Cabot Trail

I was just thinking that I would like to do the same thing. My mom is from Dominion and I want to check out my roots as well as do some great cycling. Does anyone have information about Cabot Trail or any others? My main question is - should I do an organized bike or outdoor adventure thing or would it be just as great on my own (or w/ a friend)?

There's a few great sites out there that you can access - I've done it before. What level of fitness are you?

tourcanada.comcabottrl.htmOpen ↗

Carmyn Hart said:

Hey folks,

I'm thinking of heading down to the Cabot Trail in the summer of '06 to cycle the Cabot Trail. Just wondering how long it would take at a leisurely pace (maybe doing some hikes along the way) and any recomendations peeps may have. Also, I'm pretty flexible with dates so any suggestions when to go? Also, if there are any ladies out there who'd like to join me...

Thanks!!![img]cyclingforums.comsmile.gifOpen ↗[/img]

Having driven it, I wouldn't bike it. Windy as hell, climbing and descending on twisty roads and loads of traffic on skinny little roads. If you REALLY want to ride it I'd go drive it first to see what your getting into. Gorgeous views. Go whale watching at Cheticamp.

Traffic Jammer said:

Having driven it, I wouldn't bike it. Windy as hell, climbing and descending on twisty roads and loads of traffic on skinny little roads. If you REALLY want to ride it I'd go drive it first to see what your getting into. Gorgeous views. Go whale watching at Cheticamp.

You could look at tour reports on http://crazyguyonabike.com to get an idea.

The "typical" tourer, whatever that means, plans for 3 days between the west end (near the straight of Canso or Margaree) and the East end (near Baddeck). The problem is that the top part is about 100 km with almost no service, so if you plan to ride that part in 2 days, you need to bring food and find a (tiny) place for guerilla camping at the Northern tip of the island.

Camping is forbidden in the Park, except in designated places which happen to be near either end of the Park (and it's fairly well enforced), and the tiny part of the Northern tip that is outside the Park hasn't the best topography for tenting. If I remember correctly, there is a B&B at the Northernmost point, but you would need to reserve well in advance.

Scenery wise, the road has been improved so much for "safety" that the only part really interesting is the climb around Mt. Smokey on the Eastern side. Other very interesting – and challenging – roads in Nova Scotia include highways 19 or 395 along the Margaree River, highway 223 on the South side of Bras d'Or lake, and to a lesser extent highway 4 between Pt. Hawkesbury and Sydney. Highway 7 on mainland Nova Scotia (East of Halifax) is also very scenic and rugged.