In its simplest form The Island Walk in Prince Edward Island (PEI) is a 700-kilometre loop around the province that was inspired the by the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Walking at a pace of 20 – 25 km per day allows hikers to complete the entire route in about a month. Most people who visit PEI do but a small part of The Island Walk including myself. I walked about 120 km over five days from Kensington to St. Peter’s Bay – reportedly one of the prettiest sections of the Island Walk.
When comparing The Island Walk in PEI to the Camino de Santiago – the lengths are similar, as is the contemplative exercise that is walking for 4 – 7 hours per day. What you won’t find on The Island Walk are swarms of people, dorm beds for the equivalent of a few Euros per night, the trail camaraderie unless you’re with a group, or cheap red wine spilling from a fountain.
What PEI offers is a healthy dose of rural charm, peaceful and pastoral landscapes, beautiful beaches, and a pretty coastline with lots of its signature red rock. You can count on friendly locals, many of whom will stop and ask if you need a drive.
This post includes some affiliate links. If you make a qualifying purchase through one of these links, I will receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. Thank you very much for your support.
What The Island Walk in PEI is not
The Island Walk isn’t a walk in the park or even a coastal walk.
According to The Island Walk website 25% or 175 km of the walk is on a combination of “red dirt roads, paths, boardwalks and active transportation routes.” I hope that the people who run the Island Walk, break out the amount of busy highway walking as people need to be informed before they show up on the island.
I do appreciate that walking on highways is unavoidable with the Island Walk in its present form. But I think the walk should be tweaked – with long sections of highway bypassed and secondary roads added. If they could do that, and I know that won’t be easy, it would be a world-class experience, and hikers would flock to the province.
Note that in 2025, an additional 100 kilometres of the Confederation Trail will be added as an alternative route for those seeking safer options.
Lest you think I’m an outlier with these concerns, I can tell you that every walker I met (and people they had met) as well as B&B hosts and shuttle drivers agree with me.
Some of the busy highways have a shoulder, but many do not. On the one rainy day I was hiking with my friend, I said we should practice the drop and roll move so we could end up in a ditch quickly and out of harms way. You’ve been warned.
Confederation Trail
You should also know that 350 km (or 50%) of the Island Walk will take place on the Confederation Trail. Again, there are some scenic sections, but a good part of it is a flat, straight as an arrow path through trees with nary a view, let alone a coastal view to be found. Frankly, it can get a little boring.
Secondary Highways
The other 25% or 175 km of The Island Walk takes place on secondary highways. These are quiet, mostly scenic roads – still pavement. I didn’t mind them in the least.
I think one of the big reasons to travel to PEI is to enjoy its beautiful coastline. You won’t get nearly as much of it as you probably want. I think biking the Island Walk in PEI would be preferable – just because you’ve got far more flexibility in changing up the route, taking secondary roads, and getting to your accommodation and restaurants easily and less expensively.
Practical tips for future walkers
Fitness: It’s a good idea to get into walking shape before you show up. There will be many days that you have to walk at least 15 km – and almost double that if you’re on a schedule to walk the whole 700 km in a month. My average was about 23 km per day.
Best time to go: Plan to do the Island Walk in PEI between late May through till early October. It’s best for weather – but the big reason is accommodation and restaurants are typically open from late May until mid-September. Most restaurants along The Island Way are closed by early October.
Dogs: They are not allowed in PEI National Park at all. That means beaches are off limits to dogs. However, PEI Provincial Parks do allow dogs on a leash.
Where to stay along The Island Walk: There are a variety of B&Bs, inns, and cottages scattered along the route. Book in advance especially during the busy summer months. I have included links to all the places I stayed in.
Safety: Walk facing oncoming cars on the busy highway sections. Wear high visibility clothing on the busy roads, especially on rainy days. Pack a couple of reflective straps you could throw on your arms and backpack.
Shuttle services on The Island Walk in PEI: I highly recommend George from the George Larter Drive Service. I had used him over a decade earlier to get John and I to the North Cape and the start of our end to 5-day PEI bike trip. He literally know the island like the back of his hand. He can drive you anywhere you like, do luggage drop offs, pickups…you name it.
The other person I’d recommend is Mickey from Red Sand Taxi. He’ll pick you up and move your luggage too.
What to pack for 5 days on The Island Walk
Even though the Island Walk is an easy, straight-forward hike, I would still recommend that you pack the 10 hiking essentials including sunscreen, a sun hat and sunglasses.
Well broken in, comfortable hiking shoes are imperative. I had hiked a lot all summer leading up to The Island Walk – up to a week at a time on trails like the difficult North Coast Trail on Vancouver Island. But after a few days of walking 20+ km on pavement, my calves were sore and my feet were tired. On one 27 km day I wore myChacos– and my feet thanked me for it.
Download PEI on Organic Maps, and you’ll find all the roads and trails you need to follow on The Island Walk.
Be sure to carry plenty of water and high energy snacks? Chocolate covered potato chips anyone? They’re surprisingly good and they are locally made by Cows.
A day by day breakdown of The Island Walk
In chatting with an islander who knows The Island Walk in PEI well, I chose to walk the Kensington to Peter’s Bay section. It’s considered to be one of the prettiest multi-day sections on the walk. It’s home to lots of interesting towns, and a gorgeous section of the trail that runs through Prince Edward Island National Park.
The logistics of my trip also worked well with friends I met up with who had a car and based themselves atShaw’s Hotel and Cottages.
Day 1: Kensington to Bayview
Distance: Approximately 22 km
Highlights: Kensington, Village Pottery Shop, Carrs Wildlife Centre.
Challenges: I didn’t notice Island Walk signage early on the hike, so got of course for a few kilometres. That was the only time I made the error, once I knew what kind of sign I was looking for. The highway walking I did was busy but there was always a good shoulder.
Where I stayed:Cavendish Breeze Inn– nothing fancy but friendly and super accessible to Green Gables Heritage Place.
Where to eat: One of the nine eateries in Avonlea Village. We ate at the Turkey Tavern as it was the only one open in late September.
Experience: Kensington deserves some time. It’s home to the Kensington Railway Station – a National Historic Site of Canada and the place where Lucy Maud Montgomery met Sir John and Lady Macdonald. If you’re starting the walk around noon, check out Island Stone Pub in the railway station. Reportedly they have some of the best fish tacos on the island. There is also a bakery across from the railway and the C&B Corner Cafe located beside the Confederation Trail.
Unfortunately, I didn’t visit The Table Culinary Studio in Kensington as I’d had a late start to the day. I understand this is the place to come for hyper-local cuisine, ingredients Marilla Cuthbert, of Green Gables fame might have used to feed Anne and Matthew Cuthbert back in the early 1900’s.
This part of The Island Walk includes the Confederation Trail, some busy highway, and quiet secondary highway. I passed beautiful farms, checked out the Village Pottery Shop, and enjoyed a stop at Carr’s Wildlife Centre & Gift Shop in Stanley Bridge to ogle the extensive bird collection that’s shares a building with Carrs Oyster Bar.
Day 2: Cavendish Breeze Inn to the Barachois Inn
Distance: Approximately 19 km.
Highlights: Beautiful section through the Cavendish Beach section of Prince Edward Island National Park, the fishing village of North Rustico – the oldest Acadian settlement on the island – and lobster rolls for lunch at Tides & Tale Seaside Bistro & Book Store. The Barachois Inn is a beauty too.
Challenges: Highway 6 out of Rusticoville was busy and there was little to no shoulder under wet conditions.
Experience: It was a wet day from start to finish. In the morning, we were on good multi-use trails to and through Prince Edward Island National Park. There were a couple of beach access points where we dropped down to have a look, but it wasn’t a good day for beach walking.
The walk into North Rustico Beach was all on an excellent trail too. We would have like to explore North Rustico but it was raining hard and our stomachs were rumbling, so we continued on the North Rustico Harbour Trail to reach the bistro. Another option for lunch is the Blue Mussel Cafe.
After dripping all over their floors, my friend Jo and I sat down to a warm drink and a lobster roll. It was a big hit. From there we walked on busy Highway 6 to the Church Road turnoff that took us right up to the beautiful Barachois Inn.
Where I stayed:The Barachois Inn(built in 1800) – well-appointed rooms and a big breakfast with a view of one of the oldest churches in the province.
Where I ate: The Dunes Studio Gallery and Cafe – excellent food surrounded by art. Make reservations.
Day 3: Barachois Inn to Dalvay by the Sea
Distance: Approximately 25.8 km.
Highlights: Beautiful views from the secondary highway near the Barachois Inn, and a glorious 10-km section of walking on Brackley Beach all the way through to Dalvay by the Sea. A 10/10 day.
Challenges: Walking on Highway 6 from Cymbria to the intersection of Highway 6 and 15.
Where to stay and eat: Dalvay by the Sea – Be sure to make dinner reservations. Another option would be Stoked Bakehouse, Fisherman’s Wharf Lobster Suppers and New Glasgow Lobster Suppers.
Experience: I got an early start as I knew it would be a long day. On the way to Brackley Beach I walked Highway 242 – a very quiet secondary highway with some lovely views. Then I was on Highway 6 for about 6 km, but it went quickly and wasn’t as busy as I expected.
At the town of Brackley Beach I picked up Highway 15 and walked into Prince Edward Island National Park on it. Along this section I stopped in to look around at the Great Canadian Soap Company. I also checked out Fox PEI – a locally owned shop representing local artisans.
Two friends joined me and we had a fantastic afternoon walking 10 km down Brackley and Stanhope Beaches to Dalvay by the Sea (the White Sands Hotel in the production of Anne of Green Gables by Sullivan Films). There was one short section where we had to cross a bridge on the multi-use paved trail, but the rest of the walking was on sand.
The Island Walk is a multi-use trail that parallels the beach for 10 km, so there’s no reason not to walk the beach. It was exceptional. At the end we simply crossed the road and walked a few hundred metres to Dalvay by the Sea.
Day 4 on the Island Walk in PEI: Dalvay by the Sea to Bishop’s Rest
Distance: Approximately 27.5 km
Highlights: Some pretty sections along the Confederation Trail. We were both thrilled to find a signed trail off the Confederation Trail right up to the B&B, saving us about 5 km of walking.
Challenges: It was hot day and both Jo and I were very tired by the time we strolled up to Bishop’s Rest. There was some highway walking on my part for several hours – though by now I had just come to expect it.
Experience: The initial kilometre from Dalvay by the Sea to Highway 6 was lovely – peaceful and beautiful. Then I walked the better part of 10 km on Highway 6, but because it was a Sunday morning, traffic was lighter. I found many potatoes that had bounced off trucks making tight turns. One made it home with me as an edible souvenir.
Lunch: I’d recommend that you pack a picnic lunch as there aren’t many options until you spy a gas station from the Confederation Trail , about 5 km before Bishop’s Rest Bed & Breakfast.
Jo met up with me at Bedford Station and we walked about 16 km to Bishop’s Rest solely on the Confederation Trail parallel to the Hillsborough River.
Our overnight was a lovely B&B run by Sarah with meals served onsite as her husband is a Red Seal chef. (They also have a bakery onsite.) My room on the upper floor of the B&B had beautiful views over a graveyard and the Hillsborough River. It’s also close to the Bishop MacEacherm National Historic Site.
Where I stayed and ate: Bishop’s Rest Bed & Breakfast
Day 5: Bishop’s Rest to St. Peter’s Bay
Distance: Approximately 25 km.
Highlights: Scenic fields, apple trees galore, bridges and the final stretch towards St. Peter’s Bay rewards you with stunning vistas over the water.
Challenges: None, as the day’s walk is entirely on the Confederation Trail. Carry food though because by the end of September most stores that are easy to access from the Island Walk in PEI are closed.
Where I stayed and ate: Points East Coastal Inn
Experience: The days walk is one of the more scenic sections of The Island Walk in PEI. River views, open fields, meadows, bridges and the town of Morell ensure that the kilometres pass quickly.
There is lots of interpretive signage along this section. You can learn about why there are so many apple trees along the trail, the Medicinal Ring, The Morell River Bridge, “mudding” and much more.
The town of Morell is worth stopping in – especially if it’s around lunch time. You can grab lunch at Holy Cow, The Seafood Shack, or Dreadnaught Eatery – the only one of the three that is open in late September.
From Morell you start heading for the coast and the scenery gets more interesting the closer you get to St. Peter’s Bay. Note all the mussel buoys in the bay.
My home for the night- Points East Coastal Inn – was a 20-second walk across the road from the Island Walk. Fortunately, they also serve dinner here as nothing else was open.
Conclusion: Embrace the journey on The Island Walk in PEI
The Island Walk in PEI may not be what everyone expects, but it’s an unforgettable way to experience Prince Edward Island’s unique blend of coastal beauty, rural charm, and open road. If you head to Prince Edward Island with your expectations in check and the knowledge that you’re going to be spending a lot of time walking on highways, then I think you’ll have a great time.
I certainly did, partly because I had friends that met me every day – and so I spent at least a half day walking with someone and eating dinner with them. I also had a great sense of accomplishment from walking 20 plus kilometres for days at a time.
Lovely accommodation, delicious food, beautiful red sand beaches, and coastal beauty all added to the charm of the walking trip. Whether you’re an experienced long-distance walker or simply looking to explore Prince Edward Island at a slower pace, this adventure will still appeal to a lot of you. But if you’re adverse to highway walking, be sure to choose sections of the trail that avoid it.
A big thank you to Tourism PEI for hosting my stay. All thoughts are mine alone.
More ideas for long distance walks you might enjoy
- Coast to Coast – Canada’s Long Distance Hiking Trails
- East Coast Trail Hiking Guide
- A Full Guide to the Fundy Footpath Hike in New Brunswick
- Backpacking in Kluane National Park For 7 days Off Trail
- La Cloche Silhouette Trail – A Complete Guide
Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards.
