Steph's Nova Scotia Tour Guide: Cape Breton

Moose Calves, Skyline Trail, Cape Breton

Autumn is a beautiful time to visit Cape Breton and hike the Cabot Trail. Here are some of the places we went on our first trip to Cape Breton, we highly recommend it!

We started our trip on the Cheticamp side and ended it in Sydney before coming home because that worked best for us at the time. Check out the Cabot Trail map to help plan your trip:

http://www.mappery.com/Cape-Breton-Highlands-National-Park-Map

Day 1 - Uisge Ban Falls and Cheticamp
Day 2 - Cabot Trail
Day 3 - Cabot Trail and Drive to Sydney
Day 4 - Sydney Big Fiddle and Fortress Louisbourg

Uisge Ban Falls

Uisge Ban Falls, Cape Breton

We went to the falls on recommendation from a friend before getting to the Cabot Trail. It was a beautiful walk that took us about 1-1.5hrs including time to take pictures along the way.

Auberge Doucet Inn

The Auberge Doucet Inn bed and breakfast was the first place we stayed, it was in Cheticamp, very nice there (bring your own hair dryer if you need one, they may have had one at the desk but there wasn't one in the room). Nice place with a beautiful view!

Cabot Trail

The Cabot Trail was our main event, we planned to have two full days there to do all the trails we wanted to do, and I'm glad we did because we even had to cut a couple trails we didn't have time for.

Here are some of the trails and look-offs we recommend:

I've included the time it took us to do the trails, keep in mind that we were being very touristy and taking time to take pictures.

Grande Falaise Look-Off

Skyline Trail

This trail says 2-3 hours, we took the main path there and the long path back and it took us 3 hours. It was so exciting for us because we turned the corner to see a momma moose and her two babies!! They were so close!

Bog Trail

10 min trail. This one was short and sweet. It would have been really nice in the late spring or summer when the plants were in bloom, but still a beautiful quick walk in the fall.

Fishing Cove Look Off

MacIntosh Brook Trail

30 mins. This trail was really nice, a beautiful woodsy walk to a nice waterfall at the end!

Lone Shieling Trail

15-20 mins. Well protected area filled with sugar maple trees, and a Lone Shieling "a stone shepherd's hut commemorating the Scottish heritage of nearby Pleasant Bay."

Beulach Ban Waterfall Look Off

Green Cove Trail

10 mins. Another beautiful quick stopping spot that has a nice view of the ocean.

Knotty Pines Cottages

This was the second place that we stayed. It was a quaint, quiet cottage area on the other side of the Cabot Trail. It had a beautiful view and was really cozy. There was a kitchenette and bathroom in the cottage and a balcony (shared in our case) with a BBQ on it. Bring your own supplies and enjoy!