Paddle The Park

4 days sea-kayaking Inn-to-Inn on Prince Edward Island

This inn-to-inn trip takes you the full length of PEI National Park and past a cross-section of some of the Island's best scenery. There is no better way to appreciate the varied shoreline of the National Park, and no better way to see its rich birdlife, than to paddle along its shores. Cliffs, beaches, saltmarshes, coves, and snug harbours - everything looks different when you see it from the cockpit of a sea kayak. Each night we'll stay in some of the North Shore's finest inns, enjoying comfortable rooms and great dining. This trip is suitable for novice to intermediate paddlers.

Day One We'll meet you at your accommodation in Charlottetown at 8:30, and from there drive about 40 mins to our launch site on New London Bay. Here we'll pack our boats, help you get fitted, provide you with some on-shore instruction, and then launch the kayaks. We'll practice paddling strokes once on the water so that you feel comfortable maneuvering your boat, then head out past New London Light, which marks the long sandspit that protects the bay. Our route takes us past the famous long, sandy beaches of Cavendish, where we'll stay at a cozy country inn (either Kindred Sprits or Shining Waters).

Day Two After a hearty breakfast, it's back in the kayaks. This next stretch is one of our favourite paddles on the Island, past red sandstone cliffs that rear thirty to forty feet up from the water. Cormorants and other shorebirds abound, and you may even spot a lobster through the clear waters. We'll picnic in one of the little coves at the foot of the cliffs before slipping into quiet Rustico Bay. There we'll find the gorgeous five-star Barachois Inn, a luxurious finish to a day of spectacular paddling. Dinner is at Dayboat Restaurant, a 5-min drive away, reknowned for its fresh and creative seafood cuisine.

Day Three After an elegant breakfast at the Inn, we set out this morning along the edge of Robinson's Island, a long, wooded peninsula of the National Park. It's a great place for a quiet beach walk. Alternatively (depending on the weather) we'll stay inside Rustico Bay and explore the nooks and crannies of the shoreline around Wheatley River and Brackley Beach. Our accommodation tonight is Shaw's Hotel, a peaceful inn on 75 acres overlooking Brackley Bay. Shaw's has an excellent restaurant on-site.

Day Four You'll start your day with a delicious breakfast before we embark on our final day of paddling, which will bring us almost to the eastern end of the Park. Weather will dictate our choice of routes: along the sandy beaches on the north side, or through Brackley Bay to Covehead Bay, whose shores are framed by saltmarshes. We'll finish at stunning Dalvay-by-the-Sea, a heritage hotel right in the Park, and enjoy their famous high tea before our drive back to Charlottetown.

Notes
This trip is suitable for intermediate paddlers. The North Shore is more exposed than some other areas of the Island, but there are a number of sheltered bays if weather conditions don't allow us to follow our regular course.

2008 Dates
July 17-20
August 14-17

Length: 4 days
Price: $1599

To book this trip call toll free at 1-800-207-3899.