Parking
Bog Trailhead is on the Cabot Trail at the top of French Mountain. An accessible unisex pit privy is at the start.
Overview
About Bog Trail
Why go
- Wheelchair-accessible boardwalk and privy
- Fourteen panels explain highland bog life
Heads up
- A 15-minute loop, so it is a quick stop rather than a substantial hike
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cape Breton Highlands map
Full mapElevation405–414 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
6 active Cape Breton Highlands alerts
- CautionPedestrian prohibition on Cabot Trail near French LakeMentions Cabot Trail, referenced in this guidePedestrian use is prohibited at all times on the Cabot Trail between 19713 Cabot Trail (French Lake Look-Off) and 18865 Cabot Trail (Veteran’s Monument Look-Off) through October 25, 2026.Official details
- ClosureCoyote-related area closuresMacIntosh Brook Campground and Trail, Lone Shieling, three Cabot Trail properties, and nearby pull-offs are closed because coyotes have approached people aggressively.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Cape Breton Highlands Tour Guide
Your drive to Bog Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Cape Breton Highlands National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Cape Breton Highlands audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Bog Trail0:00 / 0:22
“Bog Trail is coming up, an easy boardwalk loop across the wet highland plateau on French Mountain.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cape Breton Highlands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Benjie's Lake Trail
- A Pass Back Home
- Fishing Cove Trail
- Skyline Trail
- 50 audio storiesacross Cape Breton Highlands’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Moose, Black Bear, Bald Eagle, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 27 trails, 38 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Bog Trail
A short boardwalk loopBog Trail is a 0.5 km (0.31 mile) loop across the highland plateau bog on French Mountain.
Bog Trail is a 0.5 km (0.31 mile) loop across the highland plateau bog on French Mountain. Parks Canada estimates about 15 minutes. The wooden boardwalk keeps your feet dry and protects fragile bog plants. It is wheelchair-accessible and stroller-friendly, with bumpers along the route.
Read the wetlandFourteen self-guided panels explain the bog’s life, including pitcher plants, orchids,…
Fourteen self-guided panels explain the bog’s life, including pitcher plants, orchids, dragonflies, green frogs and moose. Those are subjects the signs discuss, not guaranteed sightings. Around the open bog, boreal and taiga forest frame the short walk. Take a few minutes with the panels; interpretation is the point of this easy loop.
Starting outThe trailhead is on the Cabot Trail at the top of French Mountain.
The trailhead is on the Cabot Trail at the top of French Mountain. An accessible unisex pit privy is right at the trailhead. Dogs are allowed on leash. Stay on the boardwalk to avoid trampling the fragile vegetation.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Cape Breton Highlands
180 sightingsMooseMost seen around 5 AMSighting map
60 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
48 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
29 sightingsGrey SealMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
14 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
10 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Cape Breton Highlands. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
