Outdoors & Nature in Cabot Trail
Black Brook Beach
Sheltered cove with a small waterfall spilling onto pink granite sand.
Broad Cove Beach
Ingonish Beach
Unique double beach—Atlantic surf on one side, warm freshwater pond on the other.
Meat Cove Beach
Wild black-and-cobble beach at the very top of Cape Breton, framed by 300-metre cliffs.
Neils Brook Beach Trail
Salmon River Beach
Quiet pebble cove on the road to Meat Cove where the Salmon River meets the Gulf.
Want a starting point?
Locally-ranked outdoors lists
25 Best Places to Visit in Cape Breton (2026)
A locally-curated, ranked guide to the island's essential stops — beaches, lookoffs, fortresses, lighthouses, fishing villages, and the drives that connect them
The best beaches on Cape Breton Island
Sandy stretches, warm-water swimming, and the wild Highlands coast
The best hikes on Cape Breton Island
From the Skyline Trail to quiet local lookoffs — ranked by what they deliver
The 15 best Cabot Trail stops, in driving order
A clockwise loop with the must-stop lookoffs, beaches, hikes, and meals — plus where to skip and where to spend extra time
Cape Breton in fall — the 12 best stops for autumn colour
Where to be in early-to-late October when the Highlands turn red and gold — plus when to go and what else is on
Cape Breton lighthouses worth visiting
Working harbour beacons and dramatic Highlands cliff posts