Abandoned Roads of Nova Scotia

My name is Steve Skafte, and since turning twenty in 2007, I’ve kept an uninterrupted daily journal of my adventures across Nova Scotia — with a focus on my Annapolis Valley home. Nearly two decades later, and I’ve never missed a day. Never will until the day I die. I’ve often thought of myself like an ardent explorer of misplaced memories. Gathering together memories and stories in the form of photos, prose, and poems that document a quickly slipping history. Abandoned roads, cemeteries, cars, homes, cabins, and derelict structures of all kinds fascinate me. Whatever it is that will never be saved, I’ve done my best to record. That, along with our lonesome natural beauty, I’m endlessly fascinated.

TIDELINE LIES —— We're slipping steady to the last days of icy cliffsides, waiting on a bit of bright sun to shake them of their burden. While we were here, a less-secure stalactite to the right came crashing. Thunderous demise by way of

PENINSULAR PEOPLE —— Recently, I had a public disagreement with someone. It was civic enough, a simple divergence of opinion. But they found the fact that it involved observers to be in itself offensive, saying how they preferred to &quot

Support your local venues! Now more than ever. Come out and hear me tell tales from the harrowing and heartfelt pages of my latest book, about folks who overcame the odds to be themselves.

There are ten stories in Outskirts of Ordinary — inclu

Which are the 4 most beautiful places in the Annapolis Valley that aren't a part of our provincial or county parks? Here are mine — how about yours? Every local hiker has their opinion, and has almost certainly been to each of these. They are,

TO THE MELT —— This big old hunk of metal has been run aground here for as long as I remember. Not really sure what it was — some buoy or beacon, maybe. It only shows at the lowest tide, a more regular citizen of an underwater world

BY AND BY —— What became of those who loved this place, and why did they never return? The Kiberd Cabin has a view of the ocean, desperate and windswept, staring from the scrub brush. The doors are off their hinges, front steps long since

HUMAN PRACTICE —— Everything ever written on a cabin wall remains. That's the law of bare wood buildings, the slow accumulation of gentle graffiti, never erased. Mostly names and dates, but some will leave a message or two. The church cam

KIND OF HOME —— There is a darkness to sunlight that sees straight through me, casting shadows to hide what overcast weather never could. Citizens of this sheltered port lie low, little boats buried sleepy out of sight. I start and watch

WHO WILL KEEP YOU

I was born before
the turn of the century
taught to speak up for myself
before the honourable mention me
a young man looking back
as the snow covers his tracks
getting ready to lie and let
his skull freeze solid in the sun
till the

Books by Steve Skafte

Outskirts of Ordinary (April 18, 2026) is a heartfelt and harrowing collection of stories about folks in the Annapolis Valley. Content is a mixture of photos and prose. The overall theme of the book is people who overcame difficult odds to become themselves, often involving struggles with their mental health. There are ten stories, including Denny Lunn (retired Air Force, Greenwood), Christie D’Aubin (butcher’s daughter, Bridgetown), James Lightle (Afghanistan veteran, Round Hill), Linda White Holloway (artist, Greenwood), and Brent Reeve (granite carver, Berwick). The remaining five stories are from my childhood.

PRE-ORDER HERE

The Dead Die Twice (2023) and This River Was Once a Road (2025) are from Nimbus Publishing. Each feature stories, photos, GPS coordinates, and directions from 20 abandoned locations across Nova Scotia. Adventures ranging from the Annapolis Valley area to the far eastern tip of Cape Breton Island. The Dead Die Twice is all about abandoned cemeteries, the life and death they contain. This River Was Once a Road takes you down abandoned roads, public right of way walks through our crumbling history.

ORDER HERE

The Dead Centre (2022) and Desperate Passages (2023) are small, self-published pocket guidebooks compiled through years of research. The Dead Centre includes 144 cemeteries in Annapolis County, any with at least one surviving historic gravestone. 1/3rd are abandoned, 2/3rds in active use. Desperate Passages contains 133 abandoned roads I’ve mapped in Annapolis, Digby, and Kings counties. Everything is a public right of way. Both books feature photos, directions, and GPS coordinates for each location.

ORDER HERE

Speaking Events

Abandoned Roads Map

Current Status — Annapolis, Digby, and Kings counties are completely mapped. All others are in progress.

The majority of these roads include both abandoned and maintained sections. To ensure total clarity, each line on the map traces out the abandoned section only. On some mobile devices, swipe up or select the bottom bar for the full listing, or do the same after selecting a road to see more info. I've used a lot of amateur maps produced with no pride, full of misinformation and inaccurate coordinates. I'm no cartographer, but I've always had a love for the art. As a kid, I used my father's stash of maps to wallpaper my bedroom, spending hours tracing lines with my fingers, imagining far-off places. Even now, I have a map of my area on the wall above my bed, and a globe on my bedside table.

This love of maps is why I work to be as close to 100% accurate as possible. Each road shows the historic title, best place to start and length, painstakingly traced out exactly as it lies underfoot. Roads are arranged alphabetically and by area for easy navigation. Ten photos are included for every entry. I've hiked them all myself — nothing is second-hand.

Other Maps I’ve Made

Railway Tunnels of Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia never had tunnels for tracks and trains — but the railways sure built plenty of tunnels all the same! Hundreds of abandoned drainage culverts run under the railbeds all over the province. This map only includes those big enough for a person to walk through standing or crouching. Nothing that you'd be forced to crawl through.

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Old Truss Bridges of Nova Scotia

Rusty single lane steel truss bridges, scattered across the province. A mixture of large through truss, small pony truss, and also railway bridges. Most are well over a century old. Compiled by Steve Skafte and Jonathan King.

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Abandoned Cemeteries of Nova Scotia

This map contains a number of unmaintained burial grounds around the province. This is an ongoing project, updated as new discoveries are made. Find and share your own on the Facebook Group of the same name.

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Cemeteries of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia

This map features every burial ground in the county with at least one surviving historic gravestone. 1/3rd abandoned, 2/3rds active and maintained. Companion map to my guidebook: The Dead Centre (2022) — Order Here.

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Bay Shore Tidal Beach Access

This map lists all the locations I'm aware of in the Kings, Annapolis, and Digby counties of Nova Scotia where you can drive any vehicle on a public road right up to the very edge of the saltwater shore.

Support This Project

A pursuit like this requires a massive investment of time and money. Time for researching, driving, hiking, photographing, writing, editing, mapping, and publishing. Money for travel expenses, food, lodging, camera equipment, and hosting fees for this website. For a project that I’ve made free for all to use — as public right-of-ways should always remain — Abandoned Roads of Nova Scotia is far from free to pursue. But that doesn’t stop me loving it with all my heart.

As a working artist, I survive on what meager income I gather from what I’m able to create day-to-day. There’s a long list of roads still to map in the province, and I’m not about to run out of adventures any time soon. If you’ve got a little spare change, here’s how you can use it to make a big difference in this project.

Patreon — Support my work for as little as $1 per month.

Substack — Support my work starting at $5 per month.

PayPal — If you prefer a one-off donation.

Interac e-transfer — Email address at the bottom of this page.