TRAIL DETAILS

Confederation Trail - St Charles to Elmira

Touring Region — Points East Coastal Drive
Trail Location — Kings County

Trail Quick Facts
Difficulty Rating: 1.5 
Length: 27.9 km
Structure: Point-to-Point
Marked:
Island Trails Approved:
Environment: Rural
Wilderness
Surface Type: Crushed Aggregate
The Confederation Trail is Prince Edward Island's portion of the Trans Canada Trail. It is a rail trail constructed on the bed of the former Prince Edward Island Railway which opened in 1875 and closed in 1989.  Islanders were quick to notice a unique opportunity and the idea of a tip-to-tip shared-use walking and cycling trail was born and the final link is now in place.  The trail covers almost all of the former rail routes, including the "Tip-to-Tip" route from Tignish to Elmira (273 km).  Branch trails extend the trail to over 350km including Borden-Carleton (18 km); the Charlottetown spur (8 km); the Georgetown branch (39 km); the Montague spur (10 km); the Souris spur (9 km); and Iona to Murray Harbour (36 km).  The entire trail is owned and managed by the province of PEI as a part of the Provincial Parks system.

Approximate Time to Complete —  7 hours
Times are estimated assuming that the average person travels 4km/hr.
Time should be added for significant elevation gain/loss.
Associated Trails or Sections
Information & History
Km 248.9 - Bear River was named for the black bears found in the area a century ago but the last one was caught in the 1920s.
Spectacular hardwood land is a feature of the stretch from Bear River to Harmony.  Maples predominate and the ideal trail season is in late May when leaves are new or the middle of September for fall colour.  With upland habitat comes upland species of birds and animals.  Owls have been seen along this section of trail and lots of ruffed grouse.  
Not far from Bear River, the trail bisects a peat bog and passes a blueberry barren.  More hardwood is found near New Zealand, a community named in the middle of the 19th century when settlers were leaving P.E.I. for the south Pacific.

Km 257.6 - Harmony Junction was originally a turning point on the railway at the head of the Souris River for the section down to the Town of Souris.  It is now a beautiful branch line through the Grant Road Woodlot and overlooking the Souris River.  The section east to Elmira was added in 1912.  A piped aquifer is located beside the trail and flows most of the year as long as groundwater levels are high.  It was used to refill steam trains after making the grade up from Souris.  McVarish's Pond is adjacent to the trail at the junction and various ducks are found here.  A parking area built beside the road contains a trail information plaza. The project features symbol and location signage to help direct travelers to accommodation and food services. Townshend Woodlot, a provincial natural area is located north on the Souris Line Road.
The New Harmony Road to the south and the Glen Road to the north, both Scenic Heritage Roads, are close by the intersection of the trail with route 304 at New Harmony.
Fountain Head Spring is just off the trail at the next intersection with a clay road.  This spring and others feed an extensive wetland.  Water here is flowing east and north to North Lake Creek.
Wetlands and mixed woods alternate from here to the end of the route.  Wood harvesting is important to the area and most woodlots are accessible from the Tarantum Road which parallels the trail a short distance to the south.

Km 265.4 - At East Baltic, Dixon's Pond is just north of the trail but not visible in summer.  A trail project in future could thin brush on that side.  This is where you can exit for Red Point or Basin Head to the South or Baltic Bog to the north.
At Alder Creek the trail is high above a stream valley and in a couple of seasons, beavers blocked the culvert under the trail, creating an extensive new lake but at the same time threatening to wash out a half kilometer of trail bed.

Km 273.4 - Elmira is the end of the line although history records one train that did not quite stop there and ended up across the highway.  The station is restored as a Railway Museum, a fitting end to the trail.  Rails are still in place for about 1 km including a "T" junction used for turning the engines. A miniature railway that carries passengers was developed in woodland adjacent to the station in 2003 for a real train experience and an extensive model railway operates in one of the freight sheds. Elmira is about 9 km from the lighthouse at East Point.

Shelters: km 250.7, 257.4, 261.6, 267.2, 273.4  
Albums
Confederation Trail »
Friday, August 31, 2007  (44 images)