Skyline Trail (Cape Breton Highlands National Park)

Skyline Trail
Skyline Trail, with French Mountain on the left, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the right
Elevation	455 m (1,493 ft)
Location	Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Range	Appalachian Mountains
Coordinates	46°44′31″N 60°52′52″W / 46.741985°N 60.881000°W / 46.741985; -60.881000

The Skyline Trail is a seven-kilometre, looping, hiking trail at Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia, Canada. It lies on the western side of the Cabot Trail, near French Mountain's summit. This trail is well known for its scenic views, but also for the 2009 fatal coyote assault on Taylor Mitchell. The trail’s busy hours are from 11am to 3pm, so it’s best to do the hike before or after these hours. A Park Pass is required to do the hike as it is in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. No dogs are permitted on the trail.

It consists of a loop that at about halfway leads to a boardwalk. The first half of the loop is very well maintained and virtually wheelchair accessible. The second half of the loop is an easy hiking trail over stony ground and meadows. The boardwalk at the middle of the trail consists of 275 steps and provides views of the Cabot Trail and the ocean. There are multiple interpretive panels along the trail. Moose as well as black bears have been spotted by hikers along this trail numerous times. Northern gannets fly over this trail's coast near while minke whales, harbour seals, humpback whales, harp seals, fin whales, white-sided dolphins, sei whales, harbour porpoises, grey seals, and pilot whales swim offshore.^{[citation needed]}