Cabot Trail Ride: Two Indian Pursuits, Truro to Baddeck

I'm loading up my 2024 Indian Pursuit Dark Horse in Dieppe this morning, and my buddy David is rolling his 2023 out of Halifax, for a weekend run to the Cabot Trail. Here's the plan, the route, and what the forecast looks like for riding Cape Breton this weekend.

Photo: Jeffrey Eisen / Pexels

The riders and the bikes

I'm riding my 2024 Indian Pursuit Dark Horse Icon, and David's on his 2023 Pursuit Dark Horse. We've done a lot of day rides and multi-day trips together over the years, so when I floated this one, I was about as sure as you can be that he'd be in. I'm heading out of Dieppe and David's riding up from Halifax, and we're meeting up in Truro this morning before continuing on to Cape Breton together.

The route: Truro, Cape George, and on to Baddeck

I'm leaving Dieppe at 8:30 this morning, Atlantic time. First stop is Truro, Nova Scotia, about 170 km (106 mi) up the Trans-Canada Highway, roughly an hour and 40 minutes of riding. David is coming up from Halifax on Highway 102, about 100 km (62 mi), a bit over an hour for him. We're meeting there at 10:30 AM to link up for the rest of the trip.

From Truro, instead of running straight up the 104, we're detouring up the Northumberland shore to Cape George. You swing north at Antigonish onto Highway 337, which runs about 36 km (22 mi) out to Cape George Point and its lighthouse, then loops back down the coast to rejoin the Trans-Canada near Auld's Cove. It adds roughly an hour of coastal riding to the day, and on a clear October morning it's worth every minute of it.

From Auld's Cove it's the rest of the 104 east across the Canso Causeway onto Cape Breton Island, and on into Baddeck. Door to door with the detour, today's leg comes in somewhere north of the direct 420 km (261 mi), so we're planning a relaxed pace and letting the stops happen as they happen.

We're staying at the same place both nights in Baddeck, which makes the Cabot Trail day a proper loop: ride out, do the trail, come back to the same bed. No packing up and moving lodging mid-trip.

The plan: no fixed stops

No guaranteed stops planned. We're playing it by ear, taking breaks when we need them, when the weather allows, or when the scenery just forces us to pull over, which on the Cabot Trail is often. If you've got a riding partner to split the ride with, it also splits the hotel cost two ways, which never hurts on a trip like this.

Weekend weather on the trail

According to Environment Canada's forecast issued this morning, today (Saturday) is clearing with patchy morning fog, a high of 16°C (61°F) in Baddeck and 18°C (64°F) back in Truro, with light winds. Tonight drops to around 5°C (41°F) in Baddeck with a frost risk, so it'll be a cool start tomorrow.

Sunday, the day we're actually doing the Cabot Trail loop, is shaping up well: sunny early, becoming a mix of sun and cloud in the afternoon, with highs around 16 to 17°C (61 to 63°F) across the Cape Breton Highlands and light wind. That's about as good as you can ask for in early October on that coast.

Monday, when we ride home, Environment Canada is calling for showers and a high near 16°C (61°F), so the dry weather window is really just today and tomorrow. Good incentive to get the Cabot Trail day in before the rain shows up.

Why counterclockwise

We're planning to run the loop counterclockwise out of Baddeck, up through the Cape Breton Highlands toward Cheticamp first. It's the direction most riders recommend: you stay in the outside lane along the coastal cliffs, which means better ocean views and easier access to the lookoffs without crossing traffic. Starting from Baddeck and heading that way is the classic approach, and after riding this trail more than once, it's still my favorite way to do it.

I'll have more once we're back, including how the Dark Horses handled the climbs and whether that forecast held up.

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