Cape Breton’s Skyline Trail a must-do
Recently, we were lucky enough to head to Cape Breton for a summer getaway. Of course, we haven’t travelled anywhere near or far in the past 15 months, so we decided to make the most out of being tourists in our own province.
We hadn’t been to Cape Breton in a very long time, and the kids had never been. If we aren’t up for travel—and even if we were—nova Scotia in the summer is one of the very best places to be. We forgot how absolutely stunning Cape Breton is, especially the breathtaking Highlands National Park. Honestly, driving the Cabot Trail rivals one of my other favourite places, the Pacific Coast Highway in California. Nova Scotia really is a world-class scenic destination.
It’s actually not like Cape Breton is even that close. It’s a whopping four-hour drive from Halifax, which is nothing to laugh at, especially with young kids. We stayed at a cottage in the Margaree Valley which was a great home base to explore the left-hand side of the Cabot Trail.
Only 15 minutes from Cheticamp Campground in the National Park is the Skyline Trail. It’s the one hike I knew we had to do while we were in Cape Breton. If the winding roads and ocean vistas, Boreal, Acadian, and Taiga forests, and prehistoric rock that surrounds you are impressive from the car window, you will want to experience it on foot.
I’ll admit Mom didn’t do her homework. I thought the boardwalk and staircases you see in all the tourism photos started just off the roadway of the Cabot Trail, and you could hike from there. We arrived at the entrance to the Skyline Trail at 4:30 p.m. on a very hot and humid day. We quickly discovered we were facing either a 7.5-kilometre or 9.2-km hike (return) to take in the dramatic headland cliff above the Gulf of St. Lawrence coast.
It was not the time (nearing dinner) nor the temperature (over 30 degrees with the humidity) to take on the hike. After driving a bit more of the Cabot Trail to take in the incredible views, we headed back to our cottage, but not before enjoying an evening at Chimney Corner beach, which I also highly recommend.
A couple of days later we returned to the Skyline Trail, prepared with comfortable clothes and sneakers, lots of water, and snacks. You can head straight to the boardwalk, which is the 7.5-km hike (return) or enjoy hiking the longer back loop, which is the 9.2-km return.
We opted for the shorter of the two. Most of the hike is through the Boreal forest.
I was nervous about coyotes and bears but would have loved to see a moose. Alas, we didn’t come across any wildlife but there was a park ranger with a display of antlers and various wildlife skulls and footprint castings that was neat to learn about.
The terrain on the trail is very smooth and the hike is suitable for all skill levels. The only difficult (re: scary) section is the staircase on the edge—more on that later. The trail is on the narrower side when it comes to passing oncoming hikers. You’ll see glimpses of the canyons and the ocean along the way.
Eventually, the terrain becomes more Sahara-like, and there are signs on displays that explain how the moose eat the trees. In an effort to restore the Boreal forest, there’s a fenced moose exclosure the size of nine football fields to keep moose out to protect thousands of saplings that have been planted. There’s an observation tower in the exclosure area, and you can climb up to view the surrounding area as if you are on a safari.
The boardwalk on the edge of the cliff was constructed to allow hiking on the headland while protecting the ecosystem from trampling. It took us about 45 minutes to reach this point. There are many (many) stairs down part of the cliffside, and it’s not for the faint of heart! I gripped the girls’ hands too tightly as my stomach flipped at the sight of the sheer drops around us to the canyons below. However, it was worth it for the stunning and dramatic views.
There’s no way to capture the beauty with words and even photos don’t do it justice. We spent a good amount of time here taking in the views and taking photos. We spent two-and-a-half hours on the Skyline Trail by the time we got back to the parking lot, where there is tons of parking and bathroom facilities.
I highly recommend planning a family trip to the Cape Breton Highlands. There’s no need to trek to somewhere like California before taking in sights like these on the Skyline Trail right here in Nova Scotia.
SKYLINE TRAIL Cape Breton Highlands National Park
4.5 hours from the Armdale Roundabout Scenery: 5/5
Terrain difficulty: 2/5
Our overall experience: 4.5/ 5
Go online: See a video about hiking the Skyline Trail at Saltwire.com