Cabot Trail road trip: Tips and maps for planning your drive

Nova Scotia’s Cabot Trail is one of Canada’s most famous drives. Its incredible roads and seaside views draw visitors from the world over. It’s absolutely worth going to Cape Breton for a Cabot Trail road trip to see the legendary vistas for yourself.

No matter how you decide to approach it, you’ll find the Cabot Trail is an easy drive. Here’s everything you need to know about planning your Cabot Trail road trip as part of your Cape Breton visit.

We’ve made multiple visits to Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail, some of which have been hosted by Tourism Nova Scotia. Have questions about planning your own Cabot Trail road trip? Join our Facebook community!

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on these and make a booking or purchase, we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Check our Disclaimer for more information. Thanks for your support!

Why is the Cabot Trail so famous?

Nova Scotia’s Cabot Trail is famous because of its fabulous driving roads and unbelievable scenery. The route passes through rugged coastlines, the Margaree River valley, and the largest undisturbed tract of Acadian forest in the Maritimes.

The Cabot Trail dates all the way back to 1930s, when construction was completed and spurred a campaign by Nova Scotia Premier Angus L. Macdonald to brand the province with Scottish themes to increase tourism. Macdonald was responsible for naming landmarks such as Cape Breton Highlands National Park. By doing so felt he had created a piece of Scotland and his heritage for tourists in the new world.

Don’t miss these 7 essential experiences in Cape Breton Highlands National Park >

How long does it take to drive the Cabot Trail?

Although most drive it as part of a longer route, the Cabot Trail can be completed as a loop. With no stops, it’s possible to complete the entire loop in four hours. To explore the many wonderful lookouts, experiences, restaurants, and artisans along the route, allocate at least two days to your visit.

The Cabot Trail map above highlights the drive loop as well as suggested stops and highlights along the route.

Can you drive the Cabot Trail in one day?

If your time is limited, you’ll find it’s definitely possible to drive the entire Cabot Trail in a single day. You’ll need to be selective about where you stop to admire the views or explore the route’s small towns. But with careful planning, you can enjoy a one-day Cabot Trail road trip as part of a longer journey.

To map out a single-day journey of the Cabot Trail, we recommend checking the sections below. Select two stops, or three maximum, that appeal to you the most.

Which direction is best to drive the Cabot Trail?

We’ve driven the Cabot Trail in both directions multiple times. We recommend heading counterclockwise on the Cabot Trail, starting from Baddeck or Ingonish in the morning. You’ll drive on the closest side of the road to the ocean and follow the same path as the sun. This will give you fantastic views and even better photos!

Where is the best place to start the Cabot Trail?

If you’re approaching from the west, we recommend starting in the village of Baddeck. Explore the village’s fascinating history and the shores of Bras d’Or Lake before you set off. You can also drive more of the historic route by starting here. The trail begins roughly 20 kilometres northeast of the village off Highway 105, at the community of St. Ann’s.

Although the best scenery along the route arguably begins closer to Ingonish, driving the full route from Baddeck gives you a chance to visit the many creative artisans who have established their studios along the Cabot Trail. Exploring their phenomenal work is reason alone for a Cabot Trail road trip!

Which part of the Cabot Trail is best?

If you’re exploring the Cabot Trail for the stunning seaside views, dedicate most of your time to the seaside sections of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. This includes the sections from Chéticamp to Pleasant Bay and from Neils Harbour to Ingonish.

Essential Cabot Trail stops for nature lovers

Here’s a list of can’t-miss locations for nature lovers to include on a road trip around the Cabot Trail. These are listed in the order you’ll encounter them, starting from Ingonish.

Cape Smokey and the Atlantic Gondola

Celebrate your arrival at the jaw-dropping views of Ingonish by riding the Atlantic Gondola to the top of Cape Smokey. This opened as Atlantic Canada’s first gondola in 2021. Climb more than 300 metres, then linger at the top with a beverage as you take in your first Cabot Trail vistas.

Meet farm animals and try goat milk gelato at The Groovy Goat

If you have animal lovers in your group, be sure to stop in at the Groovy Goat. The friendly and well-loved herd here produces goat milk that goes into all sorts of creations. You’ll find everything from soaps and lotions to goat milk gelato! Grab a sweet treat — there are cow’s milk and dairy-free options as well — and head out to meet the goats, donkeys, chickens, and sheep.

Watch for seals at Green Cove

Green Cove is a lookout within Cape Breton Highlands National Park, located roughly 20 kilometres north of Ingonish. Don’t miss this stop on a sunny summer morning. You just might encounter large groups of seals singing and basking on the rocks.

See old-growth Acadian forest at The Lone Shieling Trail

The section of the Cabot Trail between the two coasts may seem relatively empty, but this is for good reason. The northern section of Cape Breton Highlands National Park protects the largest undisturbed stand of old-growth Acadian forest in the Maritimes. Most of the trees here are at the northern limit of their habitat, and some are over 350 years old!

Because this stand of forest is so precious, most of it is entirely off-limits to visitors. The Lone Shieling Trail is the only place in the park where you can walk beneath these ancient trees. Take the short 15-minute hike beneath the canopy, and notice how different the forest is here from elsewhere in the park with its towering maple and beech trees.

Head to Pleasant Bay for whale watching

On the Cabot Trail, Pleasant Bay is the place to catch a whale watching tour. Three different tour companies operate from this community, from slower fishing-style boats to zippy zodiacs. We chose the latter with Captain Mark’s Whale and Sea Cruise and observed a pod of pilot whales as well as seals, bald eagles, and a rare and endangered leatherback sea turtle, all in three hours!

The Whale Interpretive Centre is nearby and is open from June to October. Note that if your tour starts around lunch time, it’s a good idea to pack a picnic as there are no food options near the check-in stands.

Hike along the iconic Skyline Trail

Located on the west side of Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the Skyline Trail is famous for being an easy and family-friendly hiking trail with spectacular views. The walkway is relatively accessible since it’s gravel-lined and mostly flat. It takes roughly an hour to hike the Skyline Trail in each direction.

Once you reach the end of the trail, you’ll find yourself high on a cliff face with jaw-dropping views of the Cabot Trail and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It’s important to stay on the trail and boardwalk here, but spend some time at the edge of it getting a closer look. This boardwalk protects some of the rarest plants in Nova Scotia!

Camp on the Cabot Trail at Mkwesaqtuk/Cap-Rouge Campground

If you’re looking somewhere to camp within Cape Breton Highlands National Park, you’ve got to check out Mkwesaqtuk/Cap-Rouge Campground. Located just inside the park’s west boundary roughly 15 kilometres from Chéticamp, this relatively new campground opened in 2022. It offers 42 unserviced campsites as well as five oTENTiks, a permanent camping structure that’s like a ready-made tent. From our oTENTik’s terrace, we had a babbling brook to one side and an ocean view on the other with spectacular sunsets. It’s truly magical!

Essential Cabot Trail stops for history buffs

These stops are a must for history lovers when road tripping around the Cabot Trail. Here, the stops are listed in order as you’ll encounter them, starting in Baddeck and heading counterclockwise.

Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site

While you’re in Baddeck, be sure to visit Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. Though this famed inventor of the telephone was born in Scotland, he and his wife Mabel spent a great deal of time at their estate, Beinn Bhreagh, not far from the village. The estate is not open to the public, but the historic site holds a trove of information about Bell’s many achievements.

For example, did you know Alexander Graham Bell invented a method for teaching people with deafness to speak? Or that the Bells were part of an association that arranged the first aircraft flight in Canada in 1909, which took off right here on a frozen Bras d’Or Lake? Learn about these details and plenty more at this fascinating site.

Keltic Lodge at the Highlands

The Keltic Lodge at the Highlands is considered an essential stay along the Cabot Trail. Tee up at the famous golf course, enjoy a meal at one of the resort restaurants, relax at the spa, or just wait for nightfall and gaze up at the expanse of stars. The experience begins before you even check in: you’re likely to encounter a bagpiper playing in traditional regalia as you arrive!

The Lone Shieling Trail

The Lone Shieling Trail is a great stop for naturalists, but it’s home to a notable historic landmark as well. Professor Donald S. MacIntosh, a resident of nearby Pleasant Bay, willed 100 acres of land to Cape Breton Highlands National Park upon his passing in 1934. His one request was that a shieling — a type of pastural hut that was once common in Scotland, also known as a bothran — be built on the site to the same style and plan as “the lone shieling on the Island of Skye, Scotland.” His will was fulfilled in 1942, and the site is now a Recognized Federal Heritage Building. It’s accessible via a short walk along the park’s Lone Shieling Trail.

Explore more Nova Scotia road trips >