Hi,
My husband and I (in our mid 30s) have decided to take a last minute trip to Nova Scotia. We will fly from NYC and spend about 8 days there starting the last week of August. We like active vacations, hiking, kayaking, biking, and maybe some camping. Does anyone have suggestions for great itinerary ideas or hotels? We are looking for ideas that won't break the bank.
Thanks,
Lindsay

IMO, Cape Breton Island is the most scenic part of Nova Scotia. If i were you, I would definitely spend some time there. We were in Nova Scotia 3 years ago, but we don't camp, so I can't help you there. Google Cape Breton Island & I'm sure you will find plenty of campgrounds. We stayed in Baddeck (don't remember the name of the inn, unfortunately). We spent all day driving around the Cabot Trail, & hiked along the Skyline Trail.

Are you flying into Halifax? You could spend a night or 2 in Halifax; it's a nice city, the waterfront is nice, there's a museum; you could tour the citadel. We also visited Annapolis Royal while staying in Wolfville, & toured Grand Pre National Park. Then from there, we went to Cape Breton. If you like history, you can tour Fortress Louisbourg.
Hope this helps.
P.S. I couldn't do a lot of hiking on this trip because of an injury, so I can't be too specific about other hiking trails.

I reinforce Kwoo's suggestion of Cape Breton based on your interests. I see lots of cyclists when I visit and the Cabot Trail, especially the northern section through Cape Breton Highlands National Park, is spectacular and considered one of the most scenic drives/rides in eastern North America. There are quaint villages, campgrounds in the park and probably elsewhere (I'm not a camper), and I'm sure Kayaking opportunities. Good hiking trails - see http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ns/cbreton/activ/activ1.aspx and follow links on that page for additional park info.

8 days will leave you time for another destination and I would suggest maybe the Lighthouse Route southwest of Halifax. Lots of great coastal scenery, historic towns and picturesque fishing villages, many beautiful (but cold water) beaches including hidden gems with few people - great for walking, shelling, etc. Check out Kejimkujik National Park "Seaside Adjunct". I'm sure there are kayaking opportunities in the many bays and inlets.

Hotels: what is your budget? They're generally not cheap and outside of larger cities/towns (which are very small by NYC standards) you're looking mostly at scattered motels, a few resorts or cabin & chalet rentals rather than traditional hotels. A number of people I know and/or who have posted here have enjoyed staying in Bed & Breakfasts in Atlantic Canada of which there are quite a few. There are fairly comprehensive listings at: http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/ac...s/default.aspx

Alternatively after Cape Breton you might head to the New Brunswick Fundy Coast and spend time in Alma/Fundy National Park (dramatic tides, hiking trails, etc.) with sidetrips to Hopewell Rocks (low tide if you can't see both tides), Cape Enrage Lighthouse and the Fundy Trail Parkway which offers hiking and a 10 mile (each way) bike trail: http://www.fundytrailparkway.com/en/bikeit/

Firstly, go to this website:

http://www.lau.chs-shc.gc.ca/cgi-bin...gion=5&zone=30


and click on perhaps 3 of those locations: include "Hopewell Cape", (maybe) Truro, and (perhaps) Hantsport... and PRINT OUT THE TIDE TABLES for the ENTIRE window of your trip.

Then bury that sheet(s) in your luggage, and drag it out upon arrival - keep it in the glove box of your rental car. Because there are SIX hours between high and low tides, it can be most convenient to double back and see the opposite effect at a later time, rather than try to find something to do for six hours.

At any rate, you might at some point have cause to be impulsive, and need to know the times of the low tides. (the tides there are REALLY something... and not like the barely-there tides in your bathtub or local harbor) (consider that rivers turn around and flow upstream (!!!) in many spots when the tide comes in - this happens on schedule too!)

Nowthen, of course going to Cape Breton is the most sensible priority. I'd spend 2 or 3 days there, taking the very first CLEAR day to drive around the Cabot Trail (you could easily get socked in by fog).

Surely 2 or 3 days in Halifax makes sense too, and if you can get over to Hopewell Cape (in New Brunswick), that is worth seeing, especially at low tide). I rather like the drive from Truro to Parrsboro, along the bayshore, so maybe opt for that path to or from Hopewell Cape, if you go there.

At least go to lunch at Peggy's Cove, and do some touristing there and in Lunenburg.

Perhaps that about uses up your 8 days.

Enjoy !!!

For lots of outdoor ideas in the Peggy's Cove Area check out http://www.peggyscoveregion.com/ especially for the kayaking and hiking