Search for missing Australian hiker Denise Williams suspended in Canada

The search for an Australian woman who went missing while hiking on a Canadian island has been suspended.

Denise Ann Williams was last heard from on April 15, when she indicated she was travelling to Chéticamp on Cape Breton Island.

What's next?

No further searches are planned but police are continuing to appeal to the public for information.

The search for an Australian hiker missing on a Canadian island has been suspended.

Denise Ann Williams, 62, was last heard from on April 15, when she told family she was travelling to Chéticamp, a fishing village on Cape Breton Island in the province of Nova Scotia.

The Victorian was reported missing on the morning of April 28, triggering an air and ground search.

Her rental vehicle, a Nissan Sentra, was later found at a visitor centre near the start of the Acadian Trail.

The trail is an 8.4-kilometre loop in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police said on Monday, local time, that efforts to find Ms Williams had been suspended the day before following "an extensive six-day air and ground search of the area".

"No further search activity is planned at this time," police said in a statement.

Parks Canada ranks the Acadian Trail's difficulty as "moderate", noting it has steep inclines and rugged sections.

On its website, the agency advises hikers to "be on the look-out for black bear and moose".

Novia Scotia police corporal Mandy Edwards said wildlife could be a danger in the area at this time of year.

"Bears are coming out of hibernation. It's also mating season," Corporal Edwards told the ABC last week.

Ms Williams had been travelling through the Atlantic provinces in Canada's east, she said.

During the search the Royal Canadian Mounted Police released images of Ms Williams and appealed for public help via local media.

"Hopefully she's encountered some people along the way who may recognise her from the photo that was released," Corporal Edwards said.

"So our searchers will be looking at those clues and those tips from the public to help to direct their search."

In Monday's statement, police described Ms Williams as 5-foot, 4 inches (1.6 metres) tall with greyish blonde, shoulder-length hair.

"She's believed to have been wearing a dark winter jacket, a powder blue toque with 'Antarctica' written on it, an orange and blue scarf and glasses," it said.