Broad, long, beautiful beach. Great for a nice walk. If it's busy, there is always a quieter spot around the bend.

If you're looking for a little break from the city without having to go far, Rainbow Haven is one of the easiest beaches to get to. It's a mere half hour drive from the centre of Halifax, and it is definitely worth the drive! The sand is some of the finest grained sand I've ever had the pleasure to sink my toes into. It's like walking on a little piece of heaven. It's so soft! There's tons of space on the beach for lounging, playing or wandering so even at its busiest I doubt you would have a problem finding somewhere to put a towel down. I love the scenery, whether you're looking out into the ocean or looking out over the expanse of vegetation, it's a pretty special spot. That being said there are sand flies. Lots of them. I got quite a few bites - eek! If you can get past the creepy crawlies, it's really really lovely. The water is a pretty nice temperature too. It's not freezing, but it's certainly not warm. Just watch for rip tides! read more

Rainbow Haven is a pretty popular spot for families, tweens, teens, and various miscellaneous folk. A gorgeous spot to take in the rays of summer, its also a spot that everyone knows about and will fill up quickly if the heat rises. Extended sandy beaches and beautiful backdrops of landscape, Rainbow truly is a haven worth having. If you can handle a largely populated dose of sun, then you will be fine! Although there are the odd days when you can trickle along the shores with minimal company as well. The beach is suited with all the perks: lifeguards, flush toilets, showers, a canteen, parking options, beach volleyball nets and boardwalks too. Balanced with beautiful nature scenes and convenient accommodations... Rainbow is well-rounded. Summertime aside, its a gorgeous spot to enjoy once the weather starts getting chilly. Early September and October allow for a little more quiet time, and a whole lot of outdoor beauty. Pop on a sweater, and enjoy a nice, crisp walk along natural landscapes. read more

Rainbow Haven Beach - http://www.nsls.ns.ca/rainbow-haven-beach - Beaches Near Me - Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia

Don't hate, but I'm a teacher and many of my summer days are spent lazing on the beach soaking up the glorious rays. Now several teacher friends love to accompany me on my beach excursions, but I tend to love beachin it a little more than the average person, so I sometimes make the trip alone with just a book and a towel. A perfect way to spend a couple hours. Now Rainbow Haven is about 20 minutes from my house, so it's really the closest option for me. Here's some advice: If it's looking like it's going to be really hot be prepared for a few things.. 1. Parking gets nuts, and can be really crazy by 1 o'clock. I like to get there by 11 to solidify a spot for my car and for my butt. 2. Make sure your car is MVI'd, plates and good, license isn't expired and you're buckled up. The cops love to set up routine road stops along Bissett Road. 3. I prefer to park at the end of the beach where you first come in, opting not to park down by the canteen. There are fewer people here and less craziness with kids, etc. Sometimes it isn't lifeguarded, but on the really hot days when there are more people it usually is. 4. RH can be a bit of a gong show. Socialites showing off their tatts or buffed up dudes trying to impress the ladies, it can all be a bit much. All this being said, I love to spend a morning here with my book or an afternoon with a friend. The beach is clean and well taken care of and most shenanigans are dealt with quickly. read more

We went here after looking on Yelp for beaches! We were not disappointed with the quality of the beach. It was of course, tremendously busy, on a Saturday afternoon, but it is quite a large beach to allow you to have a few foot personal space buffer. The cars were lined up down the road, and we followed suit. Since it was mid afternoon, as we got into the actual park, we noticed there were empty spaces closer to the beach entrance, and would try for those another time if we went in the afternoon. It is definitely a bit of a hike to the beach from the road (although flat), but it would call this more of a day-at-the-beach spot than somewhere to go for a swim for an hour. There is a canteen and bathrooms, which were out of order, but there were still portable bathrooms. read more

This beach! This Beach! This Beach! I love this beach. And everything about it - the sand, the location, scenery, water, etc. There's ample parking space - so don't feel rushed to get there at 10 am on a sunny day. There are also public bathrooms at the entrance and there used to be a canteen, but it's been closed for quite a while now. As soon as you walk up and put your feet on the beach you notice that the sand is extremely fine, I love sand like that. You'll also notice that the beach is really really big with lots of space for everyone. It's pretty comfortable water to get into as well - it's not freezing cold like Crystal Crescent, but I find I can usually get in the water here. The only bad thing about that is you gotta be extra careful of the riptides - there are signs but people still go in and sometimes get carried away. On particularly windy days, if you're lying down, because the sand is so fine, it keeps hitting you in the face, that's kind of annoying - but it's totally worth it. Fine grains of sand are the best! read more

This beach is a relic of my teen days, getting all jazzed up and hitting the sand. It is a lovely landscape, presenting the expansive Atlantic paired alongside gentle folding shore lines. I was going to Rainbow Haven a lot last year, especially during the off season. It's a wonderful place to go and take a quiet stroll or to sit and watch the water. In the summer, the water temperature ranges from freezing to bearable, bordering on warm. If there's a cool breeze, the temperature at the beach can be very different from the city so I advise you to pack for all occasions. There are a lot of parking spaces, a change house, bathrooms, a cafeteria, as well as a life-guarded area. If you feel like adventuring, head around the curved edge of the beach and you'll find that it's a little more secluded from the elements as well as the crowds (but I'd recommend against swimming as the undertow can be pretty severe). If you haven't been to Rainbow Haven on a sunny afternoon or a crisp fall day, I urge you to get some friends together, grave your pup and head on down the Bissett Road until you reach the beach. You can take a load off and go for a dip, or else nap and loll about on the sand -what you do is up to you! read more

Rainbow Haven Beach seems to go on forever. It is the most packed beach in the summer, I cannot remember a time I went that it was not full. You can walk out quite far at Rainbow and there always seems to be something going on there. They have a lifeguard area, which is great if you have little ones, or do not want to get hit with a football. This is all good when at the beach. There is a lot of sand at this beach, not so many rocks as some others. The water, well, there are not to many beaches in the Maritimes that has really warm water, but this one seems to be the better. There is a great canteen here as well, change rooms and washrooms. A great place to take the family, date or go for a stroll. read more

Living within fifteen minutes from this beach might be considered a perk in the summer when you just want to get some fresh air, catch some rays and listen to the waves. But in reality, I'd sooner drive out to Queensland or Crystal Crescent than get too excited about Rainbow Haven. The pros: 1) It's a big beach with lots of room for you and your friends to set up camp for the entire day if you feel like it. 2) It has sand. And water. And other beachy things. 3) It's not too far from civilization. The cons: 1) Sand fleas. Lots of em. Hate hate hate. 2) Seaweed. Tons of it. Hate hate hate. 3) A near constant Ed Hardy runway show and Jersey Shore casting call. The important-to-knows: 1) The road gates close at 8pm. If you're going to be there longer, park on the main road. 2) Heavily patrolled for parties. Booze and bonfires get busted quick. read more

Rainbow Haven is a sandy oasis of a beach and a local favorite. This beach has it all. No rocks to speak of, shallow waters, lifeguards, a canteen, bathrooms, and a distinct lack of jellyfish. Rainbow Haven is a great place for families, even its name is whimsical. Although I've never seen a rainbow there, I did spend countless days of my childhood roaming the shores and splashing the surf. The sand is perfect for sandcastles and other architectural ventures, tons of kids on the beach makes for fast new friends, and the shallow water is perfect for little swimmers. The lifeguards also help Mum and Dad feel at ease. The water can be a little chilly in early summer but it warms up nicely during July and August. September is also a great month to swim since all those kids are back to school and everyone has used up their vacation time. This may sound crazy but if you have the chance to head to the beach before a hurricane, definitely go. The hurricane pushes super warm waters onto our shores and makes swimming at Rainbow Haven comparable to warm those Floridian waters. The impending storm also kicks up some nice swells great for boogie boarding. If you plan a trip on one of those rare sunny weekends make sure you arrive nice and early. Even if there's a slight ocean chill in the air, you'll appreciate your prime beach spot once the afternoon rush hits. I've always found if you go anytime after 4pm, most people are heading home which leaves most of the beach to yourself. The beach is also a great place for a romantic evening walk or an excursion with your pups. The parking situation is one of the best for a provincial beach. There are several lots and if the place is really packed road parking is available. Be careful if you're parking late in the evening for a sunset walk, the beach has a closing time when the gates will be locked. read more

Rainbow Haven, what a perfect name for this place. It truly is a haven. It is tranquil, beautiful and serene. I love exploring beaches, anywhere near the ocean and this place is no exception. The beach is clean and offers a great place for swimmers, beach layered, photographers or walkers. Nova Scotia offers so much in the way of ocean appreciation. read more

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Rainbow Haven located 8kms from Cow Bay off some great beach. Nestled off the gravel road you will have available plenty of parking. Not to say that some days it is lined up all the way down to the main road. A wooden boardwalk allows for easy access to the beach as as well wheelchair accessibility for those who might need it. Now being in NS you all are aware that sometimes that water is so cold that your legs well you wont be able to feel. To me rainbow is one of the warm beaches that we have in HRM. Great sand and plenty of space on the beach to stretch out. The main canteen serves all the favourites such as fries, cold pop as well as chips and snacks. Wash rooms are available which is always nice for those who do not like to this as the Ocean as their private washroom. Great waves 90% of the time will have both you and the kids playing and having some real fun. Oh and Lady with the ugly dog.. Take a bag to the beach so that when your dog used the sand as a litter box you can CLEAN IT UP! Maybe this is why some beaches will not allow dogs on it because of people like you. And then to have your son cover it with sand. Terrible. read more

I've tried to go to Rainbow Haven Beach twice now and haven't had good luck, though that it mostly my own fault for not having a sense of the space. Attempt #1: Drove out after dinner with my mom who was visiting from NB. We got there around 7:45pm and as soon as we parked, staff came out of the building to tell us they lock the gates at 8pm and if we wanted to stay we needed to drive back out to the road and park there. Since my mom is 69 years old with bad knees, that was not an option since it's a bit of a hike from the road to the beach. Instead, we literally walked the boardwalk to the beach, took a couple of photos, went back to the car and drove away. The beach had lovely sand, was long and the view was exactly what you'd love to see. The building had bathrooms and I think there was an outdoor shower so you could rinse off. The boardwalk is great for rubbing the sand off your feet before putting your shoes back on. Attempt #2: My partner and I headed out during a nice weekend day during the early afternoon (say 1-1:30pm). We were stuck in a huge line of cars that was backed up Bissett Rd. for ~30+ minutes with everyone idling because there was no sense of when cars might move. A lot of drivers were pulling u-turns, some people took huge risks and drove in the wrong lane to reach Cow Bay Rd., all of which made me feel like we were moments away from seeing a car accident and stressing me out compared to the lovely beach day I had imagined. Most people who made it to Cow Bay Rd. seemed to turn right go down the road, pull a u-turn and then park on the side of the road. (You can only park on the right hand side from what I remember.) When we finally made it onto Cow Bay Rd. and were perhaps 4 cars away from getting in the park gates, they closed the gate. I overheard a park staff mention something to the first car about them not letting anyone else in until more people left, which makes sense given that there are only so many parking spots, but they neglected to come tell any of the other cars this information. I ended up giving up after having spent so much time waiting, driving past the entrance and turning around in someone's driveway before leaving to drive out to Martinique Beach. When we left, there was a lineup of cars down Bissett Rd. probably half a kilometre who were all idling and hoping to go to the beach, not knowing the huge wait ahead of them. I would love to see this park set up some kind of sign on Bissett Rd. and update when the parking lots are full so that people know what's happening. I plan to make another attempt to get to this beach before the end of the summer, but I will definitely be planning to go by 10am or during the week. TL:DR This beach is gorgeous with some facilities, but if you want to go here, go in the morning in order to get parking and if you want to stay past 8pm, park on Cow Bay Rd. read more

Been here, done that. For cold waters I sure didn't want to swim in, the beach was busy with some hot Nova Scotia women sporting their bikinis almost like South Beach (Miami). Well, not really, but pretty decent. read more