Description
- Background
- The road I here call the West Mabou Road is apparently officially known (e.g., in civic addresses) as the Little Mabou Road; Google Maps shows it under that name as starting in Port Hood and ending in West Mabou. The name Little Mabou Road makes some sense from the Port Hood end, as Little Mabou is the first locality one reaches on it from that direction. On this web site (and in this catalogue), I follow local usage and break this road into two: from Port Hood to West Mabou, not far from the entrance to the West Mabou Beach Provincial Park, it is known as the Colindale Road, q.v.; through West Mabou to the Cèilidh Trail (Highway 19), it is known as the West Mabou Road, described here.
- Google Maps Name
- Little Mabou Road
- Local Name
- West Mabou Road
- Direction
- East to West
- Start Point
- 46°03.571′N 61°24.912′W, in West Mabou at its junction with the Cèilidh Trail (Highway 19)
- End Point
- 46°04.192′N 61°29.154′W, at the West Mabou road sign, where it becomes the Colindale Road
- Length
- 6.3 km (3.9 mi)
- Classification
- Local Road
- Surface
- Paved for the first 4.9 km (3 mi); gravel from there
- Condition
- Generally good; the gravel portion is often “washboarded” in the summer
- Route Description
- At its junction with the Cèilidh Trail (Highway 19), a kiosk and parking area for the Celtic Shores Coastal Trail (also known as the Trans-Canada Trail, the Railway Trail, and, in this area, the Two Rivers Trail) offers one of the iconic views of the beautiful Mabou area: Big Cove, the mouth of the Southwest Mabou River, Nicholsons Island, the Mabou River, and the Cape Mabou Highlands rising behind. West Mabou Road crosses both mouths of the Southwest Mabou River on one-lane bridges and climbs up the edge of Rocky Ridge, from where it affords fine views of Mabou village and the area to its northeast, of the Mabou River, and of the Cape Mabou Highlands. At the point where the road turns to gravel, at the top of a long hill, you will see an access road to the West Mabou Beach Provincial Park’s “river” trails on the right and, at the bottom of the long hill, also at the right, the access road to the park’s beach and coastal trails, both well worth visiting. Shortly thereafter, the West Mabou Road becomes the Colindale Road, which offers more stunning views. This is a road which I drive as often as I am able. Highly recommended!
- Vic’s Scenic Rating
- ☆☆☆☆☆
- Notes
- The West Mabou Hall, beside the tennis courts, is the site of Saturday evening family dances—the only ones that run year-round (mostly—many were cancelled because of the severe winter weather in 2013-2014 and again in 2014-2015). These dances are top notch, attracting the area’s finest musicians and dancers.
