"Island Trails" Trails

---

The Selkirk Forest Walking Trail is found in King’s County on route 23 (Selkirk Road) between 205 (Colville Rd) and 204 (Gairloch Rd). The name derives from the Selkirk Settlers who arrived from Scotland to settle the area beginning in the early 1800s. Today, the woodlot on which the trail is located is public land under the management of MacPhail Woods Ecological Forestry Project.  

The trail is one of amazing diversity covering approximately 6 km in a large loop with two smaller offshoot loops that add both interest and distance, as well as a couple of cross-tracks to shorten the main loop for those wanting an abbreviated walk. The trail begins from the parking area by heading north through some old white spruce to the tributaries of the Montague River. While following the course of the river west, a springtime walk will reward you with views along the riparian zone such as marsh marigolds, ferns, and many other beautiful plants making their seasonal debut. With a sharp eye you might spot a frog or newt, and as you move along the trail, there are many varied and sometimes colourful fungi, particularly as fall arrives.  

A boardwalk will take you to the other side of the river and eventually to a spectacular mature grove of eastern hemlocks….  a favorite spot for a snack break while just enjoying nature’s majesty! Leaving the hemlock grove, try to spot the rare hobblebush with its beautiful white flowers in early summer, and red berries in fall. In addition to the hobblebush, Selkirk is also home to other rare native plants including witch hazel and black ash. As you cross the bridge you may spot some recent evidence of beavers, or even meet up with a ruffed grouse.  

Passing through the back of the woodlot will take you to a wonderful beech forest….  always beautiful, but really quite spectacular in winter as the rust leaves hang on the trees long after snow has fallen. At the next junction, a loop allows one to walk along an old forestry road flanked with yellow birch, including a couple of huge old grand-daddies that are particularly impressive! Some of the old growth trees of Selkirk have been known to attract both barred owls, and the rare pileated woodpecker.   

The return trek towards the parking area will take you through a pine monoculture, and sections of old agricultural lands now infilled with white spruce. Enroute you may notice some of MacPhail’s ongoing stewardship for sustainable forest management and restoration of the native Acadian Forest. The creation of clearings allows for the planting of original species seedlings. 

In addition to all this, Selkirk Forest is the seasonal home to many birds, and to such an extent that the woodland has been the site of an annual bird banding program as part of monitoring avian species and their habitat.  

The Selkirk Forest really is one spectacular out-of-doors classroom for all to enjoy! It’s a trail for all seasons, to be experienced with sneakers, boots, and yes, definitely snowshoes; but not bikes as by its very nature it is strictly a walking trail only….  thanks, and enjoy your walk. 

Forestview Woodland Trails are located in a mixed hardwood and softwood forest in West Prince very close to the town of O’Leary. Features are trails skirting and a bridge over the Carruthers Brook which may overtop its banks during heavy rains. Much of the trail is located on low-lying land and there are extensive boardwalks throughout. The trail is well-signed and very well maintained by the local community. 

The Bonshaw Hills Provincial Park includes a four-season trail system covering 25 km. There are many shorter trails that vary in length and intensity connected to the main trail.

Enjoy over 18 km of hiking and mountain bike trails along the Bonshaw River at the park. The trails are for all fitness levels from walking trails to challenging climbs. There are also picnic facilities, and a natural adventure playground featuring swings, balancing ropes and slide.

The main trail was named Ji’ka’we’katik Trail – after the traditional Mi’kmaq name for the West River. Ji’ka’we’katik (Pronounced – Jih Ga Way Ga Dig) means “the place where bass are plentiful” in Mi’kmaq.

The Forest Hill Trail lies in north central Kings County, 8 km north of Bridgetown, and south of St. Peters. It loops through a very extensive woodland area, over gently rolling terrain. Much of the area is wetland, with deep swales, and including two sizeable ponds. On Whitlock’s Pond at the southwest corner is a look out tower, and uphill at the opposite corner of the property is a 40 foot tower overlooking the entire watershed. This tower is no longer connected to the main trail system.

The trail can be accessed by two trailheads. The Corral trailhead has parking for horse trailers on the Rte 339 side, and the Main trailhead is on Rte 339 at the Whitlock Pond corner.

The treadways are wide and well cleared, especially where hikers and equestrian users might meet. The total length available is 7.8 km.

Ownership of the site is mixed, with several private landowners and the provincial Foresty division. Island Trails uses this site with specific permissions, and under a license agreement with the provincial government.

In an area as extensive and varied as Forest Hill, a hiker or rider can expect to find almost every kind of tree, shrub, and forest plant; insect, reptilian and bird life; and fur bearers including predators and prey that you will find in any other part of the island. You won’t be disappointed at Forest Hill, by the trail or by the surroundings.

The Boughton River Nature Trail is located in Kings County on Highway 4 at Bridgetown. It begins at a roadside parking lot beside the fire hall. The trail is built in four interconnected loops, plus a short spur to a lookout, to view the typical drowned estuary of the Boughton River. From here you may also see kayakers and canoeist coming upriver on a paddling trail. The total hiking length available is 8.9 km, but with the loop system there are opportunities to do an early return and an easier, shorter hike.

The Boughton River Nature Trail is an expansion and improvement of a previously existing community trail. It lies entirely on government lands. It is built for foot traffic only, and is not accessible to motorized vehicles.

The trail winds through white spruce thickets, open hardwoods, river flats, steep ravines and grassy meadows. Narrow steep ravines and small rivulets are bridged, and wet spots have boardwalks across them.

In shady areas along the trail you will step over ground pines and other club mosses, and skirting the many wet spots there will be ferns. There are also Trilliums and Indian Pipe in the deep shade of the mixed woods.

Here you will also see songbirds, woodpeckers, and owls. Fur bearing inhabitants include squirrels and rabbits and there may be evidence of foxes and coyotes.

From lookouts to the drowned estuary you will see marsh plants such as cattails, bulrushes, and horse tail as well as other grasses and reeds. Perched on them there may be redwing blackbirds, with bitterns hidden below them, and great blue herons just a bit further offshore. Further out, you can find a variety of waterfowl, and up, you may see an osprey or a bald eagle.

The Gairloch Road Trail is located in Lot 60, in the southeast corner of the province. The name Gairloch likely comes from a village of the same name on the Loch of Gair, in County Ross and Cromarty in Scotland. From the start of settlement in the early 19th century Lot 60 had only 780 inhabitants by 1861. The area remains as close to “wilderness” as a person can get in Prince Edward Island.

This is primarily a loop trail of about seven km including spurs and connectors. There is potential to make a quick through cut, turning it into two loops in a figure 8. The trail is of moderate difficulty, running through hilly terrain, with several stream crossings. Since it is built for shared use by cyclists and hikers, the treadway and water crossings are wide. The steep ravine sides have switchbacks.

The trailhead entrance is also very convenient for mountain biking use, since it is located at the juncture of Gairloch Road (Rte 204), and the Confederation Trail. The site is also excellent for snowshoeing in winter.

The Gairloch Road site presents approximately 1500 acres of the full range of typical woodland cover. It is under the management of the provincial forestry division and the MacPhail Woods Ecological Forestry Project. These groups are making efforts to not only maintain and protect the forest, but to “retro-develop” it to the original Acadian forest state. The trail runs through and skirts dense white spruce thickets, as well as more open pine and hardwood copses, where ground pine and other club mosses abound.

Native and imported wildflower species teemin open meadows. On this and neighbouring sites “birders” have noted up to 15 species of warblers, gray jays, hermit thrush, and rose breasted grosbeaks. Northern goshawks and the barred owl have also been sighted.

The area and the trail are also home to typical fur bearers, including squirrels, hares, skunks, foxes and coyotes. You need to be alone or just a few walkers and very still to spot these and other inhabitants.

The Dromore Woodland Trails consist of four sections totalling roughly 14 km (including loops and connectors). It provides numerous route choices for short, half-day or full-day hiking experiences. An attractive wooden sign identifies each trail head, and trail markers guide hikers at intersections.

As you walk along the trail, pause often to catch the busy burbling of the stream, the annoyed chattering of a squirrel, the warbler’s trill or the woodpecker’s drill. As the ever-present Island breeze soughs through the trees, feel its cooling breath on your face. Follow the sunlight filtering through the canopy, stippling the tree trunks. Find the tunnel entrances of small creatures in banks and under tree roots. Look carefully at the deadfall littering the forest floor that provides wildlife cover, a nursery for seedlings, and a source of compost for the living trees.

If you tread lightly in this special wilderness, you will reap its generous rewards.

This trail forms part of the International Appalachian trail on PEI.

---

South Loop

This loop encompasses a diverse forest structure, including an extensive open hardwood stand extending half its length. The trail is easy to negotiate, a pleasant half-day’s hike. Two stream crossings make the walk interesting. Also some nice boardwalk over some wet spots on the south connector.

---

Centre Loop

This is the largest loop with the greatest diversity of forest and landscape types. It includes dry upland terrain, early-succession forests, mixed-age softwood, stream-edge and steep ravine slopes, and occasional stands of large mature trees. Two stream crossings add an interesting dimension – the ridge walk along the Pisquid River is especially beautiful. This trail offers a half-day hike of easy to moderate difficulty.

---

North Loop

This loop lies entirely within the riparian zone of the Pisquid River’s east and west tributaries. It includes impressive stands of mature pine, especially at the north end, and extensive stands of previously thinned spruce. As a short loop on its own or an extension to the Centre Loop, this trail offers excellent qualities for walking and hiking.

---

Birding Loop

This old trail offers excellent late spring and early summer birding opportunities. The trail follows along the stream, then circles inland through the woods. The terrain is similar to the North Loop.

The Breadalbane Nature Trail is located in the community of the same name at the geographic centre of the province. The 1880 Atlas notes the last settlers came here in 1858 from the Isle of Skye, and prospered notwithstanding the drawbacks of the location. The community lies athwart the Confederation Trail, and the Nature Trail has two entrances from it. There are in addition, two other entrances to the Nature trail: all have signs.

The Nature Trail follows a diverse terrain, combining access via steep ravines, rim walks, and meanders through the flood plain of the main and a smaller branch of the Dunk River. These create the site of an old mill pond. Two major foot bridges cross these waterways.

The Trail of about 6.5 km is made up of 2 loops crossing at the central bridge. Both loops include ravine sides and flood plain. The ravine sides offer a good workout. On the plain, very wet spots and small streams are spanned by boardwalks.

On the ravine and sides, the trail runs through typical dense white spruce and more open hardwoods. Mature white spruce stands also open up nicely. There are also some neighbouring cultivated wood lots which the trail skirts. (The trail is built entirely on private lands, and gets extensive use by locals.) On the well watered flats, ferns and marsh grasses abound, as well as thickets of wild raspberry canes.

Careful observation will locate frogs, salamanders, and red spotted newts. Bird species include various song birds, jays and belted kingfishers. Squirrels and hares are running about, and you may see evidence of muskrats in the damp banks. At the eastern end there is a long standing beaver lodge. You will see trees chewed and downed by the beavers on your walk.

The North Cape Nature Trail lies on the windswept northwest tip of the Island. Due to its location the area was slow and late for settlement, and due to its topography it remains largely open today.

These same factors have brought on other forms of development. A lighthouse has stood at the site since at least the mid nineteenth century. Today it is the site of a large windmill farm, and a wind energy research station. A fine restaurant and gift shop serve tourists to these installations and to the trail.

The trail is a linear boardwalk, starting at the North Cape Windmill Farm, following sheer cliffs of from 30 feet to 40 feet on one side, almost two km to the remains of an isolated rock column just a good leap offshore. (Don’t try it.)

Off the cliff side lies the endless seascape of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and at certain points, the beach is accessible at low tide. The boardwalk readily accommodates wheelchairs, but it is not accessible to motorized vehicles, and bicycles are not welcomed.

The trail passes through scrub woodlands taking a side trip of a couple of hundred yards into Black Marsh, with its unique flora. Here is a raised resting platform and look off. The Marsh, (probably more technically correct, a bog), covers a very extensive area on the cliff tops, with the Marsh extension barely penetrating its edge. Dozens of varieties of coarse plants unique to the Marsh may be seen, with their tiny colourful flowers in appropriate seasons.

In addition to marsh birds and common birds of the Island on one side, from the cliff you may see terns and gulls, cormorants, loons, scoter, old squaw. Eider and harlequin ducks, gannets, and bald eagles.