From Souris one may take a ferry which sails to Iles-de-la Madeleine in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Confederation Trail trailhead here is the southern end of a spur running south from the Prince Edward Island Railway mainline from Harmony Junction, near New Harmony, PEI. The trailhead is at Breakwater Street, quite near the old end of the line of the spur. There are picnic tables and shelters here and an interpretive sign relating a bit of information on Iles-de-la Madeleine. This section is a relatively short hike or bike (or snowmobile ride in the winter) of nine kilometres, north to Harmony Junction. There one will encounter a wye, allowing one to continue east to Elmira and the Elmira railway station and museum, or west all the way to Tignish, near the northwestern tip of the Island.
Completed in August of 2000, the main section of Confederation Trail consists of 274 kilometres of mainline rail bed of the old
Prince Edward Island Railway (PEIR), running from Tignish in the west, to Elmira in the east.
Construction of the railway began in 1871 but costs came to be much greater than anticipated, nearly bankrupting the province. Ironically, though PEI is considered the "Cradle of Canadian Confederation", as the initial meeting on Canadian Confederation was held in Charlottetown, PEI chose not to join Confederation in 1867. The burden of debt caused by the construction of the PEIR, however, forced the province (then still a British Colony) to approach Canada for financial aid. In exchange for Canada's assuming its debt and continuing with construction of the railway, PEI joined Confederation in 1873, to become Canada's seventh province. By 1875 the railway was essentially complete, serving all major shipping points. In the latter part of the twentieth century increasing costs and alternative transportation methods slowly eroded the railway's ability to support itself. On December 31, 1989 the final train left the Island and the railway was gone forever, the railbeds abandoned. In 1994 the province purchased the entire rail corridor and the Prince Edward Island Rail Trail, soon to become the Confederation Trail, began to take shape.
In addition to the main line are side spurs consisting of an additional 161 kilometres making the total length of trail 435 kilometres. The side spurs, for the most part, also follow railway spur lines, meaning that nowhere on the trail is the gradient steeper than 2%. The majority of the trail surface consists of rolled stone dust over the railway ballast while, in towns and cities, the trail is often paved. Were one to hike or bike the entire trail, they would be able to experience essentially all the culture and scenery that PEI has to offer, and PEI is a beautiful province. It should be noted that neither horses nor motorized vehicles are allowed on the trail. In the winter, however, it becomes a snowmobile only trail, groomed by the
PEI Snowmobile Association.
Here is a map of all snowmobile trails on the Island, approximately 650 kilometres of groomed trail in total.
Here is the map of Confederation Trail and
here is the map of Confederation Trail, as part of the Trans Canada Trail.
Confederation Trail is PEI's contribution to the
Trans Canada Trail (TCT), the longest hiking and cycling trail in the world. Currently just over 18,000 kilometres long, it is hoped that, by 2017, the 25th anniversary of the TCT, the trail will be complete, stretching 24,000 kilometres in total. Prince Edward Island was the first of the provinces to complete its section of the TCT.
The Confederation Trail
The Confederation Trail was developed on abandoned railway beds, and takes you across the Island, past wetlands and through hardwood groves, through quaint villages, and along sparkling rivers.
The Confederation Trail was completed in August 2000, and was designated Prince Edward Island's portion of the Trans Canada Trail; the first province to complete its section. Since then, Island communities have been working to add spur connections and to provide upgraded amenities to the trail.
In the summer season, activity on the Confederation Trail is limited to walking, hiking, running, cycling, and is accessible to wheelchairs. In the snow months it is turned over exclusively to snowmobile use. Alternative trails for equestrian use are provided in both the western and eastern areas of the Island.
From Island Trails
CONFEDERATION TRAIL
When Prince Edward Island's railway was abandoned in 1989 Islanders were quick to notice a unique opportunity. The idea of a tip-to-tip shared use walking and cycling trail in the summer and a snowmobile trail in the winter was born. With beautiful rolling hill scenery, quaint villages and broad bay seascapes, the Confederation Trail is Prince Edward Island's portion of the Trans Canada Trail.
The 435 kilometers of rolled stone dust trail has gentle gradients which never exceed 2% (up or down). This Island wide exploration corridor is ideal for visitors of all fitness levels. The Main Trail starts in Tignish at kilometer 0 and ends in Elmira at kilometer 273. Branch trails extend into the heart of Charlottetown and to the waterside communities of Souris, Georgetown, Montague, Wood Islands, Murray River and Murray Harbour, plus the link to the Confederation Bridge in Borden-Carleton. Without any real wilderness in PEI, frequent villages along the Trail offer cyclist and hiker's a convenient selection of accommodations, food and services.
The Confederation Trail is a geocaching hotspot with over 1600 geocache sites along the route. Also, PEI's 110 kilometer portion of the International Appalachian Trail begins in Borden-Carleton, after hiker's are shuttled across the Confederation Bridge they mainly hike on the Confederation Trail until its exit point at the Wood Islands ferry terminal. Prince Edward Island is rich in picturesque scenery, cultural and musical talent, culinary delights and Canadian heritage. This wonderful piece of Canada has countless adventures to offer and is best explored by bicycle or foot along the Confederation Trail.
From Tourism PEI