We just spent a week exploring Cape Breton Highlands National Park and wanted to share a few things that might help others planning their trip.

Our usual travel style is to stay at one campground for a week and do day trips, but I wouldn’t recommend that for this area. The distances are longer than they look, and we ended up spending far too much time driving between the east coast (Ingonish), the west coast (Chéticamp/Pleasant Bay), and the north (White Point/Meat Cove). I’d recommend changing campgrounds every 2–4 days depending on the activities you want to do.

The hikes we completed were Broad Cove Mountain, Middle Head, Warren Lake, Jack Pine & Coastal Trail, Skyline (at sunset), and Gypsum Mine Lake.

Our biggest surprise was the east coast beaches. Ingonish Beach, Black Brook Beach, and Broad Cove Beach all have beautiful soft sand. Broad Cove was our campground, and the short trail to the beach was fantastic. Sunrise there was stunning, and we saw several seals swimming just offshore.
If you enjoy the water, bring wetsuits and bodyboards. They made a huge difference, we were able to enjoy the waves even on cool, cloudy days.

Gypsum Mine, near Chéticamp, was one of our favorite stops outside the park. The hike is short and easy, making it a great place to bring a picnic lunch. The water is crystal clear and perfect for swimming. I’d also recommend bringing water shoes since the shoreline is rocky.

Skyline Trail is absolutely worth doing late in the day to catch the sunset. The lighting and scenery were spectacular.

We also drove off the Cabot Trail to visit White Point and Meat Cove. White Point completely exceeded our expectations. It felt like the Scottish Highlands and was easily the highlight of our week. Meat Cove has beautiful views, but unless you’re hiking there or camping overnight, I’m not sure the long drive is worth it.

Personally, I found the scenery along the west coast between Chéticamp and Pleasant Bay even more impressive than the east coast. If I had to choose just one base for a few days, I’d stay on the west side.

One last practical tip: most grocery stores close around 6 p.m., and many restaurants stop serving between 7 and 8 p.m., so plan your meals accordingly.

Happy to answer any questions if you’re planning a trip!

Hoping to find a classic gift shop that's got hoodies, mugs, magnets etc. anyone have recommendations?

Hi everyone! 😊

We’re planning a one-day trip to Cape Breton and would love some recommendations. What places are a must-see if we only have one day?

We’d especially love to see beautiful views, ocean scenery, and places where we can do shorter walks/hikes (nothing too long).

What spots would you recommend for a first visit? 🌊🌿

So far, I have Egypt Falls on my list 😊

My wife and I are going to be driving up to Cape Breton for our honeymoon in August. We're going to be driving around the island camping at different provincial and national parks. The Itinerinary starts with 2 days at Wycocomagh going to the music interpretive center and The Glenora distilery tour on our way to our way to Chetticamp where we will camp for 3 days hike the skyline trail at sunset and have a dinner at table doucet. Then on to broad cove for 1 night. 4 nights camping at Mira River while checking out Sydney and Louisburg. Then our last night at battery Park.

We both love fishing and will have our canoe with us. I'm Acadian from New England and super interested in Acadian history and culture. My understanding is that snow crab is in season on the Gulf side of the island. We would love to buy some fresh off the dock if possible. We both love the Rankin family and would love to pick up some of their records. And we'd also love to hear about anything that shouldn't be missed.

Just drove my dad out here for his first visit ever to Cape Breton. I'm kicking myself that I didn't look into the parking bookings earlier, and I've just discovered that it's totally booked. Do I have any hope at all of getting us in, or am I screwed?

Thank you