katiaetlemonde

We'll be driving from NYC up to Portland and taking the ferry to Yarmouth. From there, we have 7 days before doing the return trip. Obviously, we'll have the car the whole time.

We're looking to split the days between camping and staying in decent hotels, and we're looking to swim, canoe, hike and enjoy the outdoors and some food.

Any suggestions for the itinerary would be much appreciated.

katiaetlemonde

Some more information:

* We don't want to stay in Halifax
* We're considering places like: Cape Split, Kejimkujik Park, Fundy Shore ecotour, Hopewell rocks

We're also trying to decide between north shore and south sore.

mtjt

Nova Scotia is a true outdoor and nature lovers paradise, although the spread out regions each have a different appeal. For New Brunswick - Seeing the Fundy Tides is interesting, but Hopewell Rocks (been there twice) would be spectacular if they weren't over-run with tourists (it's just a small area). Worthwhile stop if you're in the area, but I personally wouldn't make it a destination in itself (Alma/Fundy National Park is another spot to view the difference between high & low tide). Same with Fundy Ecotour - nice, but the spectacular Cabot Trail through Cape Breton National Park (Nova Scotia) is (in my opinion) more varied in both scenery and things to do: famous for being one of the world's most scenic drives, great hiking, a couple of very nice beaches, a variety of camping and hotel opportunities. It will take you most of a day to get there from Yarmouth though.

The Lighthouse Route (South Shore) of NS is also very nice and a popular (though not over-crowded) vacation region - lots of quaint fishing villages (make sure you get off the main highway, take the coastal roads), some pretty & artsy towns (Lunenberg, Mahone Bay), several spectacular "hidden gem" beaches (Kejimkujik Park Seaside Adjunct & Carter's Beach are two, there are lots more). Swimming at Lighthouse Route beaches is a little on the cool side.

You said "no Halifax" - just want to point out that, even though I'm not a big fan of vacationing in cities, Halifax is one of the nicest "small" cities of North America, really nice Harbour area, lots of restaurants, many hotels - and good location for daytrips up and down the coast.

One more point re: swimming: the huge tides of the Bay of Fundy don't make for good swimming beaches in general.

katiaetlemonde

Awesome, thanks for the reply. We've been doing some research and planning the last two days and we're starting to put together some rough plans. Here's what we've got so far:

* Ferry to Yarmouth on Saturday morning
* Drive from Yarmoth, along the south shore, to Halifax over the course of the day.
* Spend the night in Halifax
* Wake up, have breakfast in Halifax (Sunday)
* Drive to Cape Breton
* Spend the night there
* Spend Monday through Friday morning in the Cape Breton area
* Drive from Cape Breton back toward Yarmouth, stopping for the night somewhere
* Catch the 4PM ferry home Saturday

First of all, does this sound reasonable? We're aware it's a lot of driving, so that's not so bad. But does the trip itself sound reasonable?

Also, we'll need some good hotel suggestions in Halifax and the Cape Breton area. We'll probably try to camp a few nights in Cape Breton area, so camping area suggestions would also be great.

Thanks!

mtjt

Hi katiaetlemonde - Your itinerary sounds perfect to me. Yes, quite a bit of driving, but I think you''ll have fun and see some highlights.

Hotels in Halifax - any of the downtown hotels are good as far as getting around by foot, the downtown is fairly compact. Hotels there aren't cheap, but main difference in prices are extra amenities (which just spending the night you probably don't need a lot), and to some extent location (e.g. staying right on the Harbour generally costs more than staying 3 blocks away). Hard to recommend beyond this without knowing your budget and expectations.

Cape Breton: there are several campgrounds right in the National Park. Check out their website at http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ns/cbreton/index_e.asp - if you phone them (number on website) I'm sure they will discuss with you details of each campsite. Motel/Hotel/Resort/Cabins/Inn accommodations are concentrated in Cheticamp ("quaint" Acadian Fishing Village which is also a tourist-oriented jumping off point for the park - spectacular drive over the most scenic bluffs overlooking ocean is near here); Ingonish (a stretch of small "seaside" vacation towns on the Atlantic coast - great coastal scenery and some good beaches) and Baddeck (a small but more "upscale" artsy town with a picturesque yacht harbour). Ingonish Beach is popular, but my favourites are the "hidden" gems near Dingwall - North, Middle and South Harbour (few amenities but often practically deserted long swathes of sand back by wetlands and hills).

On your way back from Cape Breton to Yarmouth, Lunenberg, a historic town (and UNESCO world heritage site) with lots of interesting shops and a picturesque harbour, might be a good overnight stop.

Remember to get off the main highway when time permits and do the coastal roads.

Book asap, especially weekends get filled up at campsites and hotels.