We enjoyed our drive of Cabot Trail. We knew a bit about what to expect with the sweeping vistas, winding roads, quaint villages, and miles of coastal highway where one view was more breathtaking than the next. It is almost too much to take in during a couple day drive. We did not pay a fee to enter the Trail or the Park. Some cars pulled over to pay a fee, and I am not sure what the determining factors are for that although I am sure it is spelled out in the guide books.
There are places to pull over (lookouts and overlooks) right off the Trail...so many in fact that at times we were stopping to take photos every few minutes. You will see these clearly marked.
If we were doing it again, we would take a sipping attitude by exploring it over 5 days in order to take more of it in.
What we didn't know that would have been helpful:
Many stores, restaurants, etc. are "Open By Chance" so you cannot count on seeing what you want.
This is not a typical tourist-type area as it does not have any chain restaurants, hotels, or stores.
These folks live by the day light pretty much as most things shut down before dark.
After the sun goes down, you will not find people out and about.
After sunset, the night becomes so much darker because of the minimal amount of street lights.
Do not count on street signs for every road.
Directions given by locals may not be accurate or very detailed.
Pick up a brochure at one of the tourist centers detailing the Artisans' shops for fun stops.

Before going to Nova Scotia, I had read up on the Cabot Trail and how it was a must see drive. I had been to the Rocky Mountains before but Cabot Trail offers something else. Sure the hills are much smaller and less impressive but it is still an incredible drive that leaves so much to be seen. There are beautiful cliffs that are often crawling with animals, moose right by the road, and the lookout on the water at the right time of days allows for the viewing of whales while driving through the curves of the land. It is an incredible experience to see such raw, natural beauty. We spent several days hiking in the National Park, but traveled the whole trail and there is incredible beauty and excitement at every turn. If you are the type of person who truly loves nature and finds great beauty in natural formations this is an incredible, awe inspiring drive that should be done while driving a bit slowly to soak it all in.

There are a few things that need to be understood about the reviews

1- most people only visit the Cape Breton Highlands National Park and then leave the review for the entire trail. the truth is most of the beauty is contained within the National Park area which is not really comparable to the rest of the trail.

2- secondly most reviews that rank cabot trail extremely highly are from americans who visit cape breton from the flat lands, the americans presence there is so strong that when you ask for directions most locals will tell you in miles not kilometers.

3- the beauty of the trail is a matter of perspective, if you have visited the Rockies or the Himalayas, cabot trail will seem pale in comparison.

if I were to go there again i would try to enter the trail early in the day from either side while not wasting too much time before the park, at best i would drive slow and may be a pit stop here and there for few photos but try to reach the national park before noon, then spend about 3 days doing some of the trails and leave on the final day before noon to give rest of the trail few hours before heading to halifax etc.

We had read how beautiful this drive was. You have to experience it to really understand how beautiful it is. The foliage was in its prime and breathtaking. Something we will cherish for a lifetime.