Shubie Campground

This campground has a great location. It is in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia which is just on the other side of the bay from Halifax. Downtown Halifax is just 10 minutes away and still the campground is pretty quiet and green.

In the loop we were in, the sites are laid out in pairs with the hookups in the middle. This means that the odd numbered sites are great for backing in. But the even numbered sites only work if you go into them forward, which is only possible with a motor home. We were in site number 4 with a travel trailer, so we could only reach the electricity easily. We also managed to reach the city water tap thanks to our long hose. But there was no way we could hook up to the sewer, so we had to use the dump station on the way out.

The sites are nicely spaced and green. Facilities are clean and well maintained. We would come back, but then we would carefully select an odd numbered site.

We stayed here for the annual Halifax busker festival , the first weekend of August. Location of campground, super friendly and helpful staff, and services (laundry, dump, paid shower, bathhouse, WiFi and security ($20 refundable security card to get in/out of gate and security guard after 11pm) deserves 5 stars but grassy parking lot style of camping makes it 4 stars. We had a 30 amp site but there were sites along side road that had shade, which looked inviting, although they weren’t level-hill. Unserviced sites were $35. Our corner Site, 19 had a little more space, shade under trees.

Park location is 15 minutes to Halifax ferry terminal which took passengers straight to waterfront for $2.50 (runs every 15 minutes with parking at pier). This avoids the bridge toll, traffic and having to park in town which is hard to find and expensive! Park also has swimming beach and on Shubie canal for biking.

We stayed mid-September 2018. We had no reservations but arrived early afternoon and they did have a few sites for us to pick from. The campground later filled up. Office staff was friendly and made check-in easy. You can pay a deposit of $20. for a gate pass and they return your deposit when you return the pass- not necessary if you're using a motorcycle.

Park was clean and well maintained. We picked a pull-thru site and it was very spacious. It was fairly level on a grassy area. Some sites were shaded. They have clean pay showers near the office. I did not try the laundry. We spent our only full day in Halifax but the evenings in the campground were quiet.

Wi-Fi was ok. We had a Water/Electric site. Dump station is located at exit. Our Winegard Rayzar pulled in many TV stations.

The nice thing about this location is the 10 minute drive to the harbor in Dartmouth where you can avoid city traffic and catch a relaxing 15 minute ferry to Halifax. You do have to pay to park at the ferry building, though. A few blocks up from the ferry building, we found the Brightwood Brewery. It's a new tasting room type place where you can get a local craft beer or cider on tap.

Along with your ferry ticket, they offer you a 2-hour transit pass which is good for the bus system in Halifax. From the Halifax ferry dock, we walked around the corner to the bus stop and took the bus to the Fairview Lawn Cemetery to see the memorial where the victims of the Titanic were buried. Not knowing the bus schedules or stops in Halifax, I downloaded a transit app which outlined the bus we should take and the stop locations. Otherwise, I would have never figured it out.

Once we got back to the waterfront, we went to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Plan to spend a few hours there. Also, the Harbour Hopper Tour was fun. It takes you on a narrated tour through the city, up to the Citadel, then back down to the harbor for a short harbor cruise. We stopped in at Alexander Keith's Brewery. Yes, it's a cool old building, however, we had a cider and moved on. We ate dinner at a restaurant called 2 Doors Down- wonderful gluten free and vegetarian options, and full bar. Sunset ride back to Dartmouth on the ferry and we called it a day.

We stayed here in our 42' fifth wheel and we were all pleased with the large site. Not all sites are able to take a big rig, but we discussed that when making reservations. The staff showed us our site before pulling in and we had an easy pull through.
Once settled we were delighted with the lake and all the trails! Every morning the dogs and I hiked all over Shubie Park. We came here to see Halifax, but totally enjoyed hiking, biking and even got out the kayak.
Location is definitely a plus as well. When you check in the give you a print out with clear directions for the bus to the ferry. It is just under an hour to Peggy's Cove. Short hike to any kind of shopping you could want.
We had 50 amp but no sewer, high price for water and electric. Dump station is easy access as you leave. They do have a guy who comes around to dump, he has a little honey wagon and will come back and forth to empty you out for $15. Showers are pay, I didnt use them or the laundry, but peeked in and the all look clean.
The park was generally quiet, some occasional street noise but not much.
We had 4 bars of AT&T LTE through the ROGERS network, excellent connectivity. The park provided a pretty decent free wifi.

Only campground in the greater Halifax area that we could find.
Location is good for accessing the many attractions in the area.
Campground is located close to major highway, so there is traffic noise. It is also located next to Shubie Park with nice walking trails.
Maintenance at the campground is terrible.
Sites are overgrown and unlevel.
Bathrooms are dirty. Even after they were closed for 4 hours in the afternoon for cleaning they were still dirty and garbage bins were still overflowing, and toilet paper holders were empty.
Campground is run by Municipality and there is no pride of ownership.