The East Coast of Canada has always held a special place in my heart. Growing up in the prairies, I have always had a craving for the rugged coastal shorelines. This longing for some ocean time led me to visit Cape Breton this summer in search of some adventures and a new set of landscapes to photograph.
Franey Mountain Hike
I have visited this small wooded Island once before many years ago with a good friend of mine and remember how amazing our short trip had been. The area is full of hiking, camping, biking and ocean activities that always leave you with something to do and the highlands are so vast it would take a lifetime to fully explore them. I am very glad I came back for a deliciously warm summer week.
My first day started with a drive from Sydney to Ingonish where we had Lunch at one of the cutest cafe’s in my travels! Periwinkle Cafe had some delicious treats, great coffee and a hummus veggie sandwich I plan to reenact. We took our lunch to go and headed up Franey Mountain. This lovely 7km round trip hike took us to the most beautiful views of the coast, high on the edge of the mountain looking down. I really love hiking here in Cape Breton because these hikes have a big payoff in views for not a whole lot of effort. There are many of these incredible hikes though, so I was feeling my muscles at the end of the week!
Looking down from Franey Mountain opposite the Coast.
We sat atop Franey and ate our lunch. The warm sun warming our faces and the ocean breeze cooling us off. I can’t think of anything more satisfying as sitting in front of a gorgeous view eating the most amazing hummus sandwich and relaxing by the ocean.
We came down from Franey to go paddle boarding at a nearby fresh water lake. I have grown to love paddle boarding in the last year, I was never very privy to it but since my partner got one for me I have found them to be so much fun and very handy.
Freshwater Lake
I stayed in an oTENTik at the Parks Canada campground for the first night. They are really great pre-set tents that are fun to share with friends while camping. Walking to the washroom at the campground in the cool evening air had me stop and take in the moment of the beautiful outdoors and the peace it brings to me. The smell of campfire and distant laughs, such a moment.
The next day brought in a cloudy morning while we hiked Middle Head for sunrise. The mood fit well for this little hike out the peninsula. The coast is so rugged and stunning on this walk, it truly encompasses my idea of the Eastern side of Canada. We had a lovely breakfast at the stunning Keltic Lodge after our hike to finish off.
We made a short stop at Mary Ann waterfalls to cool down in the pools. The weather during my stay has been so warm and beautiful it was a great way to refresh and get cool the legs for the next hike.
The day continued moving around the Cabot trail, this time near a town called Dingwall. We met up with a few locals and hiked up another local gem called Tenerife Mountain. This was one of my favorite hikes because it has 360 views of the harbor and ocean and the valleys. You look down on little islands in the bay which made for a nice photo.
We finished off our evening with a sunset kayak. This was one of my favorite activities for the week. We headed out with Cabot Trail Adventures as we took to the ocean. The golden light put on a show for us while we paddled beside the beach checking out the seabirds.
Kayaking near Dingwall
We continued to Meat cove the following day for another beautiful view and camp spot. I was a bit hesitant about our impeding hike up Meat Cove mountain but it turned out to be fairly easy and a lovely ridge walk at the top. We also had no problem finding hundreds of wild blueberries in which I snacked feverishly on throughout the hike. We found many piles of bear scat which informed us of how much the bears like the berry patches as well!
We walked down at sunset and enjoyed a lovely scenic drive to our next spot at the True North Destination Geodome. These domes are incredibly well done and a great way to have full ocean views. Each dome has its own spa pool and kitchen.
My second last day of my short trip to Cape Breton brought quite a lot of rain. I was fairly lucky it was only in the morning however we had to change our plans a bit. We decided to have breakfast at L’abri Cafe and wait for the rain to subside. This little cafe is another gem of this place. Especially if you are plant based such as myself. They have many delicious vegan treats as well as the most amazing Curry & Roasted Brussels sprout dinner which we returned to for that evening.
With our plans to hike skyline axed we decided to go fly fishing with a local operator named Jimmy. It was a great rainy day activity because it was so warm outside that the rain was actually quite nice. Jimmy took us to his favourite scenic spot on the Margaree River where they mostly fish for Atlantic Salmon. I may not be a fish eater but I could see why these fishermen loved spending so much time out here. The place was a stunning river bend with cool calm waters. The rain had stopped and the sun was dancing on the fog covered hills. It is a paradise. We may not have caught anything but I definitely left with something from that place.
I loved the sea kayaking so much that since the weather had changed we decided to go again, this time near Cheticamp with some stunning rock pillars for sunset. Alexi has a small business called McKinnon Kayaks and he met us out on the beach for some adventure. This was a great way to end the day, the pillars were amazing to see close up and we got some great photos.
My last day on the Island brought two last hikes. The Skyline Trail and a hike to Gairloch Falls. The Skyline is one of Cape Breton’s most popular hikes and unfortunately when we went the fog came in and we could not see the view. I was not too bothered by it, I had been on so many other stunning hikes that this one was just an extra. I had also done it the last time I was in Cape Breton.
The Gairloch falls hike is a much less known hike to a beautifully running moss velvet covered river with a pristine set of falls. The water was calling my name as I popped in for a dip. My favorite part was that we were the only ones there.
We finished up and made the journey back to Sydney, stopping at the dancing goat for lunch. Another excellent place to eat. We also stopped in Baddeck which I think is worth noting; it is a quaint and cute little town with a true East Coast feel. I really love these little villages on the coast.
I had a lovely dinner on the Sydney Harbor to cap off the week, admiring The Big Fiddle. Then for a final goodbye I went and met up with a local named Chuck to shoot the Louisbourg Lighthouse. The sunset put on an amazing show for us and I polished off the week of adventure with a stunning East coast landscape.
Overall I never regret coming out to the East Coast, and especially to a place full of adventure such as Cabot Trail of Cape Breton. The people are some of the kindest I have ever met in my travels and I really cannot wait to get back, hopefully in the fall for another season would be amazing!
Pictures of me Courtesy of Adam Hill in Partnership with DBCA