Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Encyclopedia
Cape Breton Highlands National Park is located on northern Cape Breton Island
in the province of Nova Scotia
. One-third of the Cabot Trail
passes through the park featuring spectacular ocean and mountain views. The park was the first National Park in the Atlantic provinces of Canada
and covers an area of 948 km². It is one of 42 in Canada's system of national parks.
At the western entrance of the park is the Acadian
village of Chéticamp
on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
and a park information centre. On the eastern side of the park are the beaches at Ingonish
on the Atlantic Ocean
. In between are mountains, valleys, forests, waterfalls, rocky coastlines and a tundra
-like plateau
known as the Cape Breton Highlands
.
Also on the east side of the park located in Ingonish at the Keltic Lodge resort is Highlands Links
, an 18-hole golf
course designed by Stanley Thompson
. Golf Magazine ranked it as one of the top 100 courses in the world and the best public course in Canada. George Knudson
suggested leaving your clubs behind and just walking the course. The course has been certified by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, a program aimed at conserving wildlife habitat in spaces used for other purposes.
The park's forested areas include:
Park wildlife includes moose
, black bears
, coyote
s, and bald eagle
s. Whale
s and Northern Gannet
s can often be seen from the park's coastal hiking
trails, e.g. the Skyline Trail
. The park's forests provide habitat for the uncommon Bicknell's Thrush
. The rare Gaspé Shrew
, Sorex gaspensis, can be found on rocky slopes in the park. The first nest records of Boreal Owl
for Nova Scotia were found in the south west corner of this park.
Rivers in the park include the Chéticamp River
and the North Aspy River
.
The park was the subject of a short film in 2011's National Parks Project
, directed by Keith Behrman and scored by Tony Dekker, Old Man Luedecke
and Daniela Gesundheit.
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
in the province of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. One-third of the Cabot Trail
Cabot Trail
The Cabot Trail is a highway and scenic roadway in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.It is located in northern Victoria County and Inverness County on Cape Breton Island....
passes through the park featuring spectacular ocean and mountain views. The park was the first National Park in the Atlantic provinces of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and covers an area of 948 km². It is one of 42 in Canada's system of national parks.
At the western entrance of the park is the Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
village of Chéticamp
Chéticamp, Nova Scotia
Chéticamp is a fishing community on the Cabot Trail on the west coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia at the western entrance to Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The downtown area overlooks a large bay, into which the Chéticamp River flows, that is protected from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Gulf of Saint Lawrence
The Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean...
and a park information centre. On the eastern side of the park are the beaches at Ingonish
Ingonish, Nova Scotia
Ingonish is a Canadian rural community in northeastern Victoria County, Nova Scotia.Located along the northeast coast of Cape Breton Island, Ingonish is situated on the Cabot Trail approximately 60 kilometers from the shire town of Baddeck...
on the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. In between are mountains, valleys, forests, waterfalls, rocky coastlines and a tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
-like plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
known as the Cape Breton Highlands
Cape Breton Highlands
The Cape Breton Highlands, commonly called the Highlands, refer to a highland or mountainous plateau of ancient rock across the northern part of Cape Breton Island in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia....
.
Also on the east side of the park located in Ingonish at the Keltic Lodge resort is Highlands Links
Highlands Links
The Highlands Links Golf Course, is a public golf course located near the village of Ingonish Beach in Nova Scotia, Canada. Highlands Links is not be confused with Highland Links Golf, a golf course in North Truro, Massachusetts, Highland Links Colony Golf Course in Holderness, New Hampshire or...
, an 18-hole golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course designed by Stanley Thompson
Stanley Thompson
Stanley Thompson was a Canadian golf course architect. He was a co-founder of the American Society of Golf Course Architects....
. Golf Magazine ranked it as one of the top 100 courses in the world and the best public course in Canada. George Knudson
George Knudson
George Alfred Christian Knudson, CM was a Canadian professional golfer, who along with Mike Weir holds the record for the Canadian with the most wins on the PGA Tour, with eight career victories....
suggested leaving your clubs behind and just walking the course. The course has been certified by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, a program aimed at conserving wildlife habitat in spaces used for other purposes.
The park's forested areas include:
- Acadian forest of mixed deciduousDeciduousDeciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
trees and conifers, mainly found at lower elevations - Boreal forest found on the plateau and uplands
Park wildlife includes moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
, black bears
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
, coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s, and bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s. Whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
s and Northern Gannet
Northern Gannet
The Northern Gannet is a seabird and is the largest member of the gannet family, Sulidae.- Description :Young birds are dark brown in their first year, and gradually acquire more white in subsequent seasons until they reach maturity after five years.Adults are long, weigh and have a wingspan...
s can often be seen from the park's coastal hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
trails, e.g. the Skyline Trail
Skyline Trail (Cape Breton Highlands National Park)
The Skyline Trail is a 7 km looping hiking trail in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. It lies on the western side of the Cabot Trail. The trail is well-known for its scenic views.-Trail outline:...
. The park's forests provide habitat for the uncommon Bicknell's Thrush
Bicknell's Thrush
The Bicknell's Thrush, Catharus bicknelli, is a medium-sized thrush, at 17.5 cm and 28 g . It was named after Eugene Bicknell, an American amateur ornithologist, who discovered the species on Slide Mountain in the Catskills in the late 19th century.Adults are olive-brown on the upperparts,...
. The rare Gaspé Shrew
Gaspé Shrew
The Gaspé Shrew is a North American shrew found on the Gaspé peninsula of Quebec, on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia and in New Brunswick...
, Sorex gaspensis, can be found on rocky slopes in the park. The first nest records of Boreal Owl
Tengmalm's Owl
Boreal Owl, Aegolius funereus, is a small owl. It is also known as the Tengmalm's Owl after Swedish naturalist Peter Gustaf Tengmalm. Other names for the owl include Richardson's Owl, Funeral Owl , Sparrow Owl and Pearl Owl...
for Nova Scotia were found in the south west corner of this park.
Rivers in the park include the Chéticamp River
Chéticamp River
The Chéticamp River is a river on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, located at the western entrance to Cape Breton Highlands National Park.The river flows from Chéticamp Lake in the Cape Breton Highlands into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence at the village of Chéticamp, Nova Scotia...
and the North Aspy River
Aspy River
The Aspy River is a river on northeastern Cape Breton Island which rises in the Cape Breton Highlands and empties into Aspy Bay. The river valley follows the ancient Aspy Fault which extends for 40 km inland from the coast and extends along the upper section of the northeast Margaree River...
.
The park was the subject of a short film in 2011's National Parks Project
National Parks Project
The National Parks Project is a Canadian music and film project. Released in 2011 to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Parks of Canada system, the project sent three Canadian musicians and a filmmaker to each of 13 Canadian national parks, one in each province and...
, directed by Keith Behrman and scored by Tony Dekker, Old Man Luedecke
Old Man Luedecke
Old Man Luedecke is the recording name of Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter and banjo player, Chris Luedecke, of Chester, Nova Scotia...
and Daniela Gesundheit.
See also
- National Parks of Canada
- List of National Parks of Canada
- List of parks in Nova Scotia