Best Trails near Cheticamp, Nova Scotia, Canada

Hiked 11/4/19. Great trail. It provides a variety of terrain and views: birch forests, areas of dense fir trees, tranquil mossy rock stream, followed by wind battered barren trees and grass trail with great overlooks of the gulf, We hiked counterclockwise late in the day, which created wonderful light for the overlook portion. We finished in just over 2 hours, hiking at a rapid pace to beat the dark. We saw woodpeckers and chipmunks, not a single other person at this late point in the season.

One of the better trails in the National Park area of Cape Breton for sure. The west side of the loop is where you’ll see great views of the Cheticamp area and a number of scenic lookouts, while the east side takes you along a gentle brook in a more wooded setting. Pick which order you think you’d like to see it in, or you can do an out and back of the west side if all you want is views. I went with the woods first (counterclockwise) and it seemed like the way up the hill may have been a bit less steep that way, although either way is a gradual climb and isn’t anything super strenuous, and either way the views are worth it.

This is an iconic trail. Before you get to where the boardwalk starts you get a nice easy flat hike through moose habitat. There is a nice man made wooden lookout you can go up in. The scenery at this points is woodsy. Once you get to the fork you can decide to take the long way (right) or go left and go straight for the epic views. We turned left for sake of time. Once the boardwalk portion starts get the camera ready. The views are incredible. There are quite a few stairs to go down so just remember you have to get back up but it’s so worth it. We loved it so much we bought the T-shirt. This is a great way to see the highlands and ocean majestically collide.

It’s really just a loop but neat to see the high plateau eco system. You can see many interesting plants along this trail and the occasional moose, though we did not see one. The trail is very easy and took us no time at all. You will definitely want to stay on the boardwalk trail.

Challenging incline and superb views. We saw 2 moose at the very top - very very worth it. On the way down we followed the river back to the carpark. One of our favourite hikes in Cape Breton.

All I can say, if it’s the first visit at cape breton, make sure you don’t go back without this hike! Absolutely Spectacular... If you’re elementary level hiker, it can be a bit long for you.

June 2019. Warn down path over roots and rocks with slight inclines. Sheltered by forest coverage. Bridge crossing and river views along the way to beautiful waterfall.

June 2019. Wide trail, terrain mix of gravel and beaten path. Starts through forest area with gradual inclines, then opens and levels flat with river and mountains on the left, continues flat into covered forest. Bear area.

June 2019. Well kept trail and easy terrain with combination of crushed gravel and beaten grass, last portion is wooden boardwalk and many stairs (fragile vegetation signs to stay on boardwalk), showcasing scenic views of Cabot Trail and ocean. Return trail is shaded and popular, this loop is less crowded but very exposed to the sun. This loop offers some viewing areas, but not as astonishing as the main ocean view, would suggest doing the loop on the way in.

June 2019. Well kept trail, easy terrain with combination of crushed gravel and beaten grass, last portion is wooden boardwalk and many stairs (fragile vegetation signs to stay on boardwalk), leading to scenic views of Cabot Trail and ocean. Popular and crowded spot all times of day. This return trail is shaded, the loop is not.

easy stroll with beautiful views

When there is fog there is little to see. This makes it a nice walk. Nothing special. When it is clear, the view is spectacular! Unless you can see the end of the trail from the road as you approach from the Chéticamp side, it isn’t clear enough and not really worth it.

pretty easy trail to a waterfall

Took us a little over 2 hours. Unreal views on the skyline boardwalk. Saw moose. Not too crowded yesterday at about 12:30 PM, but plenty of people around. Bathroom at the trailhead.

We loved this hike, we went clockwise although it seemed most people went counter, we enjoyed it very much. The look offs were amazing and the trail that follows the river was challenging and enjoyable.

Rainy and muddy but great hike!

Rainy day with high winds but still a great hike!

Great trail! Easy path and walking and a great view at the end. Bring water and snacks! There are outhouses along the way.

Very pretty. No challenge at all. Beautiful stroll.

Hiked this one last year and loved it. An easy hike I’d recommend to families - pretty gentle terrain, lots of places to explore along the water. Very beautiful scenic points.

Very easy walk along the wide pathways and boardwalks. The coastal view was spectacular and sunset was beautiful.

Gentle hike - gorgeous lookout!

A very easy trail to walk ! Gorgeous lookout! Very windy when we’ve visited - have walked it three times so far. On a sunset visit, we saw two moose - one quite close.

Easy hike. Took the Sunset guided tour. Saw several moose along the way. Beautiful boreal forest. Spectacular view of the sun setting at the boardwalk.

great hike well maintained path and boardwalk spectacular views a top hike

I had read that it was a spectacular trail but didn’t really know why. Very easy, mostly level hike through alpine area with occasional short sections of boardwalks. A pleasant walk until you come to the end. But then from a sort of hidden platform the last few hundred meters is a boardwalk open to the sky and the hills and the sea way down there. On our way back late afternoon we came across a mother moose and her two adolescents feeding by the trail and waited very quietly in a little outlook spur until they wandered by and we continued on. Shortly after that we came across a male moose and made a much hastier retreat to that spur while it trotted by. Unforgettable!

It is a quite easy trail. Even a family with a stroller can enjoy the hike. The scenery along the way is beautiful. At the end of the trail it is a short boardwalk reaching out to the sea and that is where it gets super busy but the wide open view is stunning.

Excellent two hour walk, nice gradual climb uphill making the downhill all the way back even better Waterfall at the end is well worth it Hiking poles are great because of the roots

Nice walk, easy terrain and beautiful lake at the end