PEI Island Walk Reflections

Trip Stats

• Total trail mileage: 729.2k / 453.1 miles
• 31 walking days / 4 rest days
• 15 days with walks 20 to 25k
• 10 days of walking > 25k
• Walked alone about 80% of the time
• Other exercise included walking (34.7k / 21.6 miles) and biking (53.5k / 33.2 miles)

Things we would change: adding a rest day at the end of the first week and wearing ASICS or Hokas from the beginning of the trip (nothing beats walking on gel)! See Considerations section below.

Best Experience Ever

The experiences along the way and the trip itself exceeded all of my expectations — the people were amazing, the food was delicious, and the scenery was fantastic. Our mapping app was excellent and our treasured items were the umbrella and Kula cloth.

That said, it was hard. The hardest thing we have ever done. 

Thank You PEI

We have many wonderful memories of all of the kind things that people did for us along the way. As my Dad always said, it doesn't take a lot to do something that means a lot to someone else. 

Our 31st day on the trail!

Island Walk finishers #120 and 121!

Trail angels and magic happened on a daily basis. Thank you to all of the many people on Prince Edward Island who made our trip memorable:

Billy for picking us up from the airport, introducing us to Charlottetown, hosting us at your home and walking us to the start of the trail.

Hannah for bringing us an IW passport and for letting us test the new IW app! 

Brenda at All Star Cresting for being awesome and letting us try things on and for shipping our items to Oregon.

Alan on New Argyle Road for the raspberries and water!

Stephen and Sanana for being very kind PEI Rural Transit drivers and taking good care of us.

Susan at Oxley House for being flexible and sending us off with a great packed breakfast so we could walk before it got too hot!

Sheldon for coming to greet us at Richard's and welcoming us to the Island Walk.

Grant, the guy hanging out with his buddies working on an engine across the road from IW Section #3 marker, who gave us a ride into Borden-Carleton.

Kapiz the owner of Island Pizza who took the time to check on us, invite us in, give us Gatorade and a washroom while he and his crew were busily preparing for their grand opening.

Reverend Compton at the Free Church of Scotland for the water, washrooms, and hospitality.

Sigrid and Perry who lived next door to our Airbnb and invited us over for cocktails and conversation in Summerside.

Callie at SportChek who helped Therese get everything she needed for a great bike trip around the island with her new bike Anne.

Fred and Linda for giving us your address when I met you at the College of Piping! 

CJ who took Therese and Anne from Summerside up to the trailhead in Wellington in his pickup truck.

Jo-Anne who had reached out and told us to let her know if we needed anything and when we did gave us an early morning ride from O'Leary to Ellerslie and brought us delicious tasting muffins for the trail!

Ellerslie Rite Stop for the washroom and the most delicious chicken salad sandwich ever (says the predominantly vegetarian eater). 

Marion, the lady we met at the restaurant at the Potato Museum, who took us to the grocery store and back to our Airbnb in O'Leary.

The sock angel who retrieved my sock from the road near Roseville and returned it to me as I walked along Rte 14 just north of the 151 in Section 9.

Laurie from Tremblay's Market for the hot coffee, kindness and conversation.

Marie for the water refill near Pleasant View when I was just a couple of kilometers from my destination for the day.

Todd and Heather at Thistlebloom B&B for being exceptional hosts and wonderfully thoughtful cooks and conversationalists.

Lobster fishers Barbara and Bobby for the water and washroom as we walked down the road.

Tignish Tina for telling Barbara we were walking by, for picking us up from the trail, taking us to the grocery store, getting us to/from dinner, and for answering all of our questions about things we had seen along our route.

Bobby for a giving me a ride back to the trail as we left Tignish.

Kelly, the Alberton librarian, for checking on me on the trail and setting me up with Jim for a tour.

Jim, a patron of the Alberton library, for the tour of Northport.

Michele at La Petite France for washing our clothes and letting us use the clothesline.

Jo-anne for the ice water and cookies at our first rest stop, for bringing Therese a "belt" at our second rest stop, and taking her for a tour to cool off.

Al, the nice man in the yellow house on Rte 12 just past the 142, who gave me ice water and let me use his garden hose to wet my head down on a very hot day.

Jo-Anne for returning Therese to the trail, walking up the trail to meet us near Portage(!), taking us to Dillon's for pizza, and then to our Airbnb in Tyne Valley. 

Kathy in Tyne Valley for the 6am shuttles, for picking us up at the end of the day, and for being fun to hang out with. And for letting me plop down on her lawn chair when I walked over that first day to say hello!

Jo-Anne for taking us to the Ship Building Museum and the Lennox Island Culture Center and for bringing ingredients and making us mussels for dinner at our Airbnb! And for the souvenir PEI pins.

Sam the tour guide for the ride from the Bideford Parsonage over to the Shellfish Museum.

Deanna's husband who took us from the Shellfish Museum back to Tyne Valley.

Daryl who answered our plea for a ride at the Tyne Valley Post Office back to our Airbnb.

Kathy for picking us up from the Acadian Museum after we walked the trail and for dropping us and all of our stuff off at the Slemon Park Hotel! 

Kim at Slemon Park Hotel for being super awesome, giving us tons of bottled water and laundry detergent, and for taking me back to Miscouche so that I could resume my trek on the trail where I left off the day before.

Kendra for the Kensington welcome treats!

Dara for the brief walk, visit, and ride from the trail to the Home Place Inn.

Beth at Home Place Inn for making us breakfasts to go so that we could get an early start on our day of Anne adventures.

Kendra for the ride from the trail to the Anne of Green Gables museum.

The family from Québec who we will never forget — we loved the ride in your RV on the red roads back to the trail!

Fred and Linda in Stanley Bridge for twine, duct tape, toe things, a bike tuneup, and rides to the museum and the bike trail. And for the key chains and the big hug on the highway!

David, the owner of the Rustico Resort, for the invitation to come in, use the washroom, and enjoy a cup of coffee on him.

Judy, who we met at Roe's, who took my pack the last 6k to Dalvay on a hot afternoon.

Paula and Pat for the late night bike pick up and for taking Therese from St Andrews to St Peters on a stormy day!

The nice lady in Morell who gave me $20 and told me her address should I need a place to stay the night while I was eating my lunch under cover of the Morell Co-op waiting for the storm to end. I've passed the $20 along to Billy to help the homeless in Charlotttetown.

Alan and Flint for the ride from North Lake to Elliot's General Store for some shopping!

Tracy and Dave at the North Lake Beach Motel for being so organized and getting us shuttled around. And for the tuna report so that we could go over to the harbor master office to see the big catch come in!

The public relations guy who gave me a ride from the East Point lighthouse back to the trail.

Janine for the ride from the Basin Head museum back to the trail and for the description of the trail I was about to walk.

Bryson who stopped by to see us in Souris and who randomly checked in on us by text throughout our trip.

Shirley in Souris for the fun, insisting that we stay for the 50/50 drawing, and having breakfast with us. And for the souvenir Canada pins.

To the eight people who picked me up and transported me on my Magdalen Island adventure out to Grande-Entrée and back.

Shirley for being there for our return on the Magdalen Island Ferry to take us back to the Shanty Stay to retrieve Anne.

The realtor at the open house on Rte 310 near Eglington for the water.

Pauline and Roger for being wonderful hosts in Cardigan, shuttling us, the nice visit, and the little glass of something special.

Krista who picked me up at the Sturgeon United Church and dropped me at the the EcoHostel after a long day of walking even though it wasn't on her way to where she was going.

The EcoHostel host who gave me a ride back to the Sturgeon United Church after my earlier failed hitching attempts.

Troy the lobster fisher who picked me up at the ESSO in Murray River and took me to Murray Harbor.

The construction worker on the way to Nova Scotia who picked me up at the bridge in Murray Harbor and gave me a ride back to the ESSO in Murray River.

Judy, who we met earlier in our trip at Roe's, for the ride from the trail to the Red & White for groceries, a quick tour of Lord Selkirk Park, dropping us at Rachel's Cottage, and for bringing Therese back to retrieve her bike at the Fodhla House the next day.

Terry the construction worker who took me from the Red & White back to the trail in Iona.

Charlie at the Fodhla House for bike sitting!

Jo-anne for picking us up from the trail, getting us to dinner, arranging for us to stay with her brother Paul at the family dairy farm, breakfast, and for getting us back to the trail the next morning!

Billy for walking out to Fullerton's Creek Conservation Park to meet us on the trail and escort us back to Charlottetown to complete the Island Walk as we had started it. 

Considerations

I did a lot of reading and research in preparing for the trip. The Island Walk website laid out the walk very well, even breaking down the walk in terms of terrain:

• 51% trail and red clay roads
• 41% grassy or paved shoulder of secondary roads
• 8% busier secondary roads

A couple of things to keep in mind should you do the walk:

1. Use an offline map and check your location regularly. A few times the official IW sign was missing and we were glad we had kept an eye on the map and knew where to turn.

The GPX file of the trail is available on this page of the IW website. If it is not available, contact the IW staff. 

2. The "grassy shoulder walking" didn't happen because condensation on grass = wet shoes. Plus it is easier to walk on the asphalt than the uneven shoulder. I wasn't prepared for the day to day asphalt walking and it was hard on my feet.

3. Terrain was generally flat. My mapping app says the route had a total elevation gain of 2,808m (9,212') over my 35 days spent on the island.

•  The Confederation Trail was relatively flat.
• There was a red road in Section 2 that was pretty steep.
• There were roads that had long gently sloping hills; if you walk hills at home, you will not have any problem.

4. Cell service in some areas was spotty or just didn't work for us. Don't count on it.

5. The parts along the busier highways can be pretty loud when there is a lot of traffic. Earplugs would be good to keep in your pack.

The busiest parts of walk we experienced were in these sections:

• Section 1: Leaving Charlottetown
• Section 3: Rte 1A going into Summerside (there is a longer route that avoids the worst of it, but we opted for the shorter way)
• Sections 10 and 11: Alberton area
• Sections 16 and 17: Cavendish, Rustico and Brackley areas (lots of tourists)
• Section 24: Leaving Souris on Rte 2
• Section 32: Trans Canada Hwy coming into Charlottetown

6. If you go, be sure to say hello to the trail angels for us!

Therese and Lynn from Eugene, Oregon

PEI Gear Overview

The Stuff in my Pack

My pack is the Hyperlite Elevate 22L. This is my third pack from this company (I have a 55L and a 17L); I like the material and that it is ultralight. I use Ultra-Sil dry bags from Sea to Summit mainly for compression.

To keep my passport safe, I added a pouch to my backpack (it doesn't have any secure internal or external storage pockets). The pouch was a win and I liked being able to unclip it and carry it in my pants/shorts pockets. It is super roomy and I had all kinds of little souvenirs tucked inside with my passport.

I don't think the PEI red dirt will ever come off of my pack!
Sandals and $2.99 rain poncho not shown.

Essentials vs Non-essentials

Before leaving Eugene, I met with Heather Kelez who had done the walk two years ago. Her advice for a summer walk: leave your coat and raincoat at home. You won't need them...and it is so muggy that if you have a raincoat on, you will be just as wet as if you aren't wearing one at all. So we left them all behind. There was one day when I was a little chilly, but I layered up and all was fine. The first time it rained, I used a trash bag as rain protection. I picked up a cheap poncho in Souris at the drugstore. It worked great.

As for my clothes, I brought a few items too many and had my friend Billy saved them for me in Charlottetown. I've winnowed down what I took to the lists below, which I think would be perfect for my next trip.

My Essential PEI Summer Items

1. ultralight hiking umbrella (6oz) — I also ordered an umbrella holster from zpacks (they work nicely if you have daisy chains on your pack).
2. Kula cloth — ladies, this is a must carry item!
3. mosquito net and repellant
4. sunscreen

Hiking Clothes/Shoes

1. lightweight hiking shorts
2. Icebreaker 125 Cool-Lite™ t-shirt (men's because the sleeves are more comfortable)
3. wool socks (2 pair minimum)
4. underwear (2 pair) — Deluth Trading Buck Naked dry relatively quickly
5. gaiters to keep gravel out of your shoes
6. arm sleeves for sun/bugs
7. bandana
8. walking shoes
9. lightweight sandals

Other Clothes

1. clean outfit: lightweight shorts, shirt and pair of socks
2. cool weather clothes: Woolx Base Camp hoodie and REI Trailmade pants
3. PJ shirt (which could be worn if needed as an extra layer)

Personal Items

1. Kelty line — travel essential for drying clothes, securing bags to your bike, etc.
2. phone, charger, noise cancelling earbuds (for sleeping)
3. tiny carabiners
4. small velcro straps (like the kind you use for wrapping computer cables)
5. inflatable Klymit sit pad — lightweight and can be used on a plane, on the ground or as a pillow. 
6. hydration bladder (2L)
7. sunglasses/strap and/or case

Toiletries

1. Chapstick
2. toothbrush/paste
3. comb
4. Chamois Butt'r or other anti-chaffing
5. basic first aid (moleskin, needle, bandaids)
6. medications

Finally, my feet seemed to be wet a lot of the time. It was either condensation on the grass (a good reason not to walk on the "grassy shoulder" of the road), rain, or humidity. It was rough. I didn't know about the newspaper trick, but it would have helped. Unfortunately, the newer Darn Tough socks are just not the same as they have more synthetics in them and they were not a good match for me. I picked up some SmartWool socks in Summerside, but the only ones they had were pretty heavy. They worked out ok, but were not optimal for summer.

Stuff I'd Leave Behind

1. hat — my umbrella was way better than a hat; plus hats are just too hot in humid conditions
2. dice — too tired to play games
3. bra — it was too humid and I gave it up on the third day
4. Anything not on the lists above!

If you are tempted to take other stuff, remember that you will probably be carrying 4L of fluids on those really long days where there are no services along the way. When Heather told me that, I didn't really believe her. But guess what? I ended up carrying 2L water, a liter of Gatorade, a jug of chocolate milk and a jug of tomato juice or similar. Heavy stuff, but I needed it on a walk like this, especially given the hot humid days.

Two of my favorite things: my backpacking mug 
(clips on my pack and doesn't leak) and my extra long spoon.

This is how we carry duct tape
Thanks for the tape Fred!

Dirty Girl gaiters — Therese's favorite item of the trip!

Silicon toe "tube tops" from Fred.
Keeps toes from rubbing together.

Roadtrip: Kennetcook to Hallifax

 

Thursday, September 3

Experiences of the Day

We really enjoyed all of the little general stores on PEI. So when we saw that Canada's oldest general store, Frieze & Roy, was only about 20 minutes or so from our lodging, we had to visit! We were not disappointed. The fellow who ran The Mudslide Cafe (located in the store) gave us a little talk about the various artifacts that were on display. Everything from an original ledger to hats and shoes to prophylactics that were "approved by the Catholic Church" were on display.

Our final stop in Nova Scotia was at Burntcoat Head Park, which is where the world's highest tides are...the tide has more variation here than anywhere in the world. Today's low tide when we were there was 5.7 feet. This evening, the high tide was 44.7 feet!! 

We had a great tour from a young gal who tromped around in her rubber boots because it can be quite muddy (there is even a shoe washing station). They provided poles to walk with, so we were able avoid getting too muddy. She talked a bit about the area, including the creatures, lighthouse, people and erosion. She had us walk around an island (it did not look like an island at low tide) which is where the lighthouse used to be. On the back side of the island is what she referred to as a sea cave where water comes crashing in. It was pretty amazing to know that at high tide we would have been well underwater! The photos provide some insight into how high the tide actually goes. It's hard to believe it changes that much!

We said our goodbyes to the Bay of Fundy at Burntcoat and headed for Halifax. It was our last day in Nova Scotia. 

Canada, we have loved you. Thank you for being such a gracious host.

Old store ledger.

Mini museum

Troy, owner, cook and museum docent. Great guy!

Here for the low tide of the morning!

Our tour guide...first job out of high school.

Foot scrubbing area.

Down to the sea floor.

Watch your step!

Low tide on Sept 3, 2026 was at 12:04pm; photo taken 11:21am.

Water would be well over her head at high tide.

"Sea caves"

Mermaid hair

Looking out at the Bay of Fundy.

Burntcoat Tour, 1.1k

Final morning of touring: General Store and Burntcoat, 121.3k

Roadtrip: Lunenburg to Kennetcook

Wednesday, September 2

Experiences of the Day

We read about Concrete Creations and decided to stop by today. From the road, it looks like a normal nursery. I asked the young guy if there was more to see as there were just a few pieces up front. Nonchalantly, he says yes and points the way. 

Wow. Just wow. We walked over a kilometer through the garden paths and saw dozens of sculptures. There is work going on, and we saw three young men go by in a pickup truck headed out towards the back. It looked like they might be putting in more trails back that way. 

Then we heard a backhoe startup and saw it heading out that same way. And pretty soon a man moving very quickly as though he were late to work was coming toward me. I looked at him and recognized him from the website. It was the artist, Ivan Higgins. I thanked him for his work and told him how wonderful I thought it was. 

We have been to so many botanical gardens and never have I seen anything like this, and it was free.

We hopped in the car and continued on to Kejimkujik NP where the Blandings turtles live. They are only found in this park. Park volunteers protect the nests from predators. Additionally, the park celebrates the Mi'kmaq are the indigenous people who have a long history at this lake.

Our last stop was at Grand Pre, where we learned about the deportation of the Acadie people. They had come from France in the 1600s, but generations later identified with the land of the Maritimes. They were farmers and developed a system of dykes and kept the saltwater out of the farmland. They lived peacefully with the Mi'kmaq and would not commit to fight for either the British or the French. On top of that, as French Catholics, they were not seen as supportive of the crown. 

The outcome was that the British rounded up the Acadie: they were deported and their homes burned. At Grand Pre, the men and boys were gathered and held on ships for a couple of months. The women would bring them food. Eventually the women and girls were brought on board and the boats left and took the people to various locations. It was a tragedy. It happened in PEI as well. 

Continuing up the road, we turned into the gravel driveway of our Airbnb and were pleasantly surprised to find an immaculate, temperature controlled cabin awaiting us. Although there was an awesome firepit outside, there were no ticks indoors and after seeing them outside on the chair cushions, we felt like a night inside our adorable cabin was the way to go!

Welome to Concrete Creations!

Therese found the secret door!

Turtle nest.

Keeping predators away so the eggs will not be eaten.

Mi'kmaw Cultural Landscape Monument

Grand-Pré National Historic Site deportation overview.

Chapel where people were rounded up.

Continue through the garden center to see the concrete statues, 1.1k

Walk around the Mi'kmaq sites, 1.1k

Roadtrip: Layover in Lunenburg

Tuesday, September 1

Experiences of the Day

We had read about Lunenburg and decided to stay a couple of nights. Who can pass up a staying in a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Lunenburg is famous because it is the, "finest example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America. The town's layout has remained intact since 1753." 

On top of all that, it has an amazing museum, the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. Nancy gave me a personal tour of the museum. She has worked there for 30 years and her husband is a boat captain (she is the land captain!). Seriously you could take the tour and then come back for about an hour or two each day for a week and you might internalize everything they have to offer. It really was quite amazing.

We also toured the old school (now the library and a post grad music school), a beautiful German built wooden church (note the upside down boat hull look), and the Knaut-Rhuland House Museum where we saw very worn steps and a Bible printed in 1795 which was very large as it contained The Apocrypha. Apparently there were other books between the old and new testaments but some publishers found them to be suspect so they were left out. 

Took a drive out to Blue Rocks, the more intimate version of Peggys Cove. Not many people around and just as great of views.

The old school house.

St. John's Anglican Church

Doors and naves are in the shape of boat bottoms.

Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Printed in 1795

The Apocrypha

Steep and worn stairs in the Knaut-Rhuland House Museum.

Nancy, the best tour guide ever at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic!

Blue Rocks

44°21'13.1"N 64°14'07.7"W

Lunenburg walk, 6k

Blue Rocks drive, 24.2k

Lodging: Lunenburg Airbnb

Roadtrip: Halifax to Lunenburg

Monday, August 31

Experiences of the Day

Eager to explore Halifax, we arrived at the the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic just after it opened. There was a lot there, including "transparent storage" which is when the artifact storage is set up for visitor viewing (low lighting and glassed off storage areas. The museum was great and we learned about the Titanic: the boat, the rescue, how bags made of sail material were used to store the personal effects of the deceased, the aftermath, the people who lived and worked in Halifax, the under qualified Titanic captain, and how wood from the boat was carved into various items. We also got a brief lesson in Morse Code and learned about underwater archeology.

Next up was a stop at the Art Museum of NS where we especially enjoyed two wonderful exhibits: Maud Lewis and Harold Cromwell. And, we loved the short animation film, Little Thunder, which starred a Mi'kmaq petroglyph human.

Maud was a painter and her small home was dismantled and reassembled in the museum. She painted many of the surfaces, inside and out! 

Harold inked his artwork and the display we saw consisted of his drawings of daily life as he had remembered them from the course of his lifetime. They were all drawn from memory. 

After a wonderful morning of museums, we headed on our drive along the coast and made the obligatory stop at Peggys Cove. 

Nova Scotia looks so much different than PEI. The granite reminds me of driving through Ontario some years back. 

Deckchairs for First and Second class passengers.

Underwater archaeology!

Our Morse code instructors!

The Maud Lewis home.

Inkwork by Harold Cromwell.

Mi'kmaq petroglyph human.

Peggys Cove

Peggy's Point

Virtual Geocache photo!

Enjoying the view at Peggy's Cove.

Out for an evening walk — 7:53pm.

Lunenburg Waterfront

No railings and the kid's picnic table is closest to the edge.

Halifax to Lunenburg, 91.9 miles

Walk at Peggys Cove, 1.6k

Lodging: Lunenburg Airbnb