Home » 2004 Maritime Provinces Road Trip

Whycocomagh Provincial Park, NS

Saturday, July 24, 2004 - 10:00am by Lolo
70 miles and 1.5 hours from our last stop - 1 night stay

Travelogue

By the time we got off the Newfoundland ferry, it was already mid-afternoon, so we began thinking about finding a place to stay for the night. We headed back over to the Cabot Trail and drove south along the very pretty Bras d'Or Lake looking for a campground that might allow us to swim or at least view the lake. After pulling into a commercial one that had a postage-stamp size lakefront and RVs stacked like cord wood, we decided to continue on to Whycocomagh Provincial Park, not too much further down the road.

This was more like it--spacious sites set on a hill overlooking the Skye River Valley and the Bras d'Or Lake. Unfortunately, however, the swimming beach we read about in the Woodall's was at the day use area, quite a distance from the campground. We find that this is usually the case with both state and provincial parks. Oh well, we were tired anyway, and at least there were great views of the lake. We played some Frisbee--which had become quite a popular activity for us this trip--while Herb went for a run through the campground and up to the top of Salt Mountain. Later that afternoon, as we sat in our beach chairs enjoying the views of the lake, we watched as the wind picked up and some very ominous clouds began to build. Sure enough, we were treated to a spectacular thunderstorm over the lake, which we watched from the comfort of our cozy RV.

Description

Whycocomagh Provincial Park, on Cape Breton Island, is located on a dramatic hillside with sweeping views of Bras d' Or Lake and the Skye River Valley. The park, which is open from mid-June through October, has picnic areas, a boat launch, and a 62-site campground. Although the campground has wonderful views of the lake, there is no lake access directly from the campground.

There is a 1.5-mile hiking trail which starts from the campground and leads to the top of Salt Mountain. The trail is quite steep, but the views of the lake and the surrounding countryside are worth the climb. The park is also an excellent spot for eagle sightings. This area has the largest concentration of bald eagles in northeastern North America.

»

Whycocomagh Provincial Park location map

Javascript is required to view this map.