photography courtesy of Kris Tynski
Venture into the wilderness to catch a quiet moment with Cape Breton's back country wildlife.
Cape Breton Island is blessed to have some fabulous intact wilderness and protected areas which offer safe haven and crucial habitat for protecting the diversity of animals, plants and ecological communities found on the island. Safely and respectfully venturing into these beautiful areas is bound to bring you to something you haven't encountered before.
We hope to improve, not deteriorate the quality of the wilderness areas around us - please always practice the Leave No Trace Principles when exploring natural protected areas. We are excited to be partnering with Cape Breton Island wildlife and landscape photographer Kris Tynski to offer wildlife photography weekend experiences at Iron Mountain Wilderness Cabins.
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Iron Mountain Wilderness Cabins is ideally located for back country wildlife exploration. You can access the Trout Brook and Humes River Wilderness Areas from the forestry road located at the end of Whycocomagh Mountain Road.
Trout Brook Wilderness Area was established in 1998, and expanded by almost 200 hectares in 2015. The wilderness area now extends to Highway 395 at Trout Brook, and to the adjacent Humes River Wilderness Area at a major forest access road near Lewis Mountain. These are the best locations to access the area for wilderness adventure, camping, hunting, wildlife viewing and other recreation. Currently, no managed trails exist here.
Together, Trout Brook Wilderness Area, Humes River Wilderness Area and Trout Brook Provincial Park form a protected natural corridor that extends from Bras d’Or Lake to Lake Ainslie across the Keppoch Plateau. This supports wide ranging wildlife species in the region, such as endangered Canada lynx and American marten, and provides unique opportunities for wilderness recreation and nature tourism.
- Nova Scotia Department of Environment
Wilderness offers the opportunity for once in a lifetime encounters
Living with wildlife - sharing a special place
Expect to encounter wildlife on our facility. We wanted to be living and working in and with nature when we started out on the road to building Iron Mountain Wilderness Cabins. The local flora and fauna are a precious part of the experience of being here and we ask that you help us keep them happy on the property by respecting their habitat. Please do not feed the wildlife, their systems are built for the wild foods of the mountain, not people food. By keeping your food stowed in your cabins and disposing of all your waste in our main lodge we can reduce the chance of having negative wildlife encounters with animals like bear, fox, and coyote.
Tips for enjoying those precious moments with wild creatures (from the Leave No Trace Principles):
- Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
- Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, and exposes them to predators and other dangers.
- Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
- Control pets at all times.
- Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.