Skyline Trail (Cape Breton Highlands National Park)

Skyline Trail

Boardwalk section of the Skyline Trail, with French Mountain on the left, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the right.
Elevation 455 m (1,493 ft)
Location Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia,  Canada
Range Appalachian Mountains
Coordinates 46°44′31″N 60°52′52″W / 46.741985°N 60.881000°WCoordinates: 46°44′31″N 60°52′52″W / 46.741985°N 60.881000°W

The Skyline Trail is a seven-kilometre, looping, hiking trail in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, in Nova Scotia, Canada. It lies on the western side of the Cabot Trail, near French Mountain's summit. The trail is well known for its scenic views, but also for the 2009 fatal coyote attack on Taylor Mitchell.

Trail outline

The trail consists of a loop that at about half way leads to a boardwalk. The first half of the loop is very well maintained and virtually wheelchair accessible. The second half of the loop is an easy hiking trail over stony ground and meadows. The boardwalk at the middle of the trail yields majestic views of the Cabot Trail and the ocean. There are multiple interpretive panels along the trail. Hikers have often spotted moose along the trail and whales have been spotted offshore.

Taylor Mitchell coyote attack

On 27 October 2009, Canadian folk singer Taylor Mitchell was attacked and fatally injured by two eastern coyotes — although apparently not the so-called "coywolf" — while hiking the trail alone around three o'clock in the afternoon.[1][2] She was flown by air ambulance to Halifax's Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, where she died the next day.[3] It was believed to be the first fatal attack by coyotes since they were first seen on Cape Breton in the 1970s.[3] An earlier coyote attack took place on the trail in 2003, when a teenaged girl hiking with her family was bitten on the arm.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Aulakh, Raveena (29 October 2009). "FATAL COYOTE ATTACK: Tragic end for budding music star". The Toronto Star (Toronto). p. A3. Archived from the original on 2013-01-10.
  2. ↑ King, Nancy (29 October 2009). "So-called coywolf larger". Cape Breton Post (Sydney, Nova Scotia). p. A1.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 CBC Staff (29 October 2009). "Coyotes kill Toronto singer in Cape Breton: Park official says 1 coyote dead, staff looking for 2nd animal". CBC News (Halifax, Nova Scotia). Archived from the original on 2013-01-10. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
  4. ↑ Auld, Alison (29 October 2009). "Coyotes kill teen folk singer in Cape Breton park". Cape Breton Post (Sydney, Nova Scotia). Canadian Press. p. A1.