Cape Breton is an island connected to the mainland of Nova Scotia by a single bridge, with Cape Breton Highlands National Park (CBH) situated in its northernmost section. Most visitors do a loop drive along the very scenic Cabot Trail highway, which winds its way along the edges of the Park. Panoramic viewpoints of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of St. Lawrence as well as autumn foliage colors of the Highlands, are the principal draw.
Hiking along the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton National Park
The hiking in CBH is primarily short hikes (1-3 hours) to scenic overlooks of ocean and highlands. The 26 trails are split evenly between those on the eastern (Atlantic) side and those on the western (Gulf of St Lawrence) side. Trailheads are easily accessed along the Cabot Trail roadway. Only several of the trails are rated difficult. However, there are so many easy, accessible trail options, you just can’t go wrong! You get a lotta visual bang in a short amount of time.
Middle Head Trail
We enjoyed sunrise views along Middle Head Trail, a short trail (1-2 hrs) overlooking the Atlantic Ocean near the village of Ingonish. Wonderful potential opportunities to see seabirds, seals, whales, and eagles.
Jack Pine Trail
Jack Pine Trail is a lovely walk meandering through a forest of post-fire jack pine while providing excellent views of the Atlantic coastline. The fact that this patch of jack pine is 200 kilometres from the rest of its range makes it noteworthy. This patch of Jack Pine has survived fire and budworm infestation and still thrives in this harsh coastal climate.
Cap Rouge, Franey and Skyline Trails
Beach views can be enjoyed along the path at Cap Rouge Campground, and panoramic views along the Franey and Skyline Trails. The park rangers at the visitor centres were especially helpful in advising on the trail selections. Use them!
Ideally, we should have visited a week or two later when the Cape hosts the annual Celtic Colours International Festival, as fall foliage colors peak in mid-October. On the other hand, the absence of crowds during this post-summer/pre-festival week was wonderfully peaceful.
Tip: The more dramatic views are on the west side of the Park and can be best observed while driving downhill, so I recommend taking the Cabot Trail counter-clockwise as we did.
Other Highlights
We chose a counter-clockwise route that took us up the east side through the town of Baddeck – locale of the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site– to the village of Ingonish, where we stayed at the Keltic Lodge. While the Lodge offers one of North America’s best public golf courses overlooking the ocean, the draw for us was its easy access to the numerous hiking trails on the eastern side of the national park.
Attention Whisky Lovers
Our journey through the Cape ended with a night at the Glenora Inn and Distillery, North America’s first single malt whisky distillery. We enjoyed a fine dinner and musical entertainment – the Inn offers a nightly Ceilidh, a traditional Scottish musical entertainment. Most interesting to me was the hour-long, “complimentary” distillery tour. I learned so much about their whisky process that I paid $175 for a bottle of their 15-year. Ah-ha!, this is why the tour is offered for free. They got me at Glenora.
The Cabot Trail and Cape Breton Island are famous for good reasons, and I highly recommend a visit! It’s easy to access via a flight to Halifax International Airport, as we did, and the region has so much to offer. With its scenic drives, incredible overlooks, and many short hikes of 2-3 hours or less, the Cape offers delightful adventures. The experience becomes even more spectacular during the colourful autumn season.
Get out there and Carpe diem!
