Cabot Trail and Surrounds

We hadn’t been able to fit in a trip around the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island on our last trip to the Atlantic Provinces, so this time it was a must-do. Just as we headed out on our first day on this popular road trip, the province banned all access to trails to reduce forest fire risk. We weren’t able to do any of the short hikes we had planned to waterfalls or scenic lookouts, but the ban really didn’t impact our enjoyment of this beautiful drive.

We took five nights to get around the trail, from Baddeck to Inverness. You can certainly do it with as little as one or two overnight stops, but there is so much to see and we were happy with our pace. We spent two nights in Baddeck and one in each of Ingonish, Cheticamp, and Inverness.

Up the east side

Our research suggested doing the Cabot Trail in a counter-clockwise direction–I believe so that you are always on the scenic side of the road. Though we did follow that advice, we expect that it would have been equally enjoyable either way.

Our first stop was Baddeck, home of the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. Since we were staying just outside of Baddeck for two nights and the town is small, we had plenty of time to explore the area and spend a few hours at the museum, which we thoroughly enjoyed. While in Baddeck, we also drove the south road of the loop, since we didn’t think we’d have time at the end. It was a lovely short drive and Lake-O-Law Provincial Park was a beautiful stop that we are glad we didn’t miss.

And down the west side

There is so much beauty along the Cabot Trail, with dense forests, craggy cliffs, sandy beaches, pristine lakes, and quaint villages.

Pictou

Thanks to another quick trip into Moncton for a medical procedure (Ken’s monthly eye injection), we had a chance to stop in Pictou. Friends from Oliver who had lived in Pictou for many years introduced us to The Hector, a ship that brought Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia in 1773. A replica ship was built in the late 1990s, and its refurbishment and traditional re-launch made a big splash in July 2025. The Hector Heritage Quay, a museum about the ship’s journey, sits prominently on Pictou’s waterfront. The Hector is usually moored beside the museum but, when we were there, the derigged ship was floating at the other end of town while the launch supports on the pier were removed and it was made ready for visits once again.

Louisburg

We stayed in Sydney for a few nights since the next leg of our road trip involved a ferry out of North Sydney to Newfoundland. We had time to take a run to Louisburg and visit the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site.

Sydney from both sides

Sydney is much smaller than we remembered and, at least when we were there, seemed very sleepy. The now-iconic Big Fiddle and the nearby pavilion with shops and restaurants were almost abandoned on the non-cruise ship day when we walked around. Even a few blocks away in the downtown area, the streets were quiet in the middle of the week.

We stayed our final night across the inlet in North Sydney, where our ferry would depart from. Looking back at Sydney, we could see that farther east was a busy commercial port.

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TripBits

I haven’t included any pricing here for the National Historic Sites because, as part of the Canada Strong program during the summer of 2025, we were able to enter all of them for free on this trip.