Cabot Trail and the Maritimes
A corniche road above the gulf, 16-metre tides you cross on foot then paddle over in a kayak, and lobster on every wharf: the Maritimes are the warm, ocean-going finale of a Canadian journey.
Suggested stay — 6 to 7 nights
The Cabot Trail loops 298 km around the Cape Breton highlands in Nova Scotia and stands comparison with the world's great coastal roads: hairpin climbs above the Gulf of St. Lawrence, taiga plateaus in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Acadian villages (Chéticamp) and Gaelic ones where the fiddle comes out at night. The Skyline trail at day's end sums it all up: a ridge plunging to the sea, moose in the bogs and, often, pilot whales below. Drive the loop clockwise to stay on the sea side through the corniche sections.
On the way, the Bay of Fundy demands its detour: the world's biggest tides — up to 16 metres of range — are lived at Hopewell Rocks, where you walk on the ocean floor at the foot of the "flowerpots" before returning six hours later to paddle a kayak over the same spot. Add old UNESCO-listed Lunenburg, the warm beaches of Prince Edward Island (linked by the 12.9 km Confederation Bridge) and the lobster shacks: the Maritimes are savoured slowly, in the image of their hospitality.
Don't miss
- The Skyline trail at sunset, on the Cabot Trail
- Hopewell Rocks at low tide THEN at high tide — the contrast makes the place
- Lunenburg and its UNESCO waterfront of coloured facades
- A lobster supper on an Acadian wharf or on Prince Edward Island
Our tips on the ground
- Check the tide tables before planning Fundy: Hopewell Rocks is only walkable in a window of about 3 hours around low tide — the low-then-high double visit means sleeping nearby.
- On the Cabot Trail, drive clockwise and book two nights on Cape Breton rather than one: doing the loop in a day is the classic regret of hurried travellers.
- The ferries (Nova Scotia–Prince Edward Island, or Saint John–Digby to shortcut the drive) book online: with a van, a reservation avoids the weekend queues.
Our flagship guide — €29
Guide available“Canada on Your Own”, the complete edition, is out
10 chapters: day-by-day itineraries, driving and transport, a costed budget and checklists — the same method as our Namibia guide.
The guide is currently written in French — an English edition is in the works.
Before you go
Readers' questions about Cabot Trail and the Maritimes
Are the Maritimes worth it compared with the West?
It's a different journey: fewer summits, more sea, villages and culture — Acadian, Gaelic, Mi'kmaq. Distances are finally human (2-3 hours between stops), campgrounds less contested than at Banff, and value for money better. For families or a first campervan road trip, it may be the easiest region in the country.
When is the best time for the Maritimes?
July-August for swimming (the water off PEI and the Northumberland Strait tops 20 °C, the warmest north of Virginia) and the Acadian festivals; September to early October for autumn colours on the Cabot Trail, a world summit of the genre alongside the Celtic Colours festival in October. Avoid June if fog gets you down: Fundy produces it in series.