It looks like we just got a window of time that opened up in a couple of weeks. My wife and I are thinking of heading up to Cape Breton Isle and doing the Cabot Trail, It seems this is about 180 miles long. We were planning on stealth camping along the way in convenient places, or a campground if needed. We will be ultralight touring, taking slightly more than we would on an ultralight light weight backpacking trip. Has anyone done this, or have any observations they could weigh in with? Thanks-

Did the Cabot Trail quite a few years ago by car. You'll definitely need your climbing gears fitted to your bike. It can be very steep in places. It's a lovely trip. Can't tell you much more than that. Al

Schoolkids regularly do parts of that route on regular bicycles so although there are some interesting hills - its not all that long a drive. You should really check the direction of the winds before deciding a direction to do this in. Dealing with a headwind vs a tailwind will change the nature of the trip. And 'normal' wind direction can change for short periods of time. Its whats happening the days of your trip that counts.

Would also suggest you tackle stealth camping very carefully. Coyotes have been a problem in Cape Breton and there have been numerous coyote attacks reported including a fatal one in the park. Check with the RCMP for advice.

Thanks Burton for the heads up on Coyotes. I never realized that they can be a problem up there. Seems there have been several encounters in the last couple of years. Seems hang your food and smelly items away from your sleep site. Just like backpacking. And when you see them - be aggressive, throw rocks, make loud noises, etc. Any idea how the campsites up there handle the coyote problem? Or any other great scenic routes up in that direction that that may be slightly safer?

And how about water. Does anyone know if getting fresh water is a problem, or is it plentiful at stops along the way? Thanks again!

My husband and I did the Cabot Trail last summer with another couple. We did a clockwise tour. The other couple was on a tandem and the mountain climbs within the park gave them fits, requiring pushing a few times. It was an absolutely beautiful tour. We originally planned to do it in 3 days, but since we were not on a strict schedule, we didn't see a need to push the tandem folks through too much. We took 4 days so we had a chance to stop and enjoy the sites. We stayed in 3 campgrounds and one small hotel. Never had a problem with coyotes (nor were we made aware of any problems). We did see a couple of moose though! Two of the campgrounds were in the national park and one was private. There were no special precautions taken. The scenery on the western coast of the island was spectacular.

We did have one instance of running short on water between Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, but we asked an RVer at a trail head if they had extra , and they gave us plenty to get to town. Enjoy the trip!

Here's a link to the government run campsites and other info on the Cape Breton Highlands National Park:
https://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ns/cbr...v/camping.aspx
Thete are Black Bear, Moose and Coyotes in the park. Coyotes are more of a risk than other animals and are covered under 'Public Safety' on that same site:https://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ns/cbr...te-safety.aspx
Not only is stealth camping not recommended for your own safety - its not permitted.

Since tourism is big business in NS, there are lots of private accomodations available as well - OUTSIDE the park. Private accomodations tend to be overpriced and overbooked during the tourist season so if you can avoid that - you'll have an easier time of things. Do a Google search and you'll find everything from B&B's to KOA campgrounds in the settlements outside the CBH National Park and along the Cabot Trail.

The drive is nice, the people are friendly and NS home cooking is hard to beat. Apple pie, blueberry muffins, brown bread, lemon meringue pie, clam chowder, fish and chips, lobster rolls ... the list is too long.

Have fun and enjoy the trip. You could actually spend a whole summer there and still not see everything.

I biked from the entrance to North Sidney following the west coast. There are places to camp and services, although I faced a closed Neil's Harbour on a sunday. You can't wild camp in the park. There's a big campground just out of Cheticamp and small unserviced (no shower, water needs boiling/treatment) site near the cliffs where most of Cabot Trail photos come from. I stayed at Cheticamp and when the cloud cleared, I went for a ride at sunset. Just amazing.

I highly recommend walking the skyline trail. Half is an old road and you can bike it. The rest is an easy walk. Saw three moose on that trail alone, including a calf so close someone tried to pet it, eagles and hawks in the air, whales in the water... North Mountain is a b!tch.