Prince Edward Island National Park
The hard road to easy island
By James W. Coates
National ParksFor the second time in the same season, my girlfriend and I pitched our tent on Cavendish Beach in Prince Edward Island Park. But this time, in a more wooded area inland, we quickly realized the island has much more to offer than just pristine beaches. Numerous scenic trails coil through the park, and we spent our time hiking the Acadian forests on rocky trails and floating boardwalks.
Cavendish Beach is one of seven campgrounds in a park that stretches 25 miles (45 km) along P.E.I.'s northern coast. Other points of interest include North Rustico, Brackley, Ross Lane , Stanhope and Greenwich. The area is home to ducks, plovers, terns and herons, and much of the more rugged terrain is closed off to protect natural habitants. As one tourist put it, “Prince Edward Island is a little bit wild, not commercial and in its natural state.”
And the island is truly blessed with not only breathtaking natural scenery, but some of the most down-to-earth, kind people. We met some eccentrics like the windshield glass delivery guy, who gave us a lift in his old blue wood-paneled station wagon after we'd made a wrong turn and ended up miles away from our campsite.
Traveling Gentle Trails
During our stay, we spent time walking the many beaches, sand dunes, pits and barrier islands the park has to offer. The boardwalks present an original perspective of the many marshes and bogs, and they're great for wheelchairs, strollers and anyone who may be nervous on uneven terrain.
Fishing is a popular activity in the park, but because we were backpacking and had to carry everything, we left our fishing rods home. Picnic tables and areas scattered along the beach and throughout the park, offered us ample opportunity to eat in nature with a change of scenery at every mealtime. During the winter, skating and cross country skiing are favorites.
“The scenery is spectacular,” says Catherine McEwen an avid camper from Ontario. “After walking over the marshes and clambering up the 40-foot-high dunes, you're rewarded with a 360-degree panorama of the ocean, and beaches as far as the eye can see.”
My girlfriend and I ran out of supplies and trekked to a neighboring town. Minutes outside the campground, we spotted the well-preserved, two-storey house that had inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic tale, Anne of Green Gables . The original Green Gables house, previously owned by cousins of Montgomery 's grandfather, still sets the imagination running, nearly a hundred years after the book was published. Inside the house you'll find interpretive exhibits, educational programming and a film presentation on the life of the author.
Prince Edward Island has been popular for years with families, couples, multi-generational groups and international Green Gables fans. In the summer, the campgrounds flood with weekenders and their children. The park is a fantastic place to relax, read a book or reconnect with nature. It's a tourist hotspot during high season, so if you're searching for wilderness and isolation, consider a different park.
Talk to James about Prince Edward Island National Park.
