Prince Edward Island National Park
Prince Edward Island National Park, a 22 km² (eight square mile) oceanfront park established in 1937, faces onto the Gulf of St. Lawrence from the north shore of Prince Edward Island.
Understand
History
Cavendish became famous in 1908 for its place in literature as the home of the Green Gables farmhouse in Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables books. The park was established in 1937 to protect the homestead and the ecologically-sensitive sandy beaches and dunes along the surrounding coastline.
Landscape
PEI National Park exists to protect broad sand beaches, sand dunes and both freshwater wetlands and saltmarshes; its 60 km (37 mi) length faces onto the Gulf of St. Lawrence. While much of this beach and oceanfront land is open and public, portions are restricted to protect wildlife.
Flora and fauna
A portion of the park is a designated Canadian Important Bird Area as a beachfront nesting habitat for the endangered piping plover; these bird nesting areas are not accessible to the public.
Climate
In summer, an average daytime high is 23⁰C (73⁰F) with the water as a moderating influence on temperature; this drops to −7°C (19.4°F) in January, once the Gulf of St. Lawrence freezes over.
Get in
Provincial Highway 15 runs north from Charlottetown to Highway 6, the main east-west road within the park.
Fees/Permits
Daily park admission is $7.80/person (Senior $6.80, Youth $3.90); campsites are an additional $25-35/night.
Get around
There is a drivable scenic road, the Gulf Shore Parkway, on the Cavendish waterfront. Various provincial highways carry traffic within the park, with Route 6 as the main east-west road. There are also an assortment of cycling and hiking trails, some of which provide a fine view of the ocean.
See
- Green Gables Heritage Centre, Cavendish, ☏ +1 902-672-6350 (park). A 19th-century farm house which was owned by the MacNeill family, cousins of author Lucy Maud Montgomery; the outer walls are white, except for the distinctive green gables. Montgomery visited the farm as a young girl, drawing inspiration from the house and surrounding area, including the "Haunted Woods", "Lovers Lane", and "Balsam Hollow." $7.80/person (senior $6.80, youth $3.90).
- Site of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Cavendish home, Route 6, 1/4 mile E of Green Gables, ☏ +1 902-963-2231. 9AM-5PM (mid-May to mid-Oct), 9AM-6PM (summer). Homestead fields, lanes, gardens and old trees on the grounds where Montgomery's grandparents home once stood; no buildings remain. Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Kilmeny of the Orchard and The Story Girl were written here, as well as hundreds of short stories and poems. $3/person, $1 (age 16 and under).
Do
- Green Gables Golf Club, 8727 Cavendish Road, Hunter River, ☏ +1 902-963-4653, toll-free: +1-888-870-5454, fax: +1 902-886-3319. 18-hole, par 72 course within the park, with views of Anne of Green Gables House, Cavendish Beach Dunes and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. $60-100.
Events
- Cavendish Beach Music Festival. Second weekend in July.
Buy
Eat
There are six picnic areas in the park; some are equipped with washrooms and kitchen shelters.
Stanhope Beach, Stanhope Cape, Cape Turner and Cavendish East picnic areas are open mid-June to mid-September. Cavendish Grove picnic area is open mid-May to end-September. Dalvay Trail House is open from mid-May to Thanksgiving. Information is available from the park office at +1 902-672-6350.
Drink
Sleep
Lodging
- Dalvay-by-the-Sea, 16 Cottage Crescent, Dalvay, ☏ +1 902-672-2048, toll-free: +1-888-366-2955. Elaborate summer house in the Queen Anne Revival style. A historic Victorian era mansion currently operated as an inn with restaurant and event space, twenty-five bedrooms with four-piece ensuite bath, wi-fi but no TV or radio. Eight one or two-bedroom cottages are nearby.
Camping
There are two campgrounds in the park:
- 1 Cavendish Campground, 357 Graham's Lane, Cavendish, toll-free: +1-877-RESERVE (7373783). 200 camp sites, exclusive supervised white sand beach, showers, flush toilets, laundry, kitchen shelters. Campfires permitted on selected sites. On 8km (five mile) Homestead Trail for hiking and cycling. $25-35/nights plus park admission.
- 2 Stanhope Campground, 983 Gulf Shore Parkway, Stanhope, toll-free: +1-877-RESERVE (7373783). Camp with over 100 sites on Gulf Shore Way, a 10km multi-use trail for cycling, inline skating or walking. Hot showers, flush toilets, laundry and kitchen shelters; within walking distance of Stanhope Beach. $25-35/night plus park admission.
Stay safe
Jumping from Covehead Bridge is prohibited and dangerous. The gulf is prone to rip currents or rip tides which can pull a swimmer away from shore. Swimmers are encouraged to use supervised swimming areas.
Go next
- Charlottetown and the Trans-Canada Highway