Skyline Trail – Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Skyline Trail – Cape Breton Highlands National Park
4.7
(137)
1,062
hikers
Skyline Trail – Cape Breton Highlands National Park
02:32
9.33km
130m
Hiking
An easy-to-moderate trail suitable for all abilities, which offers a spectacular visual experience. It’s mostly flat, with wooden boardwalks and plenty of spots to pause and admire the views before ending at a dramatic cliff-top viewing platform.
Access to the trailhead is just off Cabot Trail, where you’ll find parking…
Last updated: December 9, 2025
Waypoints
Start point
Parking
Get Directions
4.42 km
View of the Atlantic Ocean from the Skyline Trail
Highlight • Viewpoint
Tip by
5.52 km
Skyline Trail lookout
Highlight • Viewpoint
Translated by Google •
Tip by
6.69 km
Boardwalk Trail, Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Highlight • Trail
Tip by
9.33 km
End point
Parking
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
7.34 km
1.14 km
772 m
Surfaces
7.00 km
1.49 km
772 m
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Elevation
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Weather
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Today
Thursday 7 May
14°C
8°C
99 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 32.0 km/h
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This route was planned by komoot.
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Trail Reviews
This hike is an absolute highlight of the vacation. I've done many hikes, and this one was one of the absolute highlights! 😇
We saved this highlight of the Cabot Trail (and in general) for the end of today😃. A visit to Cape Breton without the Skyline Trail is like a visit to Hamburg without the harbor. It's impossible❗️ You can do the big or a small loop. With sunshine and little wind, we opted for the bigger one🌞. True to the motto: we take everything we can get😁. At a height of around 410m, there are always fantastic views over the sea👁. If you're lucky, you'll see whales 🐳 passing by down there 🤩. Some of them also appeared briefly in front of our eyes, I'm guessing they were the small minke whale🤔. Before you knew it, they were gone again🤷♀️. The view from the terraced lookouts is overwhelming🥰. Back at the accommodation, we fortified ourselves with a coffee🥱☕️ before watching the sun set at the lighthouse on Chétikamp Island 🌅.
After a short night and had to look at a few stars quickly😉😄, today we went to the Skyline Trail, which was about 50km away from our yurts. So here the journey was the goal again. The Cabot Trail (length approx. 350km, opened in 1932) is a festival of colors and an attraction for some tourists, mainly from Europe, especially during the Indian Summer. The first 5km of hiking trail is quite unspectacular with few highlights through boreal mountain forest. Then you reach the actual destination of the hike: the boardwalk to the viewpoint on Cabot Trail, surrounding hills and the sea. In our opinion, the hype surrounding this trail is not justified, but the way there is an absolute feast for the eyes 👍.
The famous Skyline Trail. On a Saturday in mid-August the parking lot was full and the trail was closed. It's worth getting there early.