They are part of Nova Scotia's Blue Route, a planned 3,000 kilometer cycling trail system.

In 1906, H&SW merged with Canadian Northern Railway and in 1918, facing bankruptcy, was acquired by the federal government and placed under the control of the newly formed Canadian National Railways (CN).

In 1993, after being proven to be uneconomical to keep running, the section of track west of the modern trail's route was shut down, leaving only a section of rail between Lakeside Industrial Park and CN's Fairview rail yard.

[3] The solution was to build a tunnel under the trail from its highest point in Bayers Lake to the eastern trailhead in Fairview.

[4] The western trailhead can be found in Beechville at the intersection of Lakeside Park Drive and the Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea Trail.