I hiked the Sentier Écologique de Cap-Auguet (Cape Auguet Eco-Trail) in 2008 and enjoyed a wonderful hiking experience, recounted here, and I heartily recommended the trail to others. At the end of July, 2011, I became aware of its poor state when Michael Haynes reported here that the trail was “in dreadful state, and can only be trekked by the very experienced—and even then it will be difficult.” Indeed, he dropped the description of this trail altogether from his second edition of Hiking Trails of Cape Breton. My list of Cape Breton hiking trails has borne the mention that the trail was “in dreadful state” since that time.

On 8 May 2018, I received the following account of a hike there from a correspondent:

I happened to find your informative website at http://vmfaubert.com/cb/hikes/trails/index.html yesterday and today tried to hike the Cape Auguet Eco-Trail (which I had found described glowingly in other websites). As your footnote from 2011 said, it’s in rather poor shape for the first kilometer or so, then it is in terrible condition from the “# 3” interpretive station on the trail map. Though the trail could still be found, it is very overgrown, there are many downed trees, and its infrastructure (boardwalks, stairs, bridges, etc.) is mostly in ruins.

Before we reached station 3, we met a couple of Department of Natural Resources employees walking back towards the trailhead. They seemed not to have gone past station 3, and warned us about the decrepit infrastructure. By the time we got to station 4, we were just about ready to turn back. We confirmed that there’s no way to access the Barachois Loop unless one wades through the flowing water (it appears there was some sort of bridge, but it’s now just two disconnected platforms), and we were going to attempt to follow the main trail but it was just too wet without the boardwalks. There is a sign by station 3 saying the trail is closed beyond that point, but because it’s not actually anchored in the ground (which is a problem with much of this trail’s signage), we weren’t sure if it applied to the main trail or an offshoot.

Anyway, this is probably more information than you need, but I thought maybe you could add a note that the trail really isn’t worth the trip in its current state.

I was told that the damage to the trail was due to two factors: Mother Nature dealt a harsh blow to the trail in a severe storm that hit the area after my visit there and, to make things worse, spiteful vandals wreaked havoc to the trail’s infrastructure as well. The combined impact was apparently dispiriting enough that the volunteers who built the trail have simply abandoned it. As it was once the primary hiking trail in Richmond County, this is a serious loss to the area.

I have been to the trail head several times since my initial hike in 2008, but I did not have the time to hike any part of it on those occasions. The trail head itself is worth a visit for its fine views of Petit-de-Grat Island and Petit-de-Grat Harbour and the correspondent indicates the first kilometre remains hikeable, so I have left the trail in my list of Cape Breton hiking trails, but have added a note that only the first kilometre (⅗ mi) is, at the present time, a viable hiking trail.

On 2018 October 21, the Seawall Trail Society released its Proposed Trail Development Plan, available for download from this web page. Following its release, a series of public consultations were held in the fall and winter in the affected Northern Cape Breton communities and continued consultations occurred with First Nations and all levels of government. It is to be hoped that these efforts will be rewarded with a go-ahead that allows trail construction to get underway. In the meantime, new facilities including a public washroom and overnight bunks for hikers have been built adjacent to the Visitors’ Centre in Meat Cove, the trail’s northern trail head.

As well, the Society’s web site has undergone a gorgeous redesign that adds a number of views of the scenery along the proposed route; it is worth visiting for that reason alone: check it out at here.

Also, check out the Society’s Facebook page for more photos and some video, including one of an amazing trek, in November yet, along the proposed route made by two intrepid hikers, found here.

On 2018 June 20, a lovely Wednesday with plenty of sun and clear air, I parked at the Broad Cove Mountain Trail Head on the Warren Lake Road in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park north of Ingonish just before noon, taking the last available parking space there. The black flies, not a surprise in late spring, greeted me voraciously as soon as I got out of the car; I successfully held them at bay with a goodly application of Deep Woods Off on my sun hat, clothes, and exposed skin.

The signage at the trail head indicates that the climb is short and steep with rugged sections, gives the total distance up and back as 2.3km (1⅖ mi), and states that the change in elevation is from 35m to 180m (115 ft to 590 ft). It adds that “[t]his forested trail ends at a look-off with exceptional views of the rocky Atlantic coast, with Middle Head and Cape Smokey in the distance.”

I “saddled up” for the hike and started up the trail. At 76 and increasingly short of breath, I took it very slowly and stopped regularly on the way up, but that gave me the opportunity to look around and take photos as I was catching my breath. Tree-shrouded views of the highlands on the far side of Warren Lake were soon visible as the trail quickly gained elevation. At 12h18, I arrived at the bottom of a long rustic stair case with 89 “risers”: a series of metre/yard-square boxes formed by two parallel sets of 2x4’s set a metre/yard apart running up the slope with crossing 2×4’s every metre and packed dirt or crushed stone tread between the cross bars: the stair case serves both to cut down on erosion from water running down the trail and to assist with the climb, though it does interfere with one’s walking pace. Elsewhere, the trail has a mixed tread of rocks, roots, gravel, crushed stone, and dirt and is crossed by numerous small wooden sluices, most of them quite narrow, sending the water off the trail. The next stair case has wooden risers with either two or four slats per step.

At the 750m mark, a very short side path leads to a park bench with fine views of Ingonish Island, Middle Head, and Cape Smokey; I was more than happy to rest there soaking in the gorgeous views and capturing them on my iPhone—it was at this point that I discovered I had left my Nikons in the car! The black flies continued to be thick and hungry and I swallowed more than one; a reäpplication of bug dope helped but didn’t completely solve the problem until I got out of the trees and onto the open summit, where the light breeze kept them at bay.

From the side trail to the summit is only another 350m (⅕ mi) and at this point the steep climbing is behind as the trail levels off somewhat. A couple more stair cases, one with slats and one without, and one arrives at the summit, where a park bench and a red Adirondack chair await one, offering a fine vantage point from which to survey the incredible views. I had the summit to myself—all the others had passed me going down as I was climbing up. From Cape Smokey around the far side of Ingonish Harbour to Middle Head, strung out between South Bay Ingonish and North Bay Ingonish from the Keltic Lodge all the way out to its tip, makes a gorgeous panorama one will not soon forget. As well, there are fine views of the Highlands inland from Ingonish and of Warren Lake nestled below at their feet. And at the left one can see just as clearly Ingonish Island, the Cabot Trail, and the Broad Cove Campground. It took me several tries, but eventually I managed to get a good panorama shot with the iPhone that included all of this scenery in one photo! Pretty amazing! The boulders at the summit are themselves of interest, exhibiting the same kinds of markings one sees in the rocks along the Atlantic coast at, for example, Green Cove.

The signage at the trail head gives a hour for the hiking time up and back, but it took me 1h21 just to climb up and another 45 minutes to return; a fit person could easily do both directions in under a half hour. But you will certainly want to allow considerably more time than that to enjoy and photograph the views. This was a beautiful end-of-spring hike, the flies notwithstanding, and would, I am sure, be an incredible fall hike when the leaves are turned—the Warren Lake area always has amazing colours. I hope to be returning, with the Nikons this time, and will try to do it in the fall. I really regret not having done this fine trail before. Highly recommended!

Petersfield Provincial Park lies between Edwardsville and Westmount along the western side of the South Arm of Sydney Harbour. It reaches as far north as Amelia Point at the mouth of Crawley’s Creek, along which the Canadian Coast Guard College is located inland west of Amelia Point. The park offers a fine set of walking trails on a 23 ha (56 ac) site with excellent views of Edwardsville and Sydney from the trail along the shore.

The land on which the park is situated was granted in the 18th century to one Colonel Samuel Peters, a Loyalist who left it undeveloped, giving rise to its name of Peters’ Field. It was later owned by David Mathews, a mayor of New York City who had been jailed for treasonable activities against the fledgling United States; he escaped to Cape Breton and became the colony’s Attorney General, a member of Cape Breton’s ruling Executive Council, and from 1793-1798, the Colonial Administrator for Cape Breton Island; he constructed a lavish estate on Amelia Point where visiting dignitaries were entertained. Thomas Crawley acquired the Mathews Estate and adjacent lands, assembling an estate of 728 ha (1800 ac), and transformed the Mathews residence into a huge 33-room residence along Crawley’s Creek; he also served on the Executive Council and, from 1803-1834, as Surveyor General for Cape Breton Island. In the early 20th century, John Stewart McLennan [sic] acquired the lands and constructed another estate at the eastern end of the park, with fine gardens which exist to the present day. With its demise during World War II, the province reclaimed the land for recreational purposes.

From the parking lot, I kept to the east and south on the trails along the park boundary, passing the edge of the McLennan estate and eventually reaching the shore; the lawns were well-kept, some flowering trees were in bloom, and numerous folks, many with small children, were taking advantage of the facilities. I then followed the shore line northwest out to Amelia Point, with numerous stops for photos of the harbour, a beautiful grove of birch trees, and some wild roses in bloom amongst the stones along the shore. The day was grey, making it less than ideal for photography, but it taught me a great deal about a corner of Cape Breton I do not get to spend much time in—I was in the area this day to attend the weekly Thursday night session at the Blue Mist in Little Bras d’Or. I did not explore the numerous cross trails that lead to the gardens and back to the parking lot. At Amelia Point, foundations of the Mathews/Crawley Estate buildings were visible in the mown grass bordering the mouth of the Creek. From there, the trail goes west around the point and follows Crawley’s Creek back to the southeast, with fine views across the creek of the Coast Guard College, some of whose students were out maneuvering in small row boats as instructors looked on. Upon leaving the Creek, the trail enters a forested area and returns to the parking lot. The trails are in fine condition, with boardwalks across some of the moister areas, and mostly level, with a bit of up and down, but no serious climbing. Excellent interpretive panels help make sense of the history of the land, adding to the experience. My whole walk was no more than 2.25 km (1⅖ mi).

Petersfield Provincial Park has been on my to-do list for a long time. If you are looking for a fine way to pass some time on undemanding, family-friendly trails with excellent views of the adjacent waters, this is a great place to get some healthy exercise and fresh air while doing so.

In 2017, I learned of the existence of a trail on Kidston Island 300m (⅙ mi) across the harbour from Baddeck. I had long admired the lighthouse from afar, but had never been to the island itself. The day was sunny and bright and quite warm at +27 (81), with some humidity in the air, making it an ideal day for an island hike. I stopped at the Visitors’ Centre in Baddeck, where a very helpful lady told me that the Lions Club runs a shuttle boat (free, but donations welcomed) daily from July 1 to Labour Day that transports visitors to and from the island; all I had to do was show up at the community wharf and look for the pontoon boat with the Lions Club sign. It turns out that, for most, the main feature of Kidston Island is the supervised beach, where the Lions club employs a lifeguard and offers swimming lessons; I was told it would be wise to show up later in the morning, so the young folk heading over for their swimming lessons could get there first. I accordingly arrived at the wharf at 11h40 and was the only passenger on the shuttle.

After taking several photos of Baddeck from the landing wharf on Kidston Island, I saw a sign at the entrance to the trail system which explains that the Kidston Island trail system consists of three trails. The longest, known as the Long Loop, is 2.1 km (1.3 mi) in length and circles the entire island; it is the trail I hiked. Two shorter loop trails, the Lighthouse Loop at 640 m (⅖ mi) and the Short Loop at 962 m (⅗ mi), are, respectively, just the northern and middle portions of the Long Loop Trail, with short crossover trails joining the shore sides of the loops.

The initial portion of the Long Loop Trail is through a nice shady forest close to the island’s western shore, with a typical forest tread of roots, moss, and dirt, and affording tree-shrouded views of Baddeck across the harbour, with a few open spots. The footing changed to grass and dirt and I then passed a Wetlands sign and very shortly thereafter under the power line; in a rainy year, this could be a wet spot. I encountered no bugs, but scared a frog or a toad—I didn’t see it quickly enough to tell which. Soon thereafter I reached the fork with the Cross Trail at the western end of the Short Loop, where I continued on towards the southwestern end of the island. I next reached a barachois, fed by a tiny rill I crossed on a short log bridge/boardwalk that empties into its southern, marshy, end; a couple—the only hikers I saw on the trail this day—passed me as I backtracked to get a few shots of the barachois from a better vantage point. The trail then reaches fine open views of St Patricks Channel with Northside Mountain above and shortly thereafter one arrives at the beacon at the southwestern end of the island. It was so pleasant there (and so warm in the sun), that, after photographing the scenery, I spent well over an hour in the shade, enjoying the lovely cooling breeze, soaking in the grand open views, which now included the Washabuck Peninsula, and watching some water skiers and sail boats in the waters west of the island.

A bit after 14h, I set off on the eastern side of the island, which curves around to the north where the lighthouse sits. The trail is 10 metres/yards above the water here, and, at times, inland from it, first passing through a semi-open area with trees and ferns before entering the forest again. On this side of the island, there is plenty of up and down but no serious climbing. When I had views of the water, I enjoyed watching and photographing the numerous sail boats out on the Great Bras d’Or Lake—this was Regatta Week and it was hard to see any water without at least one sail. Beinn Bhreagh and Kempt Head became visible through the trees and I saw bunchberry berries out alongside the trail and some mushrooms. I detoured off the trail to the edge of the island, where I saw a kayaker and a paddle boarder pass directly below where I was sitting. Three minutes after returning to the trail, I arrived at the railed Look-Off, provisioned with two park benches and two picnic tables with overhead trees to protect from the sun; sitting at the edge of the island, it offers grand views from Beinn Bhreagh around to the Washabuck Peninsula and a great vantage point for watching the sails out on the Lake. I observed a huge boat that I thought was a small cruise ship (I later learned it was a private yacht) heading into Baddeck Bay and tooting often at the sailboats to make them aware of its presence.

Very soon after leaving the Look-Off, one arrives at the Cross Trail at the northern end of the Short Loop and the southern end of the Lighthouse Loop. I continued along the shore where I had to clamber down the bank to reach the beach and then had to step around several bodies of people sunning themselves on the gravel. The lighthouse sits on a point with a very large grass-lined barachois between the northern and eastern shores, lined with small pebbles in which small wild roses had somehow established themselves and with driftwood lying haphazardly across the gravel. The lighthouse is not accessible to the public, but the trail passes directly beside it, offering fine up-close views of its construction. The northwestern edge of the island is the location of the supervised beach and, this day, it was busy; I again had to step around people sprawled out in the sand where the trail led. That led me back to the wharf and ended the hike.

This is a fine trail, not very long and quite easy and very family-friendly. I hope to be back for another circuit of this beautiful island; it is certainly a great spot to be on a hot day!