MacIntosh Brook Campground and Day Use Area

MacIntosh Brook is a small campground and day-use area in Grande Anse Valley, about 5 km from Pleasant Bay on the Cabot Trail. Its 10 unserviced sites sit in an open clearing below the mountains, with a large kitchen shelter, flush toilets and a playground. It’s a useful stop if you want to camp along the Cabot Trail or add an easy waterfall walk. Camping is seasonal and self-registration; potable-water availability isn’t clear, so bring your own or confirm before counting on a fill-up. Firewood for the shelter’s stove isn’t sold here; pick it up at the Chéticamp or Ingonish Visitor Centre before you arrive.

The MacIntosh Brook Trail starts at the campground and follows a brook through mature Acadian hardwood forest to a waterfall. The return walk is 1.7 km and takes about 30–45 minutes. It’s an easy outing, though exposed roots make some footing uneven.

Grande Anse Valley is one of the Maritimes’ largest old-growth hardwood forests. Its sugar maples are estimated at about 350 years old. The campground sits in this mountain-foot valley, making the short walk an easy way to spend a little time in that older forest.