Cabot Trail

The Cabot Trail is a 298-kilometer loop road in Nova Scotia, Canada, circling the northern tip of Cape Breton Island through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Named after the explorer John Cabot, who is believed to have landed on the island in 1497, the trail passes through some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in eastern North America. The road climbs from sea level to over 450 meters, traversing a landscape of lush boreal forests, dramatic coastal cliffs, and pastoral Acadian and Scottish highland communities.

The most dramatic sections of the trail run through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, where the road hugs the cliff edge high above the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. French Mountain and MacKenzie Mountain offer the steepest grades and most sweeping views, with switchbacks climbing to plateaus that offer panoramic vistas of the ocean and the forested highlands. Moose are commonly spotted along the road, particularly at dawn and dusk, and whale watching from the cliffs is excellent from June through September.

The trail passes through a patchwork of cultural communities, including Acadian French-speaking villages on the western coast, Scottish Gaelic heritage towns like Englishtown and Baddeck, and Mi'kmaq First Nations communities. Each area offers distinct cuisine, music, and traditions. The fall foliage season, typically mid-October, is considered the finest in eastern Canada, with the highlands blazing in reds, oranges, and golds. The trail is open year-round, though some services close in winter, and the road can be challenging during Nova Scotia's frequent storms.