We love camping in Cape Breton. We are often asked where some of our favourite spots are, so I thought I’d put this little article together. These reviews are for tent camping, so those with trailers may disagree with our opinion (and that’s totally okay!)
Here is a non-biased list of some of our favourite destinations with no affiliation with any tourism agencies or paid influencer status - just good old fashioned reviews!
MacLeod’s Campsite in Dunvegan
This is a beautiful campsite, we will usually camp here twice a summer.
What we liked:
The proximity to the beach, just a short walk from the campsite and you are located at a wonderful sandy beach.
There is a little brook that feeds into the ocean that our little kids love to play in
The non serviced campsites are well away from the noise trailers.
The campsites are fair sized, our favourite sites are 136, 113, 114, recently we stayed “in the hollow" at site 125 and it was quite nice (try to book on the water side at it gets more light in the afternoon).
136, 113, and 114 are really close to the beach, but there will be some car traffic and people traffic on a regular basis.
Any sites past 136 will pretty much have no to little cell phone reception or network, it keeps us off our phones and in the moment!
5 or any site “in the hollow” is virtually closed off to traffic and very quiet. It does seem to get darker down “in the hollow” as it is among the trees, which would have both pros and cons (pro, cooler and perhaps being darker will help put the kids to bed) (con, you miss the beautiful sunset and the long lasting summer night).
Any sites “in the hollow” would be great for multiple families who camp together as the sites are somewhat joined together but still have space. There is a little brook nearby that entertained our children with tadpoles and fish.
Sites 108 - 112 have incredible views, not much in terms for privacy as they are all kinda piled in together, but man that sunset is incredible from up there. There is an outdoor shower not far from those sites for a quick wash off after a day at the beach
There are 3 or 4 free showers that are in good working condition. We find during the dinner hour to be a good time to sneak in and get the kids in the shower. The water has always been hot at that time.
The campsite office does have some essentials for sale (like ice) and Inverness is really quite close to the campsite so you can run in for whatever you forgot!
If you head to Dunvegan from Sydney Via the Margaree Valley, there is a Co-op (with NSLC) you can stop at just before you reach the campground, this is great to grab last minute items and some extra ice!
They are dog friendly and don’t charge extra for pets.
What we didn’t like
The outhouses for sites past 136 is in bad shape. For the amount of people using this campground, it really needs an update, we won’t go into reasons why the outhouse sucks, I’m sure you can figure that out….
The riptide is notoriously bad at this beach, so please proceed with caution. For now, our kids stick to the little brook and that’s just fine by me!
The main washrooms/shower area could be kept a little “tidier”, it would be nice to have spot checks on a more regular basis instead of once a day.
In the main female washrooms, the second last toilet on the right seems to be out of order since the summer of 2019, I will update this status after our next camping trip.
There are some seasonal campers that have trailers down in the non serviced area, the first year we started coming there was only one and now there are three, which can make booking a little challenging (but hey, good for them if they can spend their entire summer there, maybe someday we’ll try that too!).
They have a water tap that is located towards “the hollow” but you aren’t supposed to wash your dishes at it and it would be nice if they had a dish washing station.
Hideaway Campground Aspy Bay
We’ve camped and also stayed at the cabins at the hideaway
What we liked:
The beach at the end of the road is paradise. It’s the closest thing to a tropical beach here in CB. Beautiful sand and water that you can walk into. We don’t see as many people at this beach, so it’s much more secluded then the beaches near Ingonish (There aren’t any facilities at this beach, so keep that in mind). Also keep in mind the beach is about a 5 minute walk from parking, it’s not overly steep, but those with mobility issues may find it challenging to get down/up.
The campsites that are facing Sugarloaf mountain back onto the playground. We have yet to secure one of those sites, but we think that would be ideal for families with kids. I do remember that the playground was an old wooden one, I’m not sure how well it has been maintained.
They have clean showers and toilets, however there never seemed to be any TP on the weekend that we stayed there.
They have oysters onsite and you can get them as fresh as they come!
They have some cabins for those who aren’t into tenting, they are very basic, only one has a power supply and you must bring your own sheets.
They have a dish washing station close to the main lodge which is very nice to use
What we didn’t like:
The “newer” sites felt more cramped and tight even for tent camping.
The toilets are sometimes short on TP.
Parking at the beach is limited and it can be tricky to get in/out of if people have been inconsiderate while parking.
Chéticamp HIghlands National Park
So we’ve never actually stayed at this campsite, but we did do a little recon to see which sites would be appropriate for us.
Here are our observations on this campsite:
Being in a national park, you know the facilities are going to be well maintained and kept clean.
Sites 14-20 are on the same side as a big field and are right beside to the playground (this could be a pro or a con…)
The playground it quite nice, camping beside it would be great because we could stay at the site while the kids played, but also not so great if other people’s kids are playing there at all hours of the night….
Site 14 is right beside a water tap, which is convenient, but could also mean that there would be people walking up the side of your campsite to get water at all hours of the day.
Site 16 could be perfect, it’s beside a tree so you would have some shade if it was crazy hot out and an actual fire pit as opposed to those little standing fire boxes that some of the sites have.
Otentiks 76B & C seem to be tucked away at the back of the first loop. Otentiks are a great option if you aren’t sure if the great outdoors are for you (unfortunately they are not available in 2020)
We aren’t sure about beaches in Cheticamp, we were given some poor directions and didn’t spend that much time looking for it, perhaps if there was a beach map we would have spent more time up in the area.
Cheticamp bakery (Aucoin Bakery) is nearby, it’s awesome and worth the drive, but it’s not open on Sundays (we’ve made that mistake)
Broad Cove National park
We have stayed here a number of times, both in a tent and in an Otentik (not available in 2020).
What we liked:
National park washrooms are kept clean, clean is always nice and there are dish washing stations.
Usually (not in a pandemic year) they have park activities and even an outdoor screen.
The trailers and kept away from the non serviced sites.
Site 133 has woods almost all the way around it, meaning the kids are virtually blocked in and can’t easily run away.
Sites 120 & 119 are at the end of a loop, with the otentiks to their left, so there is a little more space to spread out and there is a walking trail behind them that you can easily hop on to wander about (but there is also a cliff to the water behind that trail, so if your kids tend to wander, this may not be the site for you).
Site 189 might be the perfect site, it has shade, but it also has late afternoon sun. It’s at the end of a loop and it’s fairly close to the washrooms and dish wash station.
Site 161 seems like a good one for the same reason why we like 133, but it has a fire pit instead of a standing “fire box”.
What we didn’t like:
The beach can be hit or miss with sand, but really you can say that for many of the beaches in Cape Breton
Reservations is via the parks Canada website and you have to register to reserve and sometimes it is difficult to get the site you want.
Battery Park Provincial Campground
We’ve only checked out this campsite and never actually stayed there.
Here are our observations on this campsite:
It’s really close to Sydney, you can be at your site in under an hour!
It’s a provincial park, so the facilities should be properly maintained and cleaned well.
It’s a smaller park, so there may not be as many people onsite.
There are some nice hiking trails around the area that would be appropriate for those camping with little ones.
There is a little beach area for use.
Sites 1-3 are walk in sites closer to the water.
Sites up past #8 should have an amazing view of the water.
On the other side of the canal there is a nice hiking trail that goes along the water, it’s flat and relatively easy to do with kids (is anything “easy” to do with toddlers?).
Cabot Shores Camping
I was really surprised by how much I liked this campsite. I didn’t even know that they offered traditional camping along with their yurts, lodges, domes, tiny house and room accommodations. There is a restaurant in the lodge and they are also known for music nights.
What we liked:
It’s so close to Sydney, depending on trail traffic and the English town ferry it’s under an hour from home
Campsite #5 is absolutely everything you could want in an unserviced site. It’s secluded and located right along the brook. Trees give you enough shade, there is a large flat area for the tent and it’s in close proximity to outhouses #1 & #2 for your #1 & #2.
The outhouses are immaculate. #1  seemed to be on new concrete pads and were large and spacious. You could tell they were cleaned on a somewhat regular basis (The Macleod’s campsite people could really use a tour of this outhouse to see how it should be done!).
It was a short walk from our vehicle to our campsite which we didn’t mind
There are only 7 campsites down in this area and it is away from the rest of the property, so it was very quite and private. There was only one other group camping in our area.
If you walk up back towards the property and then take a right, you can get to the shore. You have to pull yourself across a little brook to get to the beach, the kids thought this was awesome (my mother who doesn’t know how to swim did not).
It’s close proximity to the beaches around Ingonish. We made a day trip out of our adventure and explored the beaches:
Little river beach (quaint beach, quiet and Sandy),
Ingonish beach (was closed, all rocks and rough water),
The beach at the freshwater lake at Ingonish beach (kids loved how sandy and warm it was, my husband refuses to swim in fresh water and dogs aren’t “supposed” to be in the water),
North Bay beach was absolutely packed, the parking lot was a zoo, so we opted to skip this beach, but apparently it’s a lovely sandy beach,
Black brook beach, another sandy beach was also packed and too busy for us,
Broad Cove beach is inside the National park, just past all the campsites, it's sandy with access to the ocean or the brook. There was 3 other groups and us, kids loved playing in the freshwater, while the husband opted for the ocean,
What we didn’t like:
We didn’t mind not parking beside our site, but you are expected to leave your car somewhere among sites 1-4. Had sites 1-4 been occupied I think parking would have been an issue.
We are really into camping, but my mother is not. I thought it was neat that we could camp while she stayed in a room in the lodge. Although we spoke with Paul the owner in advance to make sure her room was “double checked”, it was definitely not up to “mom clean” standards. The sheets seemed to have oil stains (or something) on them, my daughter pulled used dusty ear plugs from underneath the bed and there were Large spiders in webs in the corners of the room waiting for her company. For $145 a night, we had higher hopes for this room.
The camping sites are very reasonably priced. They wanted to add a $15 pet fee, but I felt like this should have been applied to the rooms or yurts and not to a campsite, as I cleaned my own tent and picked up after my dog….
There were no obvious places to put our trash, usually there is a bin somewhere, when we asked a staff member, she said “oh just over there” waving her hand casually to a spot away from us. We never found the bin and just took our trash home with us.
Bras D’Or Lakes Campground Baddeck
My husband was volunteering at the golf tournament at Bell Bay, so we made a trip out of it.
What we liked:
It was only a short drive from Sydney
There was a small playground close to the tenting sites
What we didn’t like:
This is really a campsite for trailers and not tenting. The non serviced sites were actually located away from the trailers, but the proximity to the highway made it very noisy, especially at night.
The trailers seemed cramped in together, but hey, some people are into that.
The access to water is great if you are kayaking or boating, but not so great if you have young kids who want to play/swim in the water.
There was a pool, but I don’t remember it being open.
Meat Cove Campground
Keep going “down north” past Dingwall and you’ll find an isolated little community called Meat Cove. There’s a picturesque campground with both trailer, tent and little “rustic cabins” to stay at.
What we liked:
There’s an amazing view of the beach
The sunrise is amazing, very nice watching the boats out on the water while drinking a coffee
Small and quiet - it wasn’t very busy when we were there, we were the only ones on the beach!
What we didn’t like
The view is amazing, however the sites are on the edge of a cliff, with little kids, this is not an idea situation…..
The road from Dingwall to Meat Cove was in rough shape, probably best to have a truck, and maybe check your suspension when you get back.
While this is certainly not a comprehensive list of all the unserviced camping opportunities in Cape Breton, I hope you find it helpful. If there is a destination we should check out, please let us know as we always love discovering new places!