I’m just getting back into cycling in general and have finally picked up a "real"ish mtb (Giant Talon 27.5 5). Can anyone recommend some good beginner trails (not crusher dust) to try out ?
I’m in the Williams Lake area close to Fight Trail and Gord’s Gold, are they even worth going into as a noob?
Welcome!
The Lou’s Basement section of Fight Trial is pretty tame.
Both Fight and Whopper are rideable if you are careful.
Spider Lake has some fun stuff as well.
Nine Mile River is easy too. (You want a good dry day for that one.)
Come out to a Tuesday night ride, we adapt to the group that shows up and we’ll wait for noobs.
I’d echo Nine Mile River - but it does need dry weather.
I don’t think I was on it at all last year, but the Across from Exhibition Park trail was always a good noobie ride.
MacDonald Park is good for noobies too.
Closer to you, Area 51 isn’t too bad for noobies. It runs off of Old Sambro Road just up from St. Paul’s United Church. It’s pretty good relatively short ride up to the clear cut with the foundation in it. Beyond that it’s full of waterholes. Best in very dry weather.
Thanks for the suggestions, crept into fight trail today a bit and saw a pretty big water hole and headed back out. Going to head back in on a day I’m prepared to get a bit muddy. Think before I do so, I’ll put some grippier pedals on, the stock ones are kinda crappy.
I have bounced around a bit on some of the atv paths up around Kidston lake, not exciting really, but no old ladies to run over like in Frog Pond or McIntosh run 
Will certainly check out Area 51 though
I live near Fight in Spryfield, and as for beginner trails, I would suggest 3 in the area. One is the Behind Exhibition Park Trail. It starts on the right, just past St. Paul’s United Church on the Old Sambro Road. Another good one, albeit shorter, is from Kidston Lake to Green Acres Subdivision. The trail goes behind Rockingstone School. Finally, there is Hospital Hill in West Pennant. It goes all the way through to Brookside. All of these trails are double track, so there is room to pick different lines, and are tamer than some of the singletrack which leave little room for error. Of the three, Hospital Hill is probably the driest, with far less in the way of water holes, etc.
The Behind Exhibition Park Trail is the same as Area 51.
The Across from Exhibition Park Trail entrance is across the Prospect Road from Exhibition Park, just down a bit from the main entrance. It’s quite near one of the smaller entrances, so we usually park there and ride across the road. The trail is grassy doubletrack. The trail is cut in the middle about 15 min. in by a water hole. You have to balance across a log to cross it, or walk around it through a damp bog. The trail is pretty straight and relatively flat, except for a long hill down to a lake at the end.
The best way to get into Fight is to go into the new subdivision at the end of Drysdale Rd. Right on Alabaster Way to an unnamed court on the left just before the road loops around to the right. Trail entrance is at the end of the court. Houses are being built there, so I don’t know how long that trail entrance will be useable. This entrance takes you right onto the granite, although there is still mud here and there. I don’t remember a waterhole anywhere near this entrance. A few minutes into the trail you may see an intersection. Stay to the right - that takes you to Lou’s Basement which is mostly granite. There are lots of flat granite sections, but also some steep rolls, climbs and ledges in-between, which I don’t consider noob stuff, but you can walk over anything that doesn’t look rideable until you get back to something that looks within your abilities.
The Whopper Dropper Main Trail and Playground are really not too bad either. There are some sections noobies would probably walk, but it’s pretty good up to the Rock Garden on the way to the power lines. The side trails (Lake Loop, Keddy Connector, Death March, Shawshank) are not really noob-friendly.
If you’d like a tour of any of these trails sometime, I could or I’m sure someone else on here could take you through.
I know you were looking for in the HRM but you really should take a drive to Wolfville and check out Reservoir Park.
Seconded, that place is magic!!! You guys are like, trail magicians. 
Jeeze . . . should have read this thread first. How about a google map snapshot\link for those of us not familiar with the area.