The trail guide for Cape Breton listed Franey Mountain as difficult. But those trail ratings are relative - Franey was not a hard hike. However, due to high humidity, climbing up the mountainside did result in a lot of sweating. Much of Franey hike is through Acadian forest - the abundant trees mean that there isn't much viewpoint, though at about the halfway point there is a spot that allows the hiker to pause and look out. At the top, we found another bright red chair and views back down to the east. There is another place at the summit, off to the side, the gives better views to the south and down into the valley below.
We followed a different trail down from Franey and back to the parking lot. I thought that we might get views of MacDougall's Lake or Canns Lake, but all we saw were glimpses of water seen through the trees.
After lunch we did the hike around Warren Lake. Almost as soon as we started, we came upon a life and death struggle between a toad and a garter snake. The snake had sunk its fangs into the toad's
left rear leg, and managed to get the leg down its throat. But the toad was much too big for the snake to swallow, and it kept fighting and pulling away. Finally the snake gave up and the toad hopped away. The water in Warren Lake, especially at the swampy western end, had a deep orange tinge. Was this due to tannin in the water? I didn't see any explanatory signs. The hike was flat along the
shore, but took longer than expected because Warren Lake stretched further to the west than expected. There were extensive boardwalks on the southern side, apparently to get over boggy sections. The hike up Broadcove Mountain begins at the Warren Lake road. It is just a short 1.5 Km climb to vista point. There was another red chair at the top for admiring the view! We stopped off for a gelato treat on the way back to Sea Breeze Cottages, where we again cooked dinner.
Below is the trailmap at the start of Franey Mountain. It shows 3 viewpoints on the way up, and a more gentle, longer return route that wends between two lakes - MacDougall's Lake and Canns Lake.
Panorama Photos
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Still Photographs
