We drove the Cabot Trail to
the other side of Cape
Breton Highlands
National Park (the
Ingonish side or east side). While the west side is known for its highlands and
road cutting into the mountainside, the east side is known for its rocky
shoreline – reminding us of Maine.
We took in the rugged
coastline as we stopped at overlooks along the Cabot Trail.
Jack Pine & Coastal Trails
We hugged the coast while
hiking the Jack Pine Trail getting to some viewpoints along the coves and
bluffs, but hitting a few dead ends as the trail petered out.
We got to the point in the
below map where it says “You are Here” and decided Barbara would go back to the
car parked on the right on the map and drive to the parking area on the left on
the map while Bill took the Coastal Trail to meet her. What we hadn’t factored
in was poor trail conditions –washouts and limited trail markings. Bill used
his phone GPS and hiking app but he wasn’t sure he was headed to the right
place until near the end. In the meantime Barbara met a couple who couldn’t
make it through the trail and saw a “Beware of Coyotes” sign. Barbara started
to worry. Fortunately Bill made it through.
White Point
There are no signs for White
Point, which lies outside of the national park, but Bill heard people liked this
hike. We had this treeless bluff with 270-degree views all to ourselves until we left.
