| 0 km |
Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
The 950 km2 Cape Breton Highlands National Park rises 532 m
above sea level, and protects a variety of wooded valley, shoreline and barren
plateau habitats. From the park's east gate at Ingonish Beach to the
west gate at Chéticamp, the total distance is 116 km. This is certainly the
most well-known and scenic section of the Cabot Trail. The road was
constructed in conjunction with the creation of the national park in
1936. |
| 4 km |
National park exit. |
| 5 km |
Community of Ingonish Centre. |
| 11 km |
Re-enter the national park. For the next 15 km, the Cabot
Trail stays close to the Atlantic Ocean. The views are spectacular, and
the cycling is not too difficult. This section of the Cabot Trail was
re-built in 1948 in order to bring it closer to the Atlantic Ocean. |
| 27 km |
Village of Neil's Harbour. Be sure to leave
the Cabot Trail at this point and pay a visit to this picturesque fishing
village. Rather than returning to the Cabot Trail, exit Neil's Harbour by
following the "Alternative Scenic Route". The pavement is a
little uneven, but there is very little vehicular traffic on this 20 km
road that affords spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean. |
| 30 km |
Village of New Haven. Another interesting fishing
village. Brace yourself, however, for a 5 km climb out of New Haven! |
| 40 km |
Community of Smelt Brook. The
Sea Spray
Centre is located
along this section of the route and is likely the only place where you
can get your bicycle repaired for miles around. |
| 47 km |
Back on the Cabot Trail. You re-enter the
national park and, almost immediately, you leave it again. |
| 50 km |
Village of Cape North, the most northerly
community on the Cabot
Trail. The village was settled by pioneers from Scotland in the early
1800's. Gaelic was the spoken tongue. |
| 61 km |
After re-entering the Cape Breton Highlands
National Park, you almost immediately start the 7 km ascent of North
Mountain. Likely, this will be the most arduous climb of your trip. There
is a 3 km section in the middle of the climb that is particularly steep
and difficult with a loaded touring bike. Best of luck! |
| 69 km |
Summit of North Mountain (elevation: 445
m). Congratulations - the next 6 km are all downhill. Notice how small the
trees (mainly spruce) are up here! |
| 80 km |
You exit the National Park and enter the village of Pleasant
Bay. The village was first settled in the early 1820's by pioneers
from Scotland. Back then, the only way to reach Chéticamp (other than by
boat) was to hike over the mountains! |
| 81 km |
You are back on the coast, but this is now the Gulf of St.
Lawrence (rather than the Atlantic Ocean) coastline. |
| 83 km |
Re-enter the national park and almost immediately start to
climb MacKenzie Mountain. This climb will almost seem easy after North
Mountain! It is certainly not as steep, and the views on the way up are
spectacular. Work began on this section of the Cabot Trail in 1926. By the
Fall of '27, the section between Pleasant Bay and Chéticamp was
completed. |
| 90 km |
Summit of MacKenzie Mountain (elevation: 335 m). For
the next 11 km, the Cabot Trail remains on high land. The rolling terrain
is not too difficult, and the views are excellent. Watch out for moose and
eagles along this section of the highway. |
| 101 km |
Summit of French Mountain (elevation: 455 m). You are
now in for a wonderful 6 km descent through the spectacular Jumping Brook
Valley. In the early days of the Cabot Trail, this section of the highway
was one of the most treacherous as it made a precipitous direct climb from
Chéticamp right over French Mountain. The route was changed in the 1940's
to follow the valley of Jumping Brook. The views on the way down are
spectacular. By now, you should start to realize that the Gulf of St.
Lawrence side of the national park is even more spectacular than the
Atlantic side. |
| 106 km |
For the next 10 km, the Cabot Trail remains
very close to the water. The going is tough, but the scenery is magnificent. |
| 117 km |
Cape Breton Highlands National Park exit. There is a visitor
centre at the entrance, with displays, slide shows, and a nature
bookstore. |
| 125 km |
Chéticamp is a busy fishing port with
whale-watching, deep-sea fishing, windsurfing, and a largely
French-speaking population of 3,000 descendants of the Acadians who
settled here at the time of the French Revolution. Language scholars
believe the French spoken on this shore is a unique throwback to the 18th
century, or even earlier. The neighborhood boasts a rich, vibrant culture,
with a fiddling style all its own. Chéticamp is proud to call itself
"the hooked rug capital of the world." Hooked tapestries of its
most famous artist, Elizabeth LeFort, have found homes in Buckingham
Palace, the White House, and the Vatican.
|
|
|
