Believe it or not, as much as I’ve discussed in the past 7-8 posts, I still haven’t covered everything there is to do on Prince Edward Island! I’ve covered most of the attractions, at least, but there are a few more island-wide things I want to mention to wrap up.
CONFEDERATION TRAIL
When the Prince Edward Island Railway ceased operating at the end of 1989, the island replaced the train tracks with the Confederation Trail for recreational use. This resulted in almost completely flat trails all across the island, connecting all the major towns. Hiking, cycling, running, and wheelchairs are all allowed in the summer. In winter, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and riding snowmobiles is the thing.
You can bike it in about a week end-to-end, and here’s a handy brochure to help you do it. In it, you’ll find suggestions for lodging along the trail, including hotels, B&B’s, and campsites. And there are several places along the trail to rent bikes for your journey of a week or just a few hours.
Branch trails across the island bring the total trail system to 270 miles, stretching down through Charlottetown to Murray River, down to Souris, and all the way down to the Confederation Bridge, connecting the Confederation Trail with the larger Trans Canada Trail, the longest recreational trail in the world.
You don’t have to tackle the whole Confederation Trail, but all ages and fitness levels can enjoy a ramble along at least part of these easy trails.
DRIVING THE ISLAND
Prince Edward Island is known for its distinctive red roads, and all the small towns and crooked coastal roads are a treat. First I’ll discuss three big coastal itineraries, then some small historic inner roads worth checking out.
COASTAL ROADS
There are three circular coastal roads to explore, on which most attractions you might want to see are probably situated anyway.
My suggested touring plans in the past several posts would take at least 9 or 10 days to see everything I’ve mentioned–two weeks would be best! A quicker version might be to just drive along the coastal roads and see what you happen across.
So if you just want to get out and drive, you can cover the coastline in three day-long drives–the North Cape Coastal Drive, the Central Coastal loop combining Green Gables Shore and Red Sands Shore, and the sprawling Points East Coastal Drive. This will cover almost all of the attractions you might want to see anyway because you’ll need to stretch your legs! And let’s face it, most attractions are on the small side with short time commitments.
SCENIC HERITAGE ROADS
Prince Edward Island purposefully protects and maintains 11 Scenic Heritage Roads, small, narrow avenues of red dirt under green canopies, specifically preserved for the enjoyment of drivers. Additionally, there are six other older roads, while not on the protected list, also provide a trip back in time.
I find this concept amazing! It is wonderful that the island keeps up the beauty of old roads just for the joy of driving. I can’t wait to go check out every single one of them.
ADDITIONAL ITINERARIES
No lie, I got most of my information for the past several posts (the start of my searches anyway) from the excellent TourismPEI.com website. I especially like their section on itineraries. Here you’ll find suggested itineraries for Anne of Green Gables, foodie adventures, arts & culture, beaches, and the Celtic Music Itinerary looks fantastic! I feel like there is no end to the attraction of Prince Edward Island.
That railroad trail looks really cool, though it must take a good long time to hike!
It’s 170 miles from end-to-end, without the branch trails. If you averaged 15 miles a day, which is a pretty good clip, it might take 11-12 days? That would be a lot of walking! And not much climbing or fun hiking stuff either, except for the attractions along the way. It’s no wonder lots of people choose to use bikes.