Parking
Access is on the Cabot Trail near the Chéticamp campground turnoff. Trailhead parking capacity and facilities were not verified.
Overview
About Le Chemin du Buttereau
Why go
- A tangible walk through Acadian settlement history.
- Easy grade through old fields and woodland.
Heads up
- The mostly wooded route has modest views.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cape Breton Highlands map
Full mapElevation13–51 m
TrailheadLe Chemin du Buttereau access on the Cabot Trail near the Chéticamp campground turnoff46.65556, -60.94836
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 Le Chemin du Buttereau, 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
Le Chemin du Buttereau0:00 / 0:24
“You're approaching Le Chemin du Buttereau, an old cart path that linked a settlement of seven Acadian families with Chéticamp.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cape Breton Highlands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Chéticamp Visitor Centre
- Salmon Pools Trail
- Les Falaises and Le Buttereau
- An Island Assembled from Continents
- 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 Le Chemin du Buttereau
The walkLe Chemin du Buttereau is an easy 4.6 km (2.9 mi) out-and-back on an old Acadian cart path.
Le Chemin du Buttereau is an easy 4.6 km (2.9 mi) out-and-back on an old Acadian cart path. Start on the Cabot Trail near the Chéticamp campground turnoff and follow the old route toward Le Buttereau. Allow about 1.5 hours for the return; there are a few short climbs. Woodland and old pasture make up most of the walk, with brief glimpses of the Chéticamp River. Expect a quiet history walk more than a grand lookout.
The listed distance includes the return. The mapped line follows the shared trail corridor once, from the trailhead to the far end.
Acadian tracesThe cart path linked Le Buttereau, a settlement of seven Acadian families, with Chéticamp.
The cart path linked Le Buttereau, a settlement of seven Acadian families, with Chéticamp. Open fields and fragments of foundations remain along the way, though their exact locations are not marked here. Small mammals and birds may be seen; no particular trail species is identified.
Before you goUse the access on the Cabot Trail near the Chéticamp campground turnoff.
Use the access on the Cabot Trail near the Chéticamp campground turnoff. Trailhead parking capacity and facilities were not verified. Dogs are allowed on this route but must be leashed, and a valid park entry pass is required. Visitor services are seasonal and trail maintenance stops in the off-season. The separate 1.6 km Le Buttereau interpretive loop has a different trailhead about 2.3 km north; it is not included in this route or distance.
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.
