Outdoors & Nature in Louisbourg & Eastern Shore
Fortress of Louisbourg
The largest historical reconstruction in North America.
Big Glace Bay Beach
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site
Largest historical reconstruction in North America, a partial rebuild of an 18th-century French fortress.
Kennington Cove Beach
Wild beach within Fortress of Louisbourg lands marking the 1758 British landing site.
Louisbourg Lighthouse
Site of the first lighthouse in Canada, with a short coastal trail and views of the Fortress.
Louisbourg Lighthouse Trail
Mira Gut Beach
Morrisons Beach
Peck's Cottages & Riverdale RV Park
Two-bedroom housekeeping cottages with a co-located RV park, a five-minute drive from the Fortress of Louisbourg historic site.
Scatarie Island Light at Main-à-Dieu
Wave-battered fishing village viewpoint with a relocated heritage light.
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