Trekking the peninsula? This Halifax man proves how walkable the city is.
Posted Sep 3, 2026 01:55:20 PM.
For months Ferin Patel has seen people in other cities across Canada do walking challenges, from walking down Yonge Street in Toronto to cycling all of Montreal.
However, he has never seen a local challenge in Halifax Regional Municipality and decided one afternoon in August that he was going to create one.
This is not an official challenge, just something the 26-year-old software engineer by day wanted to do for himself to see if he could (and maybe get some bragging rights too).
“I was just sitting on a Saturday thinking like I don’t have anything to do, and that same post came in my mind,” he told CityNews in an interview. “We have a nice circular arrangement that I can walk through and that might be a nice workout and might be a nice post.”
There was little preparation for the 19-kilometre walk around the peninsula. He started around 1:35 p.m., but thankfully Aug. 22 was mostly cloudy. Bringing with him one water bottle, Patel was determined to just fill it up where he could along the way.
He said goodbye to his wife, asking her to keep in mind his challenge in case he needed rescuing.
According to Petel, she was “not too optimistic” that he could complete the challenge, believing that he might get halfway and give up.
Fuelled with the goal and lots of long walks under his belt already, Patel set off counter-clockwise around the peninsula from his home in the North End.
Heading down Barrington Street, the one part he knew would be the toughest was near Africville Park and the Windsor Street Exchange. Patel had no idea what he was getting himself into or how long it would take. Knowing the area is mostly industrial, he didn’t have high hopes of sidewalks, and wanted to complete the trek before dark.
From the park, he walked on the side of the road as large vehicles whizzed by.
“I was just constantly looking back so that no semi-truck would pass me without noticing me,” he said. “I was just keeping an eye on the road, and I just wanted to finish it as soon as possible.”
That was the only part Patel said he didn’t enjoy. The lack of sidewalk infrastructure and the high-speed large trucks made for an anxious walk for several kilometres. Thankfully traffic was a bit lower since he was walking on a Saturday, Patel noted.
The next treacherous part was the Windsor Exchange, an area full of construction as the city undertakes its major upgrade. There were no lights meant for pedestrians, meaning Patel had to gauge the traffic before quickly crossing.
Downtown Halifax is walkable, data shows
According to Walk Score, an online site that aims to give people an idea of how walkable a city is, Halifax is dubbed a “walker’s paradise.” Stretching for most of the peninsula, the site notes that it has a walk score of 99 out of 100, allowing people to do most daily activities without a vehicle.
Once Patel got through the industrialized area, he could really enjoy himself. The sidewalks were well maintained, he noted, all the crossings had pedestrian buttons and he was surprised to not have encountered any construction issues.
The budget data backs up what Patel saw out on the roads, that the majority of pavement in the region is considered “good.”
The 2026/27 document planned $100 million of capital investment in items like sidewalks, curbs and medians, with 95 per cent of the projects tendered and in the process.
Statistics Canada notes that 12.3 per cent of people were either biking or walking to work. This is more “prevelent,” the report notes, because of the smaller size and milder climate of the cities.
The biggest takeaway Patel had was how great of a walk it was.
He said it was one of the best he’s done in the city, because of how diverse the views are. He went through the “charming” waterfront, saw several ships, through some of the city’s best parks and was able to watch as buildings became more dense, then spread out again over the three hour, 17 minute adventure.
“I would also recommend someone else to try with some modifications in the route, but it’s going to be a beautiful walk,” he said.
