For Those Who Come Next: Itinerary for Walking the Trans Canada Trail in Prince Edward Island

"We should go forth on the shortest walk… in the spirit of undying adventure.”
 
Henry David Thoreau, “Walking”
 

How long does it take to hike across PEI on the Trans Canada Trail?

 
There are moments within a longer journey where it becomes necessary to step back from the day-to-day routine of hiking and reflect on what the path has actually been like in a particular region.   Our goal is that as we walk from coast to coast to coast on the Trans Canada Trail, is that we will be able to continue sharing each day of the journey in our daily blogs and photography, which, in the process, will help those who might have an interest in something similar.  To this end, this entry is about sharing our itinerary for hiking across Prince Edward Island.  
 

In the process, we hope to answer questions that anyone might have about the province that we have recently concluded, such as:
 
What is it like to hike across PEI on the Trans Canada Trail?
If you want to hike across PEI, how long might it take?
If you want to hike across PEI, what might the daily stages look like?
 

Hiking the Trans Canada Trail Across Prince Edward Island

 
In general, the TCT in Prince Edward Island was a return to continuity and – as we quickly discovered – an example of how refined the national pathway could be when the vision was met with sustained community effort.

 
Prince Edward Island was the third province of our #Hike4Birds on the Trans Canada Trail.  We arrived after completing our trek across the provinces of Newfoundland  and Nova Scotia and stepping off the interprovincial ferry.   As we continued to walk every step of the national pathway, we encountered  the devastating results on the TCT and Atlantic communities from Hurricane Dorian.
 
En route, we gave presentations to nature groups and school classrooms.  In addition to this, we found ourselves navigating the realities of now being very far behind our anticipated itinerary and now had to contend with the potential challenges of what the coming fall and winter on the Trans Canada Trail might be like.
 

A Guide to the TCT on Prince Edward Island

 
What follows is not a guide in the traditional sense. It is not prescriptive, nor is it intended to suggest that this is how the route must be walked. It is instead a record of how we crossed Prince Edward Island - drawn from our journals, our daily shared blog entries, and the lived experience of our trek. 
 
We offer this information as a means to plan and ground your own trek – to have the same type of insights based on experience that we would have loved when we set out on the Great Trail.  

 
However, at the time of writing this (2019), the existing guidebooks for the Great Trail are incomplete and most are more than a decade old.  In some cases, the TCT has moved its route or expanded the trail system significantly.  Moreover, the fact remains that some provinces (Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta) don’t even have a guidebook, which means for those who come next, there is a huge absence of information about the national pathway.
 
This record exists for those who are considering a Trans Canada journey, whether on foot or by bike.  It is not meant as a template, and certainly not a promise that this is how your journey will turn out.  The information here – and in our daily blogs – is a glimpse of what one passage across the province from east to west looked like, for two particular people, in one particular year.

 
It must always be remembered that routes change, conditions vary, and circumstances are never the same twice – day to day, year to year, moment to moment, or hiker to hiker.
 
With that said, sometimes knowing where someone once walked, struggled and succeeded can make things easier at the end of a hard day on the trail.  Knowing that you are standing and walking where others once also did to can make a world of difference in moments of doubt.  We certainly took faith in knowing that Dana Meise, Sara Jackson, Dianne Whelan and Mel Vogel had come before us.
 

The Trans Canada Trail in Prince Edward Island  

 
The Trans Canada Trail in PEI follows the Confederation Trail, a rail-trail conversion that stretches from east to west across the island.  The grade is consistent, the footing is stable, and the route itself is uninterrupted – aside from the very occasional need to cross a quiet roadway. Unlike other provinces where navigation, road connectors, or trail conditions shaped the journey, here the trail provides a continuous corridor across the landscape.
 
Put more simply – the Confederation Trail in PEI is wonderful for hikers and especially for cyclists.

 
Crossing PEI from the ferry to the Confederation Bridge led us down a route that was clear, easy-going and allowed for quick progression.  Arriving by ferry into Wood Islands, we stepped directly onto the trail system and began. From that point onward, the route required little interpretation. Each day was shaped more by our own pace than by terrain or the need to navigate and make decisions.
 
Even our time here – shaped by the recent hurricane damage– did not take away from the ease with which a well-maintained and cared-for pathway gave way to.
 

Stages and Itinerary for Hiking Across Prince Edward Island

 
Taken together, our trek across PEI in 2019 took 9 calendar days to hike across, which was completed over a span of 12 days in the province.  The larger number reflects days off trail, rest days, resupply days, and days we spent giving public presentations about our #Hike4Birds citizen science outreach.

 

Itinerary for the Trans Canada Trail in Prince Edward Island

 
September 10, 2019 – Ferry to PEI, camp just beyond Ferry Terminal on the trail
September 11, 2019 – Wood Island to Murray's River
September 12, 2019 – Murrays River to Montague
September 13, 2019 – Montague to Baldwin Rd
September 14, 2019 – Baldwin Rd to Tricade Campground
September 15, 2019 – Day off TCT – rest, recharging
September 16, 2019 – Tracade to Charlottetown
September 17, 2019 – CBC Charlottetown – day off TCT
September 18, 2019 – Resupply – Day off TCT
September 19, 2019 – Charlottetown to Hunter River
September 20, 2019 – Hunter River to Kinkora
September 21, 2019 – Kinkora to Confed. Bridge
 

Position Within the Larger Journey

 
Prince Edward Island is defined by its exceptionally well-maintained trails, welcoming communities, and a trail that is a delight to venture along.   Indeed, the Confederation Trail presents far fewer technical challenges than other sections of the TCT – with that said it is not without its own challenges.
 
There is no denying that the consistency of the rail-trail can become (a little) repetitive over time. Without variation in terrain, the days can begin to blur together, particularly when covering longer distances.  Taken alongside other provinces, this, however, can be enjoyable.

 
Ultimately, however, Prince Edward Island was not just another province to be crossed. It was the continuation of our journey across Canada on foot, from coast to coast to coast, and it marked the point where our understanding of the Trans Canada Trail confronted the full realization of what the original vision of the national pathway could lead to with continued dedication and support.
 
The other aspect of our time in PEI is the fact that it was a smaller and quicker province to cross, which felt pretty amazing after spending months in Newfoundland, Cape Breton and Nova Scotia.  While we had trekked across them step by step, in PEI we felt as though we were moving again.  To be honest, to cross the province in less than a couple of weeks left us feeling great.
 
For those looking to explore more, this entry connects directly with our broader series:

 
Each offers a different perspective on exploring the TCT.
 

For Those Who Come Next

 
In total, it took us 12 days to walk a little more than 200 kilometres along the Trans Canada Trail from Woods Island Ferry to Montague to Charlottetown to the Confederation Bridge, which is certainly not the entirety of the national pathway in the province, but which for us allowed us to visit the capital city and connect the route we were following between provinces.  As well as visit each province and each capital city – which to us feels like a worthy goal.

 
This stretch on the Confederation Trail – the regional section of the TCT - represents the third Atlantic province on the Great Trail – along a stunning rain trail that leads to the capital city and onward to the shuttle across the Confederation Bridge, which would take us to New Brunswick.
 
If you are considering walking across Prince Edward Island, know that it is possible to do so within a set period of time. The route certainly exists, the connections are there, and the province can be crossed in a continuous line from east to west – or west to east - or in a complete circuit  before turning westward (or eastward) again on the Trans Canada Trail.   This makes it a terrific route to hike in a beautiful region with incredibly friendly and helpful people.

 
If you are reading this because you are considering hiking across Prince Edward Island on the TCT, whether for a weekend on a bike or for a couple of weeks at a time on foot, we hope this listing helps in some small way.   Not because it tells you what to do, but because it shows what was possible under a specific set of circumstances, at a particular moment in time.
 
Your journey will not look exactly like this. It shouldn’t. Weather, wildlife, wildfires, construction, health, timing, and luck all shape how the TCT, each province and Canada as a whole reveal themselves. Some days will go farther than planned. Others will end early. Some will feel almost effortless; others will ask more than we ever expected to give.  Some will end in the joy of that day’s achievements, others will end in doubt and tears.  Though admittedly, PEI was simply bliss to trek across.

 
What matters, in the end, is not matching someone else’s itinerary, or seeing what they saw, but learning how to move through this landscape with the willingness to be adaptable, leaving no trace and with care.  If this record helps you plan, adjust, or simply imagine your own path across the Trans Canada Trail, the province, or the nation itself, then it has done what it was meant to do.
 
We wish you safe walking, open eyes, and the grace to take each day as it comes.
 

See you on the trail!

Location: Charlottetown, PE, Canada
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