Parking
Turn off the Cabot Trail at Black Brook Day-Use Area, then follow the drive left to the upper lot signed for the Jack Pine Trail. The mapped Coastal footway starts at this access.
Overview
About Coastal Trail (Black Brook Section)
Why go
- Squeaker Hole is a striking payoff for a short walk
- Joins the Jack Pine route for a longer outing
Heads up
- Very short if you want a longer coastal hike
- Published distance figures do not agree
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cape Breton Highlands map
Full mapElevation20–35 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 Coastal Trail (Black Brook Section), 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
Black Brook Beach and Still Brook Falls0:00 / 0:31
“Up ahead is Black Brook Beach, an Atlantic cove with Still Brook Falls at its northern end. I'd stop for the shore and a picnic, with time to look at the pink-orange veins cutting through the grey granite.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cape Breton Highlands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Jigging Cove Lake Trail
- Green Cove
- Neils Brook Beach
- Growing Out of a Shell
- 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 Coastal Trail (Black Brook Section)
The short coastal walkFrom the upper Black Brook lot, follow the mapped Coastal footway to the Jack Pine junction and…
From the upper Black Brook lot, follow the mapped Coastal footway to the Jack Pine junction and return the same way. It is about 1.25 km (0.78 mi) round trip; allow roughly 45 minutes for the walk and a stop. The mapped corridor is about 0.63 km each way. One published route listing gives 1.6 km return, and the park map lists a 5 km Coastal Trail without naming its section, so use the signed Black Brook–Jack Pine segment for this walk and do not assume a through-route.
Rocks and seaThe path runs beside the Atlantic over rocky ground, past granite headlands, low coastal…
The path runs beside the Atlantic over rocky ground, past granite headlands, low coastal meadows and cobbled shore. Squeaker Hole is the standout: a narrow inlet below red-gray cliffs. Include the surrounding rock walls in a photo to show the shape of the cove. The open coast can be windy, and the uneven rocks and cobbles take more care than the short distance suggests.
Where to turn aroundThe Coastal footway meets the Jack Pine route at its far end.
The Coastal footway meets the Jack Pine route at its far end. Turn back there for this out-and-back, or choose the separate Jack Pine loop for a longer outing. Its interpretive panels explain how a jack pine stand sits about 200 km from the rest of its range and how a 1921 fire and later budworm infestation shaped it. Park admission is required. Dogs are allowed on leash; follow any posted no-pet signs at beach areas.
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.
