On Top of Cape Smokey

Years ago, visitors to Ingonish in the warmer months could ride the chairlift to the top of Cape Smokey to get a view of the land and sea from above.  I never got the chance to do it before the service stopped.  

Now, that service is being offered again but it's much better than the old experience.  Now visitors can ride a gondola up the mountain and enjoy a range of other services that are included in a day pass.

I finally had the chance to make my way up to the top of Cape Smokey this August.  It was a spur-of-the-moment decision and, in hindsight, probably not the best decision considering what was going on at the time.  The day I decided to go was in the midst of a province-wide forest lock-out.  In other words, no one was allowed to enter the forest or have a fire anywhere or for any reason due to the dry conditions Nova Scotia endured this past summer.   

My friend and I arrived before the Gondola even opened and walked around the main lodge.  When the ticket booth opened, we got our lift tickets and free cookies and hopped on the gondola to take the scenic 8-minute trip to the top.  The view was amazing but I was not all that impressed with the experience at the top that day.  The only thing we could do was grab a beer, sit and enjoy the view and go back down.  For over 50 bucks, this didn't seem all that worth it but.  Considering that during other times when the forest is accessible, there are e-bike and kayak rentals and hiking trails available, I would definitely consider giving it another try.  

After our mountain adventure, we headed to Black Brook to do some swimming but the water was so rough, we ended up leaving and spending the rest of the afternoon swimming the clear, calm water at The Point.  After supper at the Seagull Restaurant, we made the drive back over the mountain...another thing ticked off my Cape Breton bucket list!