All 4 in 3 days here: ~20%
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
🇨🇦 Canada
Maritimes, Canada 399 spp. recorded
Cape Breton Highlands National Park sits on the north shore of Nova Scotia, part of the Maritimes. It blends rugged coastal cliffs with inland temperate forest, offering a mix of spruce‑fir stands and open meadows. The park’s signature elk roam the forested valleys and can be spotted grazing on the plateau in the early summer.
46.740° N 60.537° W
🦜 Nature
250 Species sighted
20,911 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jul Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
+ 223 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
Recent sightings in Cape Breton Highlands National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
26Jan
21Feb
23Mar
23Apr
27May
36Jun
40Jul
35Aug
31Sep
27Oct
22Nov
23Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Ingonish Wharf
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Skyline Trail
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Middle Head
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Green Cove
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Medium
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Moderate
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Moderate
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
2.9
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 300
🐒 Mammals 74
🦎 Reptiles 8
🐸 Amphibians 17
399 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
28 Threatened 2 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.0
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
59% 📊
Coverage (141 species at ≥5% of 399 in the inventory)
35% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (8 bird, 2 mammal, 1 reptile, 1 amphibian)
69% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
83 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
6 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
17 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.3
Climate Harsh Low
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Medium Medium
Trails Moderate Medium
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
And, third, after several days hoping, but not seeing, any moose, Ben – the eagle eyed wildlife spotter – saw one on the drive to the boat and we were able to spend a few minutes admiring this young buck.
Bear. (I did warn you it wasn’t close.) We also encountered a couple of bunnies, which, we realized by their coloring, were actually Arctic Hares still transitioning from their winter whites.
We saw black-backed gulls and both great and double-crested cormorants.
Despite many hikes, frequent looks into the forests, and more than enough opportunities for wildlife observation, we still hadn’t seen a single moose, whale, or raccoon.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?
399 species
Cape Breton Highlands National Park has 399 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Common Garter Snake (about 70%), American Herring Gull (about 70%), Dark-eyed Junco (about 60%), American Crow (about 60%) and Moose (about 60%). Among amphibians, the most-seen is American Toad (about 60%).
When is the best time to visit Cape Breton Highlands National Park for wildlife?
April to October
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 60% on a given day, against about 40% in December to March.
Can you see a Moose in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Moose sighting in Cape Breton Highlands National Park on a given day, based on 100 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May, October and December (about 70%).
Can you see an American Black Bear in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an American Black Bear sighting in Cape Breton Highlands National Park on a given day, based on 32 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is October (about 60%).
Can you see a Bald Eagle in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?
Yes
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Bald Eagle sighting in Cape Breton Highlands National Park on a given day, based on 304 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is December (about 50%).
Can you see a Long-finned Pilot Whale in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Long-finned Pilot Whale sighting in Cape Breton Highlands National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is September (about 30%). Sightings take luck and time in the field.
Where in Cape Breton Highlands National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Ingonish Wharf
The richest sighting zone is around Ingonish Wharf, followed by Bog Trail and Skyline Trail, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Cape Breton Highlands National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.0 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Cape Breton Highlands National Park rates 3.0/5: 286th of 316 parks worldwide and 53rd in North America. 21 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
