While Islanders will be watching fishermen set their lobster traps this May, there will be new activity to see along PEI’s coastline this year. From Charlottetown to Miminegash, Seacow Pond to Gaspereaux, Islanders will be seeing hikers (and cyclists) on red dirt roads, secondary roads and the Confederation Trail. These long-distance trail enthusiasts will be completing some, or perhaps all of the 700 km Island Walk.
This will be the first full year for the Island Walk which was created in 2019 and now is open for people who do not live on PEI. Only 25 people have completed the whole trail to date, but thanks to a flurry of articles in the Globe and Mail, National Geographic, Travel + Leisure magazine and others, many more are planning to visit the Island starting in May, 2022.
Island Bed and Breakfasts and other accommodations are getting ready for this new and growing interest group who have been cooped up and are ready for a new long-distance adventure right here on Prince Edward Island.
Island Trails is getting ready too. This volunteer-led not-for-profit organization planed the route and Island Trails members completed the Island Walk in October, 2019. With the help of funding partners, the organization created a map of the route, a logo, and a website in 2020, followed by highway signs along the route in 2021.
Island Trails is now focusing on answering inquires and helping people make plans to do the Walk in the spring, or fall of 2022. Walkers are being encouraged to use the shoulder seasons rather than the summer months – that’s because the summer can be a busy time for accommodations. It can also be too warm for comfortable walking.
This year Island Trails has added accommodation partners who will drive walkers to and from the trail. Two coordination partners (Outer Limits Sports and Experience PEI) have also been added who will book your trip if you don’t want to worry about the details yourself.
So what are you waiting for? Walkers are encouraged to book early before accommodations get fully booked. It takes 32 days to do the whole walk, and people who’ve done it say it’s amazing!