behind the change is throwing an event to mark it. The Southwest Nova ATV Association is hosting the Tusket Off-Road Gathering on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a rain date set for Sept. 19. There will be a prize draw during the event.

The reason for the gathering is a change that came earlier this summer. The provincial government gave permission to open a section of Hwy 308 in Tusket, Yarmouth County, to off-highway vehicle traffic. That stretch runs from Carl's Store to the Tusket Falls Brewing Company, along with the points in between.

Association president Glen Doucet says the opening changes what riders can do when they come off the trail. Before, you could ride up to the gas station and that was about it. Now the access reaches the businesses that make up the village. "Now you can go down to Carl's Store. You need some pop, sandwiches, whatever else. Or, you can turn the other way and go all the way up. You can turn into the brewery and have a burger. There's another restaurant across the road," Doucet says.

He rattled off what riders can reach in Tusket: a Tim Hortons, a gas station, ice cream, a Frenchy's, and different restaurants. "It's got pretty well everything that anybody who goes out on a bike would need," he says.

The gathering is partly a test to see whether riders want more events like it. "It's something that we are trying to see if people are interested in," Doucet says. "We're trying to get people off the trails and looking at different villages and towns and different things." The idea is to give people a reason to hop on their machines that morning and ride down, while supporting the businesses that sit along the trail network. Invitations went out to various ATV groups and associations.

Riders are encouraged to take the railbed into Tusket, or to trailer their ATVs and drive in. A designated parking area will be set up for those who bring their machines in tow.

Doucet points to a bigger picture on trail connections. With the current links, riders can travel from Digby around to Shelburne, and he says access will eventually extend to Bridgewater.

The association works to promote safety in ATV riding by training young and new drivers and teaching riders to respect property owners and other trail users. It also encourages all ATV owners to register their machines and carry insurance.