Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Canada’s Cape Breton National Park has renowned coastal landscapes, rugged cliffs, and the famous Cabot Trail. Located in Nova Scotia, Cape Breton National Park offers a captivating blend of dramatic coastline, lush forests, and picturesque highlands. The park’s most visited place is the Cabot Trail, a scenic drive that winds its way around the northern tip of Cape Breton Island, offering views of the Atlantic Ocean, along with its rugged cliffs, and vibrant fall foliage.
The park is also home to diverse ecosystems, including old-growth Acadian forests, peatlands, and diverse bird habitats, making it a paradise for nature lovers and birdwatchers. Visitors can explore the park’s numerous hiking trails, leading to hidden coves, secluded beaches, and panoramic viewpoints. Cape Breton National Park is also rich in cultural heritage, with historic sites, Celtic music traditions, and the Mi’kmaq Indigenous presence, adding depth to the visitor experience.
VISIT Cape Breton Highlands National Park:
Park Details
Cape Breton Highlands National Park was established in 1936, and has a total area of 234,240 acres (366 square miles, or 948 square kilometers).
| Address | 37639 Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, National Seashore, B0C |
|---|---|
| Phone | 902-224-2306 |
| Hours | Operating season is from May to October, with full services in July and August. The Cabot Trail is open year-round. |
| Entrance Fee | Free to $9, depending on age |
| Learn More | Official Website |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit Cape Breton Highlands National Park. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit Cape Breton Highlands National Park is.
Our data shows the best months to visit Cape Breton Highlands National Park are June, July, August & September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Visits | data unavailable | |||||||||||
| Precipitation | 124 | 115 | 112 | 103 | 86 | 88 | 85 | 96 | 104 | 130 | 130 | 143 |
| Avg Temp | 29 | 28 | 34 | 45 | 57 | 66 | 73 | 73 | 66 | 54 | 44 | 35 |
| Max Temp | 45 | 42 | 51 | 61 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 84 | 79 | 69 | 59 | 49 |
| Avg Temp | 15 | 14 | 21 | 31 | 40 | 48 | 56 | 57 | 51 | 43 | 34 | 25 |
| Min Temp | -5 | -7 | 2 | 20 | 29 | 37 | 47 | 48 | 40 | 32 | 23 | 11 |
Cape Breton Highlands National Park Road Trips
Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where Cape Breton Highlands National Park is visited.
| Trip Name | Trip Miles | Trip Days |
|---|---|---|
| None Found. | ||
Other Nearby National Park Sites
From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
| Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Prince Edward Island National Park | 188 km |
| Sable Island National Park Reserve of Canada | 313 km |
| Kouchibouguac National Park | 327 km |
| Fundy National Park | 352 km |
| Forillon National Park | 366 km |
| Gros Morne National Park | 395 km |
Nearest Ski Resorts
For those of you who are the diehard outdoors type, visiting a national park on a ski trip can be quite the adventure. Here are the ski resorts within 100 miles of Cape Breton Highlands National Park:
| Name | Location | Summit | Difficulty Score™ | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Smokey | Ingonish Beach, NS | 1,050 ft | 46% | 21 km |
| Ben Eoin | Ben Eoin, NS | 505 ft | 36% | 85 km |
Nearest Airports
When visiting a National park, many people are faced with either a very long drive across country, or a much shorter flight.
Large Airports
A large airport has scheduled major airline service with millions of passengers per year. This type of airport always accepts international flights. Here are the closest large airports to Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax / Stanfield International Airport | YHZ | Halifax, NS | 300 km |
| St. John's International Airport | YYT | St. John's, NL | 606 km |
Medium Airports
A medium-sized airport has scheduled regional airline service. This type of airport may or may not accept international flights. Here are the closest medium-sized airports to Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney / J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport | YQY | Sydney, NS | 78 km |
| Îles-de-la-Madeleine Airport | YGR | Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC | 115 km |
| Charlottetown Airport | YYG | Charlottetown, PE | 194 km |
| Stephenville Airport | YJT | Stephenville, NL | 258 km |
| Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport | YQM | Moncton, NB | 314 km |
| Miramichi Airport | YCH | Miramichi, NB | 365 km |
| Gaspé (Michel-Pouliot) Airport | YGP | Gaspé, QC | 365 km |
Credits: Campground data provided by USCampgrounds.info. Map shapes from CartographyVectors. Weather data from NOAA. Airport data from OurAirports.com. Images from Unsplash, Flickr and Parks&Trips. All data has also been updated and augmented by Parks&Trips.