Guided Hiking Tours

We do a lot of hiking here in northern Cape Breton because of the incredible beauty of the area, so we know a lot about the region’s “special places”.  We base our hiking tours on this knowledge.

As outfitters, however, our philosophy regarding hiking is colored by our attitude towards this beauty.  We believe that such pristine splendor is best experienced alone, with a partner, or in small groups.

For this reason, our hiking tours, like all our tours, are available to a minimum of two adults.  We don’t cancel our tours because we haven’t met an “...eight person minimum...”.  In fact, we often end up guiding the equivalent of a “private” tour for a couple or a family.

We also offer another advantage with our hiking tours. 

We recognize that not everyone is a strong and experienced hiker, so we customize our hiking tours by taking into consideration the physical ability of all members of the group, as well as the interests of those members.

We use our “Client Assessment Form” as the basis for our evaluation of our clients’ abilities and interests, and follow up with emailed or telephone conversations to make certain that we’re planning the best tour for our groups.  We’re able to offer this level of customization because we have such a variety of trails and routes at our disposal.

The best part, at least in our opinion, is that the vast majority of our routes are both virtually unknown and equally or more scenic than the relatively heavily used trails within the national park to our south. 

The routes we offer have long been favorites of local hikers.   Many cross private property with the owners’ permission, and some were developed by Sea Spray staff or “friends of Sea Spray”.  All lead to isolated destinations with magnificent pristine beauty.  And in almost all cases our groups are the sole visitors to these beautiful areas.

While we can customize our routes to suit your interests, our “standard” hiking routes include:

• An all-day guided hike to  remote coastal meadows, lunch break,  beach walking, whale/  wildlife sighting
  This challenging and rewarding tour leaves begins and ends in Cape North. Sea Spray guides transport you to the trailhead and provides on-trail snacks.  We launch this tour for a minimum of two persons, and family and group rates are available.
• An all-day guided “Plateau and Sea Coast” hike:
  This combination of two half-day hikes features an excursion into the highland plateau, with its lakes, barrens and isolation, walking a trail that climbs 400 feet as it winds its way to a hilltop lookoff with a panoramic view of the plateau.  Upon return to the trailhead, we then undertake a second, flatter coastline hike on the Atlantic’s edge, where we watch for whales, sea and shorebirds, and our curious seals.  We launch this tour for a minimum of two persons, and family and group rates are available.
• All-day guided mountain-to-ocean hiking adventure to a remote northern lighthouse;
  This tour involves auto transport to trail head.  After leaving the van, we follow a ridgetop “double track” trail for two kilometers before beginning a half-hour descent on foot, arriving at sea level in a kilometers-long ocean-side pasture.  After exploring the pasture we take a lunch break while watching sea birds, seals and often whales from shore.   After lunch we continue our exploratory walk through the pasture to Nova Scotia’s northernmost lighthouse , and then to the remains of a shipwreck.  Our return route takes us back up the mountain to our bikes and back out to our van.  We launch this tour for a minimum of two persons, and family and group rates are available.
• A half day guided ridgeline hike on “David’s Trail”:
  This near-level hike follows a trail cut by “friends of Sea Spray” over the fall and winter of 2007-2008.  Beginning with a van shuttle to the ridgetop trailhead, we travel through moose country to a magnificent lookoff perched a thousand feet above the Atlantic waves.  From here we search for whales, eagles and keep an watchful eye for glimpses of moose.  Ideal for families with a sense of adventure, this hiking experience offers an insight into what “moose country” actually is.
• A half-day guided “Climb To The Blueberries” hike
  This tour, only available with blueberries from late July to late August, follows a steep walking trail to a small “mountain” at the northern tip of the island.  (The drive to this location is one prettiest on the east coast.)  At the top, vast expanses of blueberries barren greet hikers, and we spend our time enjoying these fresh, tasty treats.  Photo ops of the mountains meeting the ocean abound as we take breaks to search for whales in the distance. We launch this tour for a minimum of two persons, and family and group rates are available.
• A series of half-day hikes to hidden waterfalls
  This tour searches out a number of waterfalls accessible only with a guide.  Falls hidden at the base of mountains, in deep valleys and above clear pools all await discover by our clients after hiking through cool spruce groves, virgin hardwood forests or fields of waving wild grasses.  These half-day hikes can be combined into full-day outings.