Snowmobiling Cape Breton's Highlands

Cape Breton’s highland trails offer some of the most scenic snowmobiling in the country.

“When you’re travelling the trails up here, most days it’s like walking into a postcard,” says Turk Tower, owner of TNT Outdoor Adventures.

Snowmobiling is a major driver of winter tourism in Nova Scotia, which generates about $60 million annually.

To support the industry, the province had announced new funding last October to upgrade trail grooming equipment across Cape Breton, ensuring better conditions for riders.

For the past four winters, TNT Outdoor Adventures has been guiding snowmobilers through the highlands of Hunter’s Mountain along the Cabot Trail. No experience is needed—just a valid driver’s license and they provide the rest.

“It’s been pretty good this year,” Tower says. “We had early snowfall in December and got four tours in. Then the snow disappeared for a couple of weeks, but now it’s starting to build back up–and we’re building back up as well.”

At elevations reaching 450 metres around Cape Clear, the trails offer ideal conditions for riding.

“We don’t need five feet of snow,” Tower says. “We just need 20 inches and we’re good to go.”

The snowmobile season at Cape Breton runs until the end of March up into mid-April, with sweeping views, snow-covered trees and scenic lookoffs keeping riders coming back for more.

With files from Nathan Coleman, a video journalist for The Weather Network.