Prince Edward Island – The Gentle Island

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“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” – Anne of Green Gables

Everyone knows Prince Edward Island for Anne of Green Gables and PEI muscles, but less people know it for its nearly empty white sand beaches and beautiful scenery. I lived in PEI for 7 years while I completed my masters and veterinary degrees and was spoiled by the white sandy beaches, the rolling dunes, and the quiet forests. This island, for having no large wild animals (bears, deer, moose) with the largest being the coyote, has so much nature to explore and is a nesting ground for the endangered piping plover.

The smallest province in Canada, home to just over 146,000 people, has vast farmlands of PEI potatoes and red soil that will cover your car immediately upon arrive across the 11 km Confederation Bridge. Though summers are short, and winter is brutal as the winds tear across the flat landscape, the island has lots of opportunities to get outside. But let me take you on a guided tour of what I consider the highlights of the Gentle Island, no potatoes necessary.

Golf

Though I am by no means a golfer it’s hard to not take notice of the plentiful courses on the island. PEI have some of the best courses in the country and people come from all over to play the links. Rent a golf cart and drive along vistas by the ocean, hearing the waves crash as you tee up at a par 4.

Beaches

PEI is really just one big beach. You don’t have to drive far to reach one of these gems. If you are a resident you can purchase a park pass for the season with free access to some of the best beaches housed in various provincial parks. Or you can check out some of the free beaches on the island, where you can find students throwing a frisbee and drinking beer. On any beach you visit, however, you only have to walk for 5-10 minutes before you find yourself completely alone among the sand dunes.

Greenwich

Part of PEI’s National Park, Greenwich is one of the island’s best kept secrets and least visited beaches. From the parking lot you meander through forest to come onto a wooden boardwalk through sand dunes and wetlands to open up onto a wide expanse of beach. If you are looking for a quiet, meditative spot to listen to the waves, relaxing for the day this is it.

Brackley

The counterpoint to Greenwich is Brackley. Where Greenwich is the least visited beach, Brackley is the most visited. With buses packed with tourists showing up the on the regular, this is the most populated beach on the island. But just like anywhere on the island, all you need to do is walk 5 minutes and you once again find yourself alone.

One of the other most frequented guests at Brackley are the red foxes, so hold onto your belongings because they are some serious thieves. They will steel your shoes while you sit next to them.

If you drive or bike to the end of the road you will pass by a great kite surfing spot, frequented by locals and students alike. At the end of that road, you can park and walk onto a beautiful, peaceful curve of beach. A site that is cordoned off for a portion of the summer for pipping plover nesting habitat.

Cavendish

Probably the second most visited beach, this hot spot is found right in the middle of Anne of Green Gables territory. Surrounded by tourist attractions, this beach is a common stop over. It’s beautiful but yet another tourist stop.

It might be a tourist stop, but like every beach on the island, no matter the number of tourists it’s still not that busy. It will never equal the crowd of umbrellas and lounge chairs you will see at hotspots in places like Florida, California and the Caribbean.

Cavendish is a fun place to play a round of mini golf, visit the beach, shop along the boardwalk and ride the rides at Sandspit.

Basin Head

This spot is one of the coolest beaches. With sand that has a high level of silica you squeak while you walk! This is a popular spot for a younger crowd with a wharf to jump off and food stands. But if you want to avoid the crowds just before you reach Basin Head is a smaller, lesser known beach with a beautiful cliff view. It is another site for the nesting of the piping plovers and a place to enjoy the sand dunes and grasses blowing in the breeze without being surrounded by people. My favorite way to spend a beach day.

Hikes

For a small island, there are tons of opportunities to go for a hike. There are no significant elevation changes on any part of the island so if you are expecting a strenuous hike with incredible mountain views, this is not your place.

Confederation Trail

Probably the best-known trail this easy walk spans the majority of the island. The trail was created after the railroad was abandoned in 1989. The idea was to create a “tip-to-tip” trail for walking and cycling in the summer and snowmobiling in the winter, and maybe some cross-country skiing too. The trail is a total of 435 km, with the main trail starting in Tignish and ending in Elmira at kilometer 273. There are branches off the main trail that snake through various towns and the main city of Charlottetown.

The trail is also known as a geocaching hotspot with over 1600 geocache sites along the entirety of the route. There are lots of opportunities to spot and grab a snack along the way, camp, or see a few sites and as always one of the best ways to see a place is at a walking pace.

Farmlands Trail

Portions of this historic trail used to be the oldest road in PEI. A great trail in all seasons this 2.7 km loop shares its Trial head with the Bubbling Springs Trail. As the name suggests part of this trail follows some of that famous red dirt farmland before diving into the forest.
Through this trail you will pass by the Stanhope Cemetery and an archaeological site. It’s an easy hike to do combined with the Bubbling Springs trail before heading to Brackley beach for a nice dip in the ocean. But watch out that ocean can be, shall we say “refreshing” and for parts of the summer jam packed with jelly fish!

Bubbling Springs

The first time I did this trail I was a little underwhelmed by what they consider the “Bubbling Springs” part. This trail is a 2.2 Km loop that is a great spot to go birding and to see this unique bubbling feature. The bubbling spring honestly looks like a large puddle with bubbles coming up out of the ground. The best part in my opinion is the Long Pond, where the birding is the best. There is a little building with benches where you can look out the open sides onto the pond. I could spend all day there, watching the birds and listening to the woods come alive.

Greenwich Dunes Trail

This is the trail to follow that leads you to Greenwich beach. A 4.8 km round trip walk through forest, farmland and a floating boardwalk across Bowley Pond the dunes rising all around you. This is my favorite place on the island. It’s magic.

Cavendish Dunelands Trail

This 2.3 km one-way trail links to the homestead trail with views of the majestic sand dunes and surprising freshwater ponds. This is another one of my favorite trails with the views and the peaceful openness.

Homestead Trail

An 8.4 km loop is one of the few trails considered moderate. This is also the only trail that is open to bikers, with flat, hard packed dirt with some slightly grassy spots in the park. It has fantastic ocean views and has interpretive signs throughout.

Skiing

There aren’t any major hills, the closest being Brookvale, which is great place to learn to ski or snowboard but if you are used to the Alps and Whistlers of the world forget it. There are, however, some fantastic cross-country ski trails across the island. In Souris, there is a great lodge to warm up and drink some warm hot chocolate after skiing groomed trails through the woods.

Brookvale also has groomed trails from a winter games that was held there previously. There are easy trails, with less hills and then some more advanced trails with some fun and fast trails.

From one end of the island to the other, there are tons of cross-country ski options. Let’s not forget the Confederation Trail, flat, long and across the island!

For a small and gentle island, with an under-abundance of wildlife and an overabundance of potato crops, it has a lot of opportunities to get outside. So forget Anne of Green Gables for a minute and check out the real star of the island, nature.

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