July 17 & 18 - Cabot Trail

Since arriving back from our trip, the number one question we've had is "What was the highlight?" There were a number of places we loved, many we enjoyed, but unequivocally, the highlight was Cape Breton, specifically the Cabot Trail.


We left Antigonish early on the 17th, and headed across the Canso Causeway to Cape Breton. Although a bit underwhelming to look at, the causeway is an interesting feat of engineering. Built in 1955  to connect Cape Breton to the mainland, it was part of an overall plan to make the new province of Newfoundland accessible to the rest of Canada. When it was determined that a bridge would likely be damaged by ice flows in the strait, the 1,385 metres long, 65 metres deep causeway was built using over 10 million tons of rock.

View of Bras d'Or Lake from Alexander Graham Bell NHS, 2017

After a short drive up Highway 105, we began to border the Bras d'Or lake. We were immediately struck  by its beauty, but came to learn that it was special for more than its looks.

Technically an inland sea, the lake is a unique mixture of fresh and salt water, and as such, is a unique ecosystem for birds and fish.

Our first stop was the town of Baddeck, and the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. To be honest, we planned to stop here only as a break from driving, and didn't expect to spend much more than half an hour here. In reality, all four of us were captivated and inspired by the museum, and by Graham Bell's life and legacy. After several hours, we literally had to tear ourselves and the kids away from the place.

From Baddeck, we continued following the Cabot Trail toward Ingonish. There was a short stretch of the trail that left us wondering if Cape Breton was going to be a bit of a letdown. But not long after, we arrived at the Middlehead Peninsula, which offered stunning views from the historic Keltic Lodge perched on cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. From that point on, we were enthralled by the rugged beauty of Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Eastern Shoreline of Cabot Trail, 2017

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the rocky, Eastern shore of the Cabot trail. Stopping at numerous viewpoints and collecting stamps in our Parks-issued passport. At Neils Harbour, we turned inland and experienced the highlands first hand. Coming from just outside the Rocky Mountains, it's easy to be dismissive of other mountainous areas, but the steeply inclined and narrow passes of Cape Breton rivaled anything we ever experienced back home.

Cape Breton Highlands, 2017

Western Shore of Cabot Trail, 2017

We arrived in Pleasant Bay - our stop for the night - just in time for dinner. Based on several recommendations, we chose the Rusty Anchor, and it turned out to be a remarkable experience in so many ways. The service and the food were outstanding. National Geographic touted the restaurant as having the best lobster rolls on the Cabot trail, and it certainly didn't disappoint. Nor did the crab legs, or the chicken fingers (for our non-seafood eating nine-year-old). Most impressive, however, was the ambience. Situated high on cliff looking over the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the restaurant has a large deck that provides stunning views at anytime of day. But with a perfect vantage point to view the sun setting over the water, the views at dusk were absolutely spectacular. If I could pick the one moment of the trip that I felt most at awe, that was it.

Sunset from the Rusty Anchor, Pleasant Bay 2017

We started the next morning at the Whale Interpretive Centre in Pleasant Bay. I highly recommend a stop here as the museum is very well done. We learned a lot about both the natural history and cultural history of whales. Pleasant Bay is also home to a number of whale watching tour companies. Had there been enough time, we would have loved to take one of these as well.

Bog Trail, Cape Breton Highlands National Park 2017

Instead, we took to the Cabot Trail again, and began exploring more of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The scenery on this side of the trail is absolutely fantastic as you wind higher into the mountains while maintaining views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Once at the top of the mountains, they flatten out, and the dense forest of Balsam Fir and Sugar Maple succumb to the fen and scrub of the Taiga (Arctic-like ecosystem). We stopped at the Bog trail to take the short, interpretive walk where we found carnivorous pitcher plants, orchids, frogs and other bog life-forms.

Cabot Trail from Skyline Trail, Cape Breton Highlands National Park 2017

From there we went to the iconic Skyline Trail. This is an absolute must-do if you are in the park. However, the full trail is quite long (about 11 km), and while its nice, only the boardwalk portion is spectacular. In retrospect, we would have gone left at the fork in the trail, just done the boardwalk and viewpoints, and headed back to the car without doing the rest of trail.

After the long hike, we were in need of both water and lunch, and made our way to Cheticamp. The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to driving, and we enjoyed the quaint towns and views from Cheticamp to Port Hawksbury along the Ceheilidh Trail.