You can read the complete East Coast Canada Roadtrip Recap here.
East Coast Canada Roadtrip: Day 1 & 2, Maine here.
East Coast Canada Roadtrip: Day 3 & 4, New Brunswick here.
Now onto days 5 & 6 which were both spent in Nova Scotia. This small (second smallest Canadian province) has been on my list since I moved to New England. Nova Scotia actually means New Scotland in Latin, French, and Scottish Gaelic, pretty cool right? The name is the result of brief Scottish claims to the region in the 1620s. It was also one of the four original Canadian provinces.
I was pretty focused on 2 main things for this Nova Scotia visit, the Cabot Trail and Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Day 5: Alma, New Brunswick to Mabou, Nova Scotia
Before we left Alma we took a little drive to the overlook above the town at sunrise! It was gorgeous. We also stumbled upon this really pretty pond with fog as the sun was rising. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are truly beautiful.
Sip & Eats While Driving: Tim Hortons because you can’t go to Canada and not get Tim Horton’s every single chance you get! I highly recommend the Timbits and any of the Ice Capps!
It took about 5 hours to get from Alma, New Brunswick to Mabou, Nova Scotia, most of this drive was on highway 104.
Tip: If you use 104 you do have to pay a toll to cross into Nova Scotia from New Brunswick it’s $4CDN.
Make sure to stop at the Nova Scotia Welcome Center to take a pic with the cute sign.
Tip: Do not slam your thumb in your car door when you stop. I can’t stress this enough – just never ever slam your thumb in a car door period. It sucks.
Staying: Glenora Inn & Distillery, 13727 Nova Scotia Trunk 19, Mabou, NS B0E 1X0, Canada. We stayed in the Brookside, which overlooks MacLellan’s Brook.
When I saw that Nova Scotia was home to a single malt whisky distillery I knew that I had to visit. After seeing that the distillery was also an inn, I immediately booked a room. It was only a week or so before we left for the trip.
I’m going to write an entire post about this place, but we spent the majority of Day 5 here.
Day 6: Driving from Mabou to Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Sips & Eats Mabou: Breakfast at Glenora Inn & Distillery’s Washback Pub.
It took about 1 hour and 12 minutes to drive from Mabou to Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
This one of the most scenic drives I’ve ever taken. You can take the Cabot Trail for most of the drive and it is incredibly beautiful. Did you know that Travel + Leisure magazine named Cape Breton Island, home to the world-renown Cabot Trail, one of the world’s must-see islands? Well, they did! And for good reason!
We took a route that took us through Inverness, Margaree Harbor, and Cheticamp.
Most of the information I read suggested you give the Cabot Trail 3 to 5 days. I would have done this if I had time but as it was, we only had time for 2 days. I think we wouldn’t have felt so rushed and would have had much more time to explore with 3 to 5 days.
Staying: Blue Bayou Resort, 25 Old Rd Loop, Dingwall, NS, B0C 1G0, Canada. I booked our dome through Airbnb here.
I’m going to write an entire post about our time at the Blue Bayou Resort and my first experience “glamping” in a dome. The Blue Bayou Resort only opened in June 2019 but it was pretty much booked solid the entire time we were there. Bonus: It’s pet friendly, dogs just have to be leashed at all times and never left unattended in the domes. There is a 3 dog limit and you will be charged an extra cleaning fee. Glamping in domes is HUGE on Cape Breton Island but it is hard to find pet friendly domes!
Tip: If you book at Blue Bayou Resort, I highly recommend trying to get dome 1 or 2 as they are the only ones that have an unobstructed water view. Although we loved dome 3!
We stopped at the Cheticamp Visitor Centre to get our passes, a map, and a sticker for my 4-Runner haha. Daily admission is $7.80 per adult, and a seasonal pass is $39.20 per adult.
I’ll also be doing a blog post about Cape Breton Highlands National Park and I hope to get back here one day!
Tip: If you head to Cape Breton Highland National Park during the summer be prepared for a lot of construction. You will most likely sit in construction traffic at least 3 to 4 times each day. But you’ve got some beautiful scenery to look at, so it’s really not that bad.
There was a gorgeous sunset this night and we went out to take photos of it. We just randomly happened to see a photographer with the biggest lens I’ve ever seen on his camera. So, we pulled over and there was a huge bull moose with the sunset as his backdrop! It was gorgeous but unfortunately, I had a prime lens on my camera and didn’t get a single good shot of him. My cell photos turned out better!
If you’ve been reading the blog or follow me Instagram (you can follow me here) you know I love a good sunrise and sunset! In Cape Breton Highlands National Park it was sunset.
Although my thumb did put a bit of a damper on this part of the trip, it had started to swell at this point. I knew Urgent Care was in my near future once I got back to the United States. I really loved Cape Breton Island and the National Park. I would love to go back for longer than 2 days. I would love to do more hiking here. I’m hoping to make it back at some point next summer and maybe bring the boys along this time!
I Wish I Had Time For:
Hiking:
Skyline Trail – 5.9 miles, easy, loop trail located near Cheticamp, this is THE trail in Cape Breton Highlands. It’s super popular at sunrise or sunset. I did hear a woman say that it was more a zoo than a trail and that it was no wonder that no one had seen any wildlife while hiking it recently.
Franey Trail – 4.5 mile, moderate, loop trail located near Igonish Beach. Dog friendly.
Middle Head Trail – 2.5 miles, easy, loop trail located near Ingonish Beach. Dog Friendly.
Cape Smokey Trail – 6.6 miles, easy, out and back trail located near Cape Smokey. Dog Friendly.
Uisge Ban Falls – 1.7 miles, easy, out and back trail located near Baddeck.
Sips & Eats:
The Lobster Pound and Moore – 293 Commercial Street, North Sydney, Nova Scotia B2A 1A9, Canada
The Red Shoe Pub – 11533 Route 19, Mabou, Nova Scotia B0E 1X0 Canada
Rusty Anchor Restaurant – 23197 Cabot Trail Road, Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia B0E 2P0 Canada
The Old Triangle Irish Alehouse – 424 Charlotte St, Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 1E2 Canada
Other:
Whale & Puffin watching tour
In Nova Scotia In General:
Halifax:
Peggy’s Cove
Alexander Keith’s Brewery
Fairview Cemetery for Titanic Gravesites
Lunenburg
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site
Check back in the next few weeks for Glenora Inn & Distillery, glamping, favorite stops on the Cabot Trail and more!
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