Skyline Trail, Cape Breton Highlands

From the north end of the Skyline car park, go through the gate and walk up the gravel road, closed to cars, about 450 m to the trailhead. Head west; at the first fork turn right onto the forested loop, which runs north and then back south along the edge above the Gulf of St. Lawrence. At the headland, take the boardwalk and stairs down to the lowest lookout and back. Return east on the main trail to the trailhead and walk down the road to the car park.

It is 7.5 km round with 177 m of ascent; allow about 2½ hours. The grade is Easy: an easy ridge trail, with many stairs on the headland boardwalk. These figures start at the trailhead; walking from the car park and back adds about 1 km in all.

Until 25 October 2026 the car park can be used only with a timed booking from Parks Canada ($13 online, $15 by phone); when every slot is taken there is no access. Daily park admission is charged on top. No dogs are allowed on this trail. The headland ends in steep cliffs, so stay on the boardwalk. Give moose a wide berth.

The car park is on the Cabot Trail at the top of French Mountain, between Chéticamp and Pleasant Bay. There is no public transport.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.