Open in App
Get this trail on your phone instantly.
more stats
1,204 ft
Distance
11 ft
Climb
00:01:46
Avg time
12 ft
Altitude change
122 ft
Altitude min
135 ft
Altitude max
122 ft
Altitude start
135 ft
Altitude end
1%
Grade
-4.8%
Grade max
4%
Grade min
486 ft
Distance climb
112 ft
Distance down
466 ft
Distance flat
00:01:46
Avg time
Joe Cracker Details
-
Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Winter Fat Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
- Snowshoe
-
Riding AreaMcIntosh Run
Halifax, Nova Scotia -
Difficulty Rating
-
Local Popularity95 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 95 in Trail Running
- 85 in Hiking
- 5 in Snowshoeing
-
Global Ranking
-
Hiking SAC ScaleT1 Hiking
-
Trail TypeSingletrack
-
Bike TypeAM, XC, Fat
-
DirectionBoth Directions
-
Climb DifficultyGreen
-
Physical RatingEasy
-
Trail VisibilityAlways easy to follow
-
Family FriendlyYes
-
Dogs AllowedYes
-
eBike Allowed
-
Year Opened2020
-
Land OwnerHalifax Regional Muncipality
Joe Cracker is a bidirectional 'easy' trail that offers an introduction to mountain biking and/or easy hiking through mixed Acadian forest. Compared to most other trails at McIntosh Run, Joe Cracker is wide, the tread is mostly dirt (less granite), and grades are shallow.
Joe Cracker is on Halifax park land. Dogs must be on leash.
Joe was built in Nov-Dec of 2020 by Shoreline Dirtworks under contract with MRWA. Joe is mostly machine-built with hand finishing.
Enjoy the ride!!
-----------------------------
The name: Joe Cracker was a 13y old boy from Herring Cove who, in 1797, saved people from the HMS Tribune when it sank off Herring Cove with 250 souls on board. Joe rowed a dory out to the Tribune, saving a handful of people from what was the first big maritime disaster in Halifax. In some reports, Joe Cracker was an orphan.
MORE (it's a good, if overall sad, tale):
On November 23, 1797, His Majesty's ship Tribune approached Halifax harbour with about 250 souls on board. Rather than wait for a Halifax pilot to guide her in, the ship's Master attempted to steer the Tribune into the harbour. She ran aground on shoals and, unknown at first, was holed. High winds and waves prevented rescue. After the crew dumped the canons and cargo, the Tribune floated free of the shoals and drifted out of control toward Herring Cove. She fillled with water and began to sink only a few hundred meters from the Cove's entrance. Residents of Herring Cove could hear anguished calls from the crew and passengers over night, but could not reach the ship.
The next morning, a 13y old boy from Herring Cove rowed a dory out to the ship and was able to save some people -- the number saved is unclear. Known to history as Joe Cracker, Joe's real name is unknown. Cracker was Royal Navy slang for a keener or a go-getter. In some accounts, Joe was an orphan. According to the account in the 1813 source, Remarkable Shipwrecks:
“The first exertion that was made for their relief was by a boy thirteen years old, from Herring Cove, who ventured off in a small skiff by himself ... This youth, with great labor and extreme risk to himself, boldly approached the wreck, and backed in his little boat so near to the fore-top as to take off two of the men, for the boat could not with safety hold any more.”
According to legend, Joe asked for a pair of cordoroy pants in return for his heroism. In other reports, this 13y old was offered a position on the HMS Resolution (consistent, perhaps, with being an orphan). However, this adventure was short lived as he was unsuitable for naval service and returned to life in Herring Cove.
Access Info
Joe Cracker can be accessed from In-and-Out trail, at a marked intersection approximately 80m from the Norawarren Park trailhead. The other end of JC is at the intersection of Nora and Warren trails.
Local Trail Association
-
-
Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportDonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 4 rides
- 9 miles average
6 Months
- 93 rides
- 8 miles avg distance
All
- 732 rides
- Last: Aug 17, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Joe Cracker Trail Reports
more »
close
-
Layers w
- Weather Layers
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- More Layers
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
-
Upgrade to
3D
Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users activity logs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
- Description
- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
- most popular
- popular
- less popular
- not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
US Cell Coverage
Legend
Radar Time
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data.
?
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data.
?
Winter Trails
Warning
A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.
Missing Trails
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where users jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
BC Backroad Status
![map legend]()
Service Road Atlas is a free to use, community-driven service for viewing and creating reports on the numerous back-country service roads around B.C. and Alberta.
Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
Only show trails with no bike usage.
Suggested Layers
Based on selected activity type
Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.
Save
Directions to joe-cracker trailhead
(44.575510, -63.570680)
Photos
3 more »
Videos
no videos have been added for Joe Cracker yet, add a video.
Routes with this trail
Granite Fondo 2021 - full monte Featured
★ 4.0 • 21 miles • 1,269 ft • 24 •
Full route for 2021 Granite Fondo * --> --> * Lower Attic --> --> downhill --> straight on...
20 miles • 1,312 ft • 37 • Loop •
Starting from and finishing at this route covers ALL the sanctioned green circle and blue square trails in...
Reviews / Comments
No reviews yet, be the first to write a review or ask a question.
Use trail reports to comment on trail conditions.
We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!
Create a FREE account to view trail comments and much more.
Nearby Trails
- Boulderama 256 ft
- Boulderama 262 ft
- In-n-out 443 ft
- Upper West Pine 682 ft
- Nora 840 ft
- By lplug
MRWA & contributors - #91765 - 2,298 views
- Follow/Subscribe
- login to download gpx or kml files.
Hit the Trail
Download Trail
Save to wishlist, Garmin & download.
Find Related Routes
Find routes and users activities that include this trail.
You must enter a description before submitting.