Road Trip, Day 15: Two hikes and a campsite on the edge of the world

DAY 15: AT A GLANCE
Starting Point: Ingonish, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
End Point: Meat Cove, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Starting mileage: 190,205
Ending mileage: 190,255
Daily total (miles): 50
Trip total (miles): 1960

Day 15 of our three-week road trip through the Maine and the Maritimes would take us from Keltic Lodge at the Highlands in Ingonish, Cape Breton, to camping at Meat Cove Campground, way at the tip of Cape Breton Island. Man oh man, it was a day of fantastic views.

But first, breakfast—and thank goodness we enjoyed the breakfast buffet at Keltic Lodge (which was included in our room rate), as you’ll soon read!

One of the trails we wanted to do was Middle Head, which begins on the Lodge’s property in Ingonish. All of the trail literature lists the hike as being 3.8km (2.4mi), but Strava recorded 3.31mi. We did add the the looped section of the trail instead of going back the same way we had come, so maybe that accounts for the additional distance. While the trail is considered moderate, we found it more than doable (and we’re really not good hikers!) and finished in about an hour and a half. There was effort to view ratio was great, in my opinion— I’ll go anywhere if I can ogle the views with every step. I’ll be honest: I like the instant gratification.

When we had visited MEC in Halifax and got some great Cape Breton insider tips from one of its staff members (another shout-out to Haley at MEC!), we were told that Middle Head was a must-do—that the views rival that of the popular Skyline trail on the western side of Cape Breton. Oh my gosh, when Haley said that the views hit you from the start, she wasn’t kidding. As noted in the sign at the trailhead, Middle Head follows a long, narrow peninsula separating two ocean bays, ending on headland cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Smokey and Ingonish Island. Much of the hike reminded us of hikes in Acadia National Park—rocky cliffs jutting out over deep blue waters.

Okay, enough info. I’ll get to the good stuff: THE VIEWS!!!

Cape Smokey

The GoPro catching G being contemplative…

And, of course, a red chair—one of the many that can be found all over Canada’s parks. So cool.

After hiking Middle Head, we decided to head straight up to Meat Cove Campground, where we’d be camping for the night. On the premises is also the Meat Cove Chowder Hut, where we planned to grab a late lunch/early dinner. Meat Cove is a destination—it’s definitely off the beaten path, off the Cabot Trail, and even off paved roads. If you’re going there, it’s for a reason! For us, it was a meal and camping. So, you can imagine our disappointment when we got there and learned that the chowder hut was closed for the day (it’s usually closed on Thursdays, but this was a Tuesday). There goes the plan for eating. Thankfully, we had eaten a good breakfast, as our dinner consisted of the leftover pretzels, Triscuits thins, and cheese we had in the van. And s’mores. Thank goodness for s’mores.

But, back to Meat Cove. On the suggestion of a dear friend (thank you, Christine), we made sure that Meat Cove Campground was part of our itinerary. And oh my gosh, we’re so glad we did. Yes, it’s a twisty, gravelly, no-cell-service road to get there, a road that certainly tested our 2002 VW Eurovan! But, damn, is it worth it! Here’s the thing, though: campsites can’t be reserved—it’s first-come, first-served. So, on the first day that we could (June 1, I believe), we booked a cabin, which CAN be reserved in advance. We did not want to risk getting turned away from getting a site. So, when we got to Meat Cove, I checked in with Justin (super chill guy), who saw the van and asked if we’d be sleeping in the VW. I told him that we normally would but that we had reserved a cabin. He said we could do either—and gave us the key to a cabin so that we could check it out and told us to also check out the regular campsites (and by “site,” I mean a piece of grass perched on the side of a cliff). We picked the campsite—for the amazing views! (Note: If you’re tenting, you’re able to get even further out on the cliffs. Almost makes me want to sleep in a van again. Almost.)

Meat Cove has a bunch of different trails, and Justin told us that the “must do” was the Little Grassy Trail, which overlooks the campground. If we were only going to do one trail, he said, that was it. I looked up to the grassy knoll looming skyward—and, being novice hikers (and that’s being generous), I asked if it was as hard as it looked. Nah, he said—it’s easy, a “3” on a scale of 1-10.

The view from the top…our van looked like a Matchbox car from our perch above!

See that path winding further down? We did NOT follow it—why tempt fate? I’d rather not be swept out to sea just yet.

Okay, so we didn’t die (though G’s head managed to run into a sideways tree), and the views really were spectacular. A “3” on a scale of 1-10? I don’t know, but then again, we’re not really avid hikers…yet. We definitely worked harder on this one (which was only a little more than a mile round-trip and took us about 45-50 minutes) than the 3+mile hike earlier in the morning. But those views…

Two hikes two gorgeous views—those more than made up for the lack of real food since breakfast! Yes, we’ve already made a mental note to make sure there are ALWAYS snacks in the van! We settled in for the night, G made a fire, we made s’mores, we bundled up against the wind, and watched the sky darken over Meat Cove. And then we slept. Well.