Does anyone ride at Pockwock?
I’ve done it a few times, but not in a few years.
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Ditto, I’ve done it, but it was a good 10-15 years ago.
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Rode there for the first time a couple of weeks ago: https://www.strava.com/activities/1176288322
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Were you able to get all the way around @Ghost ? Last time I was in there (many years ago) there was a fence blocking the entrance road downhill from the treatment plant that you’d have to wade around to do the full loop.
Did you ride it @Sarah? It’s dirt road trail double track. Wide with a few puddles here and there. Easy tread - no roots or rocks. Big hills. Lots of climbing and descending.
I should probably ride it more - it is on the way home from my work, and it probably dries fairly quickly, so it would be a good trail to ride when all the singletrack is soggy.
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This fence:
Had a second look at your Strava route @Ghost. Looks like you went in at a different place. Looks like you came to this fence from the other side and then turned around and went back, and did the loop by a different route. Epic ride that you did!
There’s also a straight dirt road (probably water line underneath it) that runs from Lucasville Rd. to the water treatment plant.
I’ve not ridden it - I’m on the search for some bikejor-able double track at it seems to fit the bill.
What about going in here:
Thanks! What a great ride.
Do you know is there a double track or fire road from pipeline to hiking trail rd on the bowater lands?
I haven’t gone in that entrance before @Sarah, but it looks OK. It looks like part of @Ghost’s route. The last couple of times I’ve gone in, I’ve done it from the Mt. Uniacke exit off the 101 highway, and definitely did not do the full loop around Pockwock Lake.
@Rockhopper: Yes, I came to that gate from the other side and turned around. Made my ride a lot longer than planned!
@Sarah: I’m no expert on what is bikejor-able, but I don’t think the old road near 1242 Pockwock Road would be ideal. There are some pretty rough, rocky sections and some water holes.The road I took along Tomahawk Lake, which connects to Daisywood Drive in White Hills subdivision, would probably also be bad. The “gravel” is more like chunks of baseball sized rock that would probably be very hard on dogs’ feet.
I’ve seen rides on Strava where people have accessed the roads around Pockwock lake from the road to the water treatment plant that @Rockhopper mentioned. I’ve never been on it, so I don’t know if that is fenced or marked no trespassing, etc. I think the roads around the lake would be good for you though. Access from Mt Uniacke should be fine from what I’ve seen.
As for connection between Pipeline Road and Hiking Trail Road, there’s nothing that could remotely be considered double track or fire road. There’s a few ways to do it, but river crossings are involved:
Thanks! That’s great info on the trails.
Low key double track (with the ability to ride in loops) is ideal for bikejoring - the dogs can get up to speeds of 35-40km per hour so once it gets too technical, I usually end up off the bike and up a tree 
That said, flowy beginner style single track is fun too!
Pockwalk is a bit of my specialty. Used to ride around the lake when I was younger all the time. For bikejoring I’d start off the 101 at Exit 3. On the inbound onramp there is a trail access point. People often walk dogs, xc ski, and so forth from here. The trail no longer goes around the lake due to a number of fences and gates installed after 9/11. I’ve climbed them, dug under them, and gone for a swim to get around one. The trail mostly has a good surface. Hard packed with grass in the middle. Sections are loose and sandy on the north side with some washouts on the steeper sections.
When I was a kid I’d go from Mt Uniacke to St Margarets Bay starting with Pockwalk roads, then traversing to Bowater Roads. This is super easy to do today (see google maps). The old route was not so easy to find. Today many of us ride from Halifax up the Kearney Lake Road (now Larry Uteck), Cross Hammond Plains Road at the lights, then enter the pipeline and follow it to the treatment plant where we walk(right, North East) along the edge of the gate to the old Pockwalk loop road. Then go around the lake, connect with old Bowater roads, follow those to the 103 in St Margarets Bay. Pass though someones business(private property, ignore no trespassing signs), and get on the BLT rail trail and go back into down.
I would not recommend the pipeline road(Hammond Plains Road to the treatment plant) for dogs as it’s made with a lot of shale. Maybe dog owners can comment?
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This is an awesome report. Thanks so much. We use hiking trail rd all the time, I’d not even considered the make up of the road on pipeline, but I think you’re right to stay clear with the dogs.