Cape Split Trailhead — Attraction in Scots Bay

We finally decided to take the plunge and do the hike to Cape Split. Some things to consider before doing this hike:

Have real comfortable hiking boots. Waterproof would be best depending on when you go (ie: after a rain etc;). There is some mud and possibly water in some spots. There are lots of scattered rocks along the trail and roots sticking out so you really need to pay attention to foot placement.

If you have the ability to carry a pack, I would take at least 1 liter of water and snacks in a sealed container.

I recommend taking a large towel to have something to sit on once you reach the end of the trail. There are no benches on this trail.

Recommed starting the hike early in the morning bedore it gets too hot. It wouldn't hurt to have bug repellant and sun screen either. The trees shelter most of the trail from rhe suns UV but you might want to take a long break when you reach the end.

I have hiked a fair number of trails in Nova Scotia and so far I would consider this to be one of the more difficult hikes that I have done. When you start the hike it is uphill for wuite some time. Once you get past the major hills it does level out some but there are still a fair amount of hills.

This would be an amazing trail if it was better maintained. The dissapointing thing about this trail and why I am giving it 3 stars is because of hiw the trail is maintained. For the entire trail you really need to pay attention to every step or risk tripping or stepping on single rocks which make your feet sore over time. We all had good quality hiking shoes and the bottom of our feet were quite sore. I can't imagine doing this hike in...

Well worth the effort to get to the prize at the end. The trail there has a pretty significant grade increase from about 9m to 150m within the first 2-3km. Once you get onto the mostly straight trail to the Cape it levels out and is fairly easy to finish.

There are washrooms at the parking lot and also at about the 2km mark.

Bring hi cut hiking shoes, I found my ankles were pretty sore from the uneven terrain and having something that goes past your ankles to provide support would help a lot. There is a lot of tree roots, rocks and muddy spots as well.

Also, the road going to the Park was a very thick fog about the last 10 minutes so be careful when you reach the end of the 358 highway as there's a 90 degree turn to the left that is not easy to see in the fog. We left the parking lot to go onto the trail not even knowing that there was a bay next to the parking lot the fog was that thick. It did clear about an hour or so into the hike so we didn't miss anything when we arrived at Cape Split.

As mentioned by most people, it's incredibly windy there and much cooler than it is on the trail. We brought a light coat to wear and it came in handy for the end of the trail.

Make sure to take the trail to the left at the cape down to the 3 fingers, I found that to be the most scenic spot but it was another degree of windy there so I was careful not to get too close to the edge.

There was lots of people on the trail so if you are concerned on being all along you will likely not be.

In summary, be prepared at the beginning for an uphill climb but the reward at the end is well worth...

My fiancé and I have done this hike 5 or 6 six times by now. Although we do this hike seasonally, we still find it to be a moderate to hard difficulty. Our best time for finishing the hike is 3 hours and 45 min. But we have stayed on the trail for up to 6 hours on a nice summer's day. We've visited when it was foggy, and we've visited when it was so windy at the cape you couldn't hear each other speak (that was our most recent time). The trail can be muddy, and very slippery after the rain (I twisted my ankle on the most recent trip), so keep that in mind. Our advise? Bring snacks, water, and comfortable, appropriate shoes. There's a few spots where you'll have to cross over a small stream - so waterproof shoes/boots are a good idea. Give yourself anywhere between 4-6 hours to finish the hike, we'd recommend to start early in the day (the trail can get very busy). Plan to spend some time at the Cape - it can be a lovely spot for a picnic. But don't litter! There's only garbage bins at the start/end of the trail in the parking lot - so pack it up and pack it out. Check the weather/wind before you go, and remember it can change in the blink of an eye. The loop has two sides one is 6k and the other is 7.3k from the Cape to the parking lot. We'd recommend...