In Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the turquoise ocean kneels before rounded, forested mountains. From my helicopter seat 500 feet in the air, I watch as we soar over strands of pink sand beach and valleys where the first cold breath of fall is turning the treetops golden. My guide from Kattuk Expeditions and I land on a wind-pummelled plateau and disembark, tracing the cliffside on foot, part of a new heli-hiking tour that launched in September. Jubilant yellow goldenrod, sweet wild blueberries, and other edible plants carpet the bluff. Soon, the highlands will be ablaze in autumn colors.

This wild coastal tableau shaped by churning Atlantic waves and winds is inspiring a new generation of chefs and wine growers in the heart of the province. “The environment isn’t

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