Tom and I spent two days camping and exploring Cape Breton Highlands National Park during our drive along the Cabot Trail.
Camping in Cape Breton Highlands National Park
We camped one night at each end of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The first night we were at Cheticamp Campground near the park’s west entrance. The second night we camped at Broad Cove Campground near the park’s east entrance.
Cheticamp Campground
Cheticamp Campground is adjacent to the Cheticamp Visitor Center along the Cheticamp River. It’s a pretty campground with many spacious sites and easy access to the river. It offers a range of sites from unserviced to full hookups. We chose a site with electric because a heat wave that was making its way across North America was about to hit us and we wanted enough power to run our air conditioner.
In addition to typical amenities, such as restrooms and dump stations, Cheticamp Campground also has showers, laundry, a playground, and even fish cleaning stations.
Broad Cove Campground
Broad Cove Campground is located …. Tom and I stopped there because the map indicated it had a swim beach. We thought it might be a good place to kayak and hang out a few days until the heatwave passed. Unfortunately, the swim beach was somewhere down a long hiking trail. It was too far to carry our kayaks and, having hiked earlier in the day, we weren’t up for another hot hike. Instead, we hung out in the camper and enjoyed our air conditioning. This was the first time since we left home that we did NOTHING! Aside from the cooling us off during the heatwave, we weren’t impressed with this campground. The facilities were ok but it lacked character.
You can view a few photos from our campsites and campgrounds on the Carpe Diem Facebook page by clicking on the image below.
Biking in Cape Breton Highlands National Park
While camping in Cheticamp Campground, on the west side of Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Tom and I biked the Salmon Pools Trail. It led from our campground upstream along Cheticamp River. We stopped multiple times along the way for Tom to check the river for fish. He didn’t see any. So, instead of fishing that evening, we rode our bikes into town to listen to live music at Le Gabriel.
You can view a few photos from our biking adventures on the Carpe Diem Facebook page by clicking on the image below.
Hiking in Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Tom and I originally planned to hike several trails in Cape Breton Highlands National Park but the heat wave altered our plans. We arrived at the park the first day of the heatwave and immediately stopped at the Visitor Center. I asked the park ranger what hike he would suggest if we could only do one hike during our visit. Without hesitation, he suggested the Skyline Trail.
We were relieved to have the sky a bit overcast when we started the hike. It made the views a little hazy but helped postpone the heat. By the time we returned to our truck, the weather was hot and humid. We were happy to continue our drive along the Cabot Trail viewing Cape Breton Highlands National Park from the comfort of our air conditioned truck.
You can view a few photos from our hike on the Carpe Diem Facebook page by clicking on the image below.
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