Reflecting on hiking the TCT Across Prince Edward Island

Confederation Trail: A Ribbon Through Red Soil and Kindness

Prince Edward Island may be Canada’s smallest province, but when it comes to trail experiences, it stands tall among giants. As we continued our #Hike4Birds trek across the country on the Trans Canada Trail, PEI (our third province) offered something quietly profound: a sense of peace, community, and belonging that few other places matched.

 

The island’s section of the trail, the 435 km Confederation Trail, runs tip-to-tip along a beautifully maintained former railway, complete with interpretive plaques, distance markers, and sheltered rest stops.

 

In the fall of 2019, just as the maples and birches began to turn gold and crimson, we spent 11 days walking from the Wood Islands Lighthouse and ferry dock in the east to the Confederation Bridge in the west. En route, we explored red sandy beaches, photographed historic lighthouses, wandered through pastoral farmland, ventured to birding hotspots, and were welcomed by the warm hospitality that defines maritime culture.

 

“I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.”

 L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

 

A Perfect Path Through a Gentle Province

 

Winding tip-to-tip from Tignish to Elmira with branching arms that reach into towns and coastal communities, the Confederation Trail offers a slow and scenic journey across an island steeped in heritage and beauty. Rolled stone dust underfoot, a never-steeper-than-2% grade, and leafy corridors of red maples and birch made every step feel effortless.

 

We walked 172 kilometres of the trail in the fall, arriving just after post-tropical storm Dorian. Though we climbed over or under more than 100 downed trees in our first day, the resilience of the trail, and the islanders, quickly became evident. The people here offered shelter, hot coffee, directions, and above all, kindness.

 

As we made our way east from the Wood Island ferry, then west toward the Confederation Bridge, we passed through fishing villages, forested corridors, open farmland, and marshes teeming with life. From the red shores of Murray River to the pastoral outskirts of Charlottetown and the quiet beauty near Borden-Carleton, the trail revealed itself and the province - one moment at a time.

 

A Trail that Invites, Informs, and Inspires

 

What set the Confederation Trail apart wasn’t just the scenery, but the thoughtfulness behind it. Covered picnic shelters appeared every few kilometres. Clean, stocked bathrooms - rare gems on a cross-Canada hike felt like gifts. Interpretive plaques told stories of the island’s rail and Acadian history, its ecosystems, and its communities. Walking and hiking along the TCT in PEI was an amazing experience.

 

For anyone seeking rugged wilderness, PEI may not be your destination. But for those craving connection -  to place, people, and the land -  this trail is a quiet triumph.

 

The Island Camino

 

In Charlottetown, we began to understand something deeper. The Confederation Trail shares sections with a newly emerging Island Walk - a 700-km route we often refer to as one of the “Canadian Caminos.” Like its Spanish counterpart, it offers a pilgrimage of sorts: one that’s not about hardship, but reflection. About pausing. About rediscovering the richness of walking simply, with intention, across a welcoming landscape.

 

This parallel with pilgrimage trails in France and Spain wasn’t lost on us. Many moments - a sunrise over a marsh, a stranger offering baked goods, herons lifting off from still water reminded us of the quiet grace found in pilgrimage. In letting the trail, rather than our itinerary, set the pace.

 

Birdsong, Hospitality, and Red Soil

 

As birders, PEI was a treasure. Great Blue Herons stalked the shallows. Yellow-rumped Warblers danced in hedgerows. Belted Kingfishers, Northern Flickers, American Black Ducks - each turn of the trail brought new sightings, new sounds, new wonder.

 

But even more than the wildlife, it was the people who made this trail unforgettable. Island hospitality isn’t just a tourism slogan - it’s a lived reality. From roadside chats to campground coffee refills to strangers leaving snacks for us beside the trail, PEI welcomed us in ways that still bring us pause.

 

Final Reflections

 

L.M. Montgomery once wrote that the best days are “those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.” That’s what hiking PEI’s Confederation Trail felt like.  A time spent being blessed by simple little pleasures following one another softly. 

 

It is an island which, though small in size, is immense in its natural beauty and spirit. 

 

Though the Confederation Trail has no massive summits and no gruelling climbs, it is wondrous.  The trail in PEI offers peacefulness through the steady rhythm of footsteps, birdsong, rustling leaves, and kindness.  Each of these found along the Confederation Trail carried us across an island that knows the value of simplicity, beauty, and community.

 

More simply put, our time on PEI was relaxing and inspiring. With three provinces now behind us, we turned our gaze westward, ready to cross into New Brunswick and continue our long …long hike across Canada’s vast and varied landscapes.

 

See you on the Trail!