So being perfectly honest I probably have a much different review and experience than what most…read morepeople will have in this review. Skyline Trail is the most iconic Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. I came here over Christmas when there are probably more Moose than people in the park. There are no services open and its really desolate. So for those of you coming into the park in winter time be prepared. And they do not plow the parking lot. I repeat they do not plow the parking lot. I thought I could go through but the snow was much much deeper than it looked. And I got my SUV stuck for an hour in the middle of nowhere on Christmas with 3 other souls on board. There is cell service out here. And there's also no one that passes by in the winter on a Christmas here. We had to get on our hands and knees and dig our way out. Turned the traction control off and managed to back out. After that we still wanted to go for a hike. So left our car up in the initial staging area where the parking spots say 15minute parking only. We hiked for like 30 minutes and realized how big this Trail head parking really is because we were still within the parking lot. So we ended up getting some exercise in but only ended up getting some parking lot view. But we certainly made memories that will last a life time. But if you do come here in the winter time come ultra prepared. Get a starlink for communication or some form of satellite communication in case you have car problems. Do not go beyond the very first parking lot if there's snow on the ground. And enjoy this nature's paradise. Wintertime in Cape Breton is surreal.

1 hr & 40 min. Nice hike! Unfortunately it was too foggy to see any kind of a view. Groomed trails!…read moreLovely hike!

Dark, icy waters from a distant alpine lake cascade down a dramatically undulating, 65-foot rock…read moreface framed by the leaves of the surrounding forest - creating one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've ever seen! The leaves had just started to turn into autumn hues and I can only imagine how much more magnificent the view must be during peak fall splendor. You'll find this glorious waterfall in the Highlands - of Canada though and not Scotland lol! I had no idea Canada had a highland territory and their highlands are every bit as incredible as its Scottish counterpart. You'll even find an abundance of Gaelic used here - Beulach Ban is Gaelic for "White Gorge" for example. The falls are found along the northern stretch of the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park - and considering the remoteness, the falls are fairly easily accessible. The trail to the waterfall itself is very short - less than 1/10th of a mile - as long as your car can make it down the muddy, poorly maintained, pothole filled road lol! But during my visit, most cars had no issues making the drive, including mine. As long as you pay attention and go slowly you should be fine. It's narrow but there are opportunities to pull to the side to allow passing - all the drivers I encountered were courteous and patient. And if you don't want to risk it, there's plenty of parking in a paved lot at the start of the road and the trek down only adds 2km (1.25 miles) to your hike. At the trailhead you'll find a small parking lot that fills up fast, but there is also room to park along part of the road. To the right of the parking lot you'll find bathrooms and picnic tables, as well as the trailhead of the longer Aspy Trail. Like most national parks in North America, Cape Breton Highlands National Park charges a fee to enter and you just have your permit displayed in your window to park legally. The fee is nominal though at $9CAD daily - totally worth it and I highly recommend!

This is a top notch national park. Incredible views. Great beaches. Tons of hiking trails that…read moreare well maintained. Friendly rangers. Nice kids explorer program. This is a must see national park.

Came up here during Christmas. There's a reason why the entire place is empty. Its cold, windy,…read moreand snowy. But you can experience raw natural beauty with zero crowds. Come prepared though. Awd and snow tires are a must. Satellite communication devices or starlink is also recommended as we had very large swaths of the drive without cell service. And if your car breaks down or you get stuck in a snow drift you are screwed. I think there was a part of the drive where I went easily 90 minutes without passing by anyone. I also wouldn't really recommend coming up here with an electric vehicle during the winter. But we enjoyed our time here. Just stayed at our Airbandb, cooked, played board games and reconnected with nature and our family.

It is a worthwhile drive for sure. It helps to have time to take in all the historical…read moredestinations, get a seafood meal along the way, go hiking and have good weather for viewing -- or else it's just another marine drive with maybe one or two spectacular views compared to other world class marine drives such as along the Oregon, Northern California and a big Sur coastlines where the wow moments are at every turn. While I wasn't as impressed with the destination drive route and park in general (as much the tourism ad copy raised expectations) there was a sense of uniqueness and individuality to the features that present themselves to the avid traveller.

Technically a single lake, it's still always referred to in the plural by locals. Bras d'Or…read more(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bras_d%27Or_Lake) (French for "golden arm") is a gorgeous set of inland lakes on Cape Breton Island in the north of Nova Scotia. Since it's connected quite narrowly to the sea by natural channels near Sydney in the north and by a man-made canal in the south, and since it gets a lot of inflowing rivers from the mountains, it's about two-thirds the salinity of seawater. It supports some cod and lobster, but is mainly an attraction for boaters and sightseers. Songs are sung about the waters of Bras d'Or. I spent a couple of days sailing here and found it really peaceful and, because of the surrounding hills, beautiful. National Geographic Traveler recently rated Cape Breton the #2 worldwide destination for sustainable tourism, naming Bras d'Or Lake as a major reason. The two most popular entry points for the Lakes are probably St Peter's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter%27s,_Nova_Scotia) and Baddeck (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baddeck) .