Cape Breton Highlands National Park Destination Overview

By Sue Lebrecht

View of fall colors on the mountains in Cape Breton Highlands National Park (Daryl Benson/Photodisc/Getty)

Cape Breton Highlands National Park Parks and Outdoor Travel Tips

Walk the loop of the Cabot Trail clockwise, entering from Chéticamp. Stop at the Chéticamp Information Centre to load up on maps and useful tips.
Three trails are open to mountain biking: Trous de Saumons, Branch Pond Lookoff, and Clyburn Valley.
For geocaching enthusiasts, the park features one multi-cache, two kid caches, and an ecocache. The Middle Head cache leads to historically and culturally significant locales, while the ecocache has five caches on five trails and a geocoin reward for finding them all.
Consider visiting in late September or early October. The park is most beautiful in autumn when the highlands are ablaze in brilliant reds and yellows.
For cross-country skiers, the park has seven trails in three different areas groomed for both classic and skate skiing. The Black Brook trailhead has a warming and waxing hut heated with electricity and a woodstove.

Spectacular coastal cliffs and startling sea views are the hallmark of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. A high, forested plateau cut by deep river canyons and framed by cliffs bordering the Atlantic Ocean, the highlands are one of Canada's most memorable landscapes.

You reach the park via the world-famous Cabot Trail, a scenic highway that winds along the coast and then crosses the park's plateau. On the western rim, the road follows steep cliffs dropping 1,400 feet into the sea. On the eastern shore it curves around small coves and bays. All along the way, numerous pull-offs provide excellent photo opportunities. The road also gives access to many of the park's 25 hiking trails. Covering about 77 miles, the trails meander through wind-scoured boreal forests laced with waterfalls.

Wildlife is abundant on land and in the offshore waters. Pilot, finback, minke, and humpback whales, as well as porpoises and seals, swim within sight of shore. Numerous companies offer tours, most guaranteeing a sighting.

There's a park information centre at the west entrance, at the Acadian village of Chéticamp, and beaches at the east entrance. Highland Links, the top-ranked golf course in Canada, and the landmark Keltic Lodge Resort fill out the list of must-do tourist attractions on the eastern side of the park. Campgrounds can be found at both entrances, with four others in the park's interior. Interpretive programs, including evening events, run throughout summer, and visitors can enjoy cross-country skiing, skating, snowshoeing, and tobogganing in winter.

Last Updated: 16 Feb 2011
Published: 30 Mar 2010
The details, dates, and prices mentioned in this article were accurate at the time of publication.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park Highlights

Walk the loop of the Cabot Trail clockwise, entering from Chéticamp. Stop at the Chéticamp Information Centre to load up on maps and useful tips.
Three trails are open to mountain biking: Trous de Saumons, Branch Pond Lookoff, and Clyburn Valley.
For geocaching enthusiasts, the park features one multi-cache, two kid caches, and an ecocache. The Middle Head cache leads to historically and culturally significant locales, while the ecocache has five caches on five trails and a geocoin reward for finding them all.
Consider visiting in late September or early October. The park is most beautiful in autumn when the highlands are ablaze in brilliant reds and yellows.
For cross-country skiers, the park has seven trails in three different areas groomed for both classic and skate skiing. The Black Brook trailhead has a warming and waxing hut heated with electricity and a woodstove.

By Travel Expert: Sue Lebrecht