Prince Edward Island National Park

Located along PEI's sandy north-central coast, Prince Edward Island National Park is big and it's small all at once. In total, the park encompasses just 40 skinny kilometers (25 miles) of red-sand beaches and wind-sculpted dunes topped by marram grass; salt marshes; and gentle inlets. Even what length it possesses is broached in several places by broad estuarine inlets that connect to harbors; as a result, you can't drive the entire park's length in one stretch, but rather must break away from the coastal road (and views) and backtrack inland.

You don't mind, though, because this is the reason many people come to the island. These bright reddish sand, empty beaches, and lovely dunes define the park for a hefty percentage of PEI visitors. My advice? There's really little point in trying to tour the whole length of the park, since these beaches are all mostly similar-looking to each other. It's better to simply pick out one stretch of beach (say, near your hotel), stake a claim, and settle in and enjoy the gentle surroundings for a few days.

There's more to this national park than just beaches and dunes, by the way. Within its boundaries you can also find considerable woods and meadows, full of wildlife -- you might spot the tracks of red foxes (who den in the dunes), muskrats, or mink. In the marshes and tidal flats, great blue heron stalk their aquatic prey near sunset. And, where beach and dune meet up, watch for the piping plover, a tiny, endangered beach bird that scratches its shallow, hard-to-spot nest right out of the beach sand.

The national park also administers the Green Gables house and grounds, but they're a bit of a drive from the beaches and a world apart from them, aesthetically speaking.

Planning a Trip

Getting There -- From downtown Charlottetown, Route 15 (which passes the airport, then continues north) is the most direct route to central sections of the national park. To reach the lovely eastern sections and Dalvay by the Sea, you can also drive east on Route 2, then turn north on Route 6 at Bedford. Alternately, to reach the Cavendish (western) area and the attractive Rusticos most quickly, take Route 2 west to Hunter River, then turn north on Route 13. The entire drive from city to beach is probably 30 or 40km (20 or 25 miles) at most, yet it can still take up to 45 minutes or more, depending on traffic conditions.

Once arrived at the park, if you want to drive its length and survey it more closely, you'll be forced to use Route 6 to inch your way along it. Keep your cool; the route wiggles, waggles, and sometimes swells with summer traffic.

Visitor Information -- The Cavendish Visitor Information Centre (tel. 800/463-4734 or 902/963-7830), north of the intersection of routes 6 and 13, furnishes information on the park's destinations and activities. It opens daily from mid-May through early September.

Inside the park, the modern Greenwich Interpretation Centre (tel. 902/961-2514) is open from 10am to 5pm, June through September. For other questions or during the off-season, the park administration (located in Charlottetown) can be reached at tel. 902/672-6350.

Fees -- The park is open year-round. Between June and early September, however, visitors must stop at one of the two tollhouses and pay entry fees. From July through September, the fees are C$7.80 adults, C$6.80 seniors, C$3.90 children ages 6 to 16, and C$20 per family; all these rates are discounted by 50% in June. Ask about multiday passes if you plan to visit for more than 3 days.

Beaches

PEI National Park is home to two kinds of sandy beaches: popular, sometimes crowded strands with changing rooms, lifeguards, snack bars, and other amenities; and all the rest. Where you go depends on your temperament. If it's not a day at the beach without the aroma of other people's coconut tanning oil, head for Brackley Beach or Cavendish Beach. (The latter is within walking distance of the Green Gables house and many amusements, thus making it good for families with kids.)

If you'd just as soon be left alone with the waves, sun, and sand, though, you need to head a bit farther afield -- or just keep walking very far down the beaches from parking lots until you have left the crowds behind. I won't reveal the very best spots, for fear they'll get crowded. But suffice it to say they're out there. Get thee a map of the national park, and study it closely. A hint: "Fewer facilities" almost always translates to "far fewer people."

Hiking & Biking

Hiking is limited in both quantity and drama in PEI National Park, especially when compared with the trails in Atlantic Canada's other national parks, but you can still find a number of pleasant strolls here. (Of course, there's also the beach, which is perfect for long leisurely walks.)

The park maintains more than a dozen trails in all, adding up to a total of 45km (28 miles), so there's plenty of room to roam.

Among the most appealing is the Homestead Trail, which departs from the Cavendish campground. The trail offers both a 6km (4-mile) loop and an 8km (5-mile) loop and skirts wheat fields, woodlands, and estuaries, with frequent views of the distinctively lumpy dunes at the west end of the national park. Very unusually, mountain bikes are allowed on this trail, so it can become a relatively busy place on sunny days. The two short trails at the Green Gables house -- Balsam Hollow and Haunted Wood, each less than 2km (a mile) -- are lovely but invariably crowded. Avoid them if you're looking for a relaxing walk in the woods. (Also, they require that you pay an additional Green Gables entry fee of up to C$8 per person.)

Cycling the seaside roads in the park is sublime. Traffic is generally light, and it's easy to make frequent stops along the way to explore beaches, woodlands, or the marshy edges of inlets. The two shoreline roads within the national park -- between Dalvay and Rustico Island, and from Cavendish to North Rustico Harbour -- are especially beautiful as sunset edges into twilight. As a bonus, there are snack bars located both at Brackley Beach and again at Covehead Bay.

It's easy to rent bikes in Charlottetown, year-round. There are two good rental outfits: MacQueen's (tel. 800/969-2822 or 902/368-2453; www.macqueens.com) at 430 Queen St. and Smooth Cycle (tel. 800/310-6550 or 902/566-5530) at 330 University Ave. Rentals at each run about C$25 per day.

If you make a last-minute decision to cycle, don't sweat it: You can also find hybrid and mountain bike rentals right on the beach, for roughly the same rates, at Dalvay Beach Bike Rentals (tel. 888/366-2955 or 902/672-2048). The facility is located at the venerable Dalvay by the Sea resort. These folks even smartly offer a half-day package deal that includes a packed picnic lunch for two for about C$15 more.

Camping

Prince Edward Island National Park maintains excellent campgrounds, which open for the short season in mid-June, with hundreds of sites in total. This is one of the best ways to enjoy the island, and it's not very expensive: Campground fees start at about C$25 per night, with serviced sites costing no more than C$35 per night.

The most popular (and first to fill) is Cavendish, located just off Route 6 west of Green Gables and in the park's western reaches. It has hundreds of sites, spread among piney forest and open, sandy bluffs; sites at the edge of the dunes overlooking the beach are the most popular, but most sites here frankly aren't especially private or scenic. A limited number of two-way hookups are available for RVs, and the campground also has free showers, kitchen shelters, and evening programs. Note that this campground closes for the season at the end of September.

The Stanhope campground lies just across the park road from lovely Stanhope Beach, on the eastern side of the park (you enter through Brackley Beach). The park road isn't heavily traveled, so you don't feel very removed from water's edge. Most sites here are forested, and you're afforded more privacy here than at Cavendish; all things considered, it's a better choice. Two-way hookups, free showers, and kitchen shelters are offered. It's also open much later -- until mid-November, amazingly, though I don't know anyone who has camped then.

Reserve a site at either by using the national park service's reservation website (www.pccamping.ca) or calling tel. 877/737-3783 or 405/505-8302. Just remember: You can only reserve in advance until early September, at which point the reservation system shuts down.

You can try to walk on to either campsite, of course, but I wouldn't recommend trying at the height of summer and expecting a guaranteed spot -- you might get shut out. In the shoulder seasons, things are much less hectic and you could show up last-minute.