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The Breathtaking Prince Edward Island National Park: Everything You Need To Know

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Categories North America, Prince Edward Island, Travel

Prince Edward Island National Park is a Canadian National Park run by Parks Canada.

It’s a must-see when visiting Prince Edward Island. This national park features red cliffs, wind-shaped sand dunes, and the ocean meeting the horizon. It’s unbelievably beautiful! 

I’ll admit, when I was researching Prince Edward Island National Parks I was kind of confused. As it turns out, there’s only one National Park on the entire Island, but it has three unique sections. 

The Prince Edward Island National Park spans three locations across the northern shore of the Island: Cavendish, Brackley-Dalvay Beach, and Greenwich.

Each section offers a vastly different landscape to admire and unique activities to explore. 

With so much to do, it can be quite overwhelming. So I’m going to go over everything you need to know about visiting each section of the Prince Edward Island National Park.  

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

The Ultimate Guide To Prince Edward Island National Park: Looking out on Mackenzies Brook

Prince Edward Island National Park Basic Information

I’ll quickly go over some basic information about visiting the Prince Edward Island National Park…

How Much Does It Cost?

There is an admission fee to enter the PEI National Park.

Parks Canada charges a different rate based on time of year and age group (p.s. admission is free for people 17 and under!). See ticket options for when you’re visiting.

You can also buy an annual Discovery Pass that works for any attraction across Canada a part of Parks Canada. 

covehead lighthouse pei popping up behind the messy grass growing on sand dunes. It's white and red, and not the tallest of the pei lighthouses. The clouds aer in perfect puffs, but only across the middle of the photo, it creates the appearance that they are moving.

Psst! Stay organized when planning your trip to PEI with my printable digital travel planner.

Is The Park Open All Year Round?

The National Park is technically open all year round because access is always open to the park, even through the winter.

But the gates and kiosks where you can buy tickets are only staffed from June to September.

On top of that, information centres and facilities (i.e. bathrooms) are closed during the shoulder season from May to June, and again from September to October.

When we visited in October we didn’t know where to buy tickets so we drove right through. My sister had the same experience when she visited the following June.

If you’re visiting in the winter, the roads are plowed and cleared enough to drive through, and some parking lots are cleared as well.

two red chairs sit on a raised wood balcony overlooking the prince edward island national-park.The red sand turns into grass before it meets the water and eventually meets the sky all the way in the distance.

Understanding The PEI National Park (Map)

As I said, the Prince Edward Island National Park stretches along north shore of the Island. 

There are actually three different sections to the same park: Brackley-Dalvay, Cavendish, and Greenwich.

There are points of interest at each that you’ll want to check out.

Related

The 10 Best Prince Edward Island Lighthouses You Won’t Want To Miss

pei national parks map graphic map. The Map highlights three sections of Prince Edward Island National Park. On the left, green area represents the Cavendish section of the park. There are arrows pointing out with highlights of the area: Mackenzie's Brooke, Cape Turner, and Green Gable Heritage Place. There's even a blown up icon of the Mackenzie's Brooke red archway. Followiing a white dotted line you're lead to the middle section in Navy Blue: Brackley Dalvey. Highlighted areas are Robinson's Island, Covehead lighthouse (with a graphic popping out of a white and red lighthouse), and Dalvey-by -the Sea. The white lines lead you out of the park until you reach a little red graphic car, underneath it says scenic drive. On the right of the map, on the edge, is the third section of the park, represented by purple - Greenwich. An arrows sticks out pointing to a graphic of white docks floating on water, with text saying Greenwich Dunes Trail: floating docks.
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Cavendish Section PEI National Park

To make matters even more complicated, within the sections, there are also sub-sections.

So within the Cavendish section of the National Park there’s the Cavendish Beach AND the North Rustico section.

Cavendish Beach

The Cavendish Beach is probably the best known section of the National Park.

Obviously, you can come here for the beach. To get to the beach, you actually have to pass by the giant natural sand dunes that stand in your way of reaching the water!

But there’s a bit more to Cavendish Beach than just the beach…

cavendish beach prince edward island national park. The water is slowly making it;s way onto the shore, there isn't a big beach you can sit on before the sand starts building into a sand dune along the right edge of the frame. Taking over the sand dune is grass that started to grow on it.

If you’re a fan of Anne of Green Gables, this is where Lucy Maud Montgomery enjoyed spending her time.

If you’ve read the novels, you might notice there’s a Lake of Shining Waters. But this is NOT the inspiration for her books. This is just a lake that happens to have the same name. You’ll find the inspiration for the Anne of Green Gables Lake of Shining Waters at Silver Bush Farms.

There’s are also a few trails in the area that you can hike or bike. For starters, Cavendish Dunelands Trail, actually starts on a floating dock that crosses the Lake of Shining waters and takes you behind the sand dunes.

Or the most popular is the Homestead Trail, which is a peaceful walk through the forest.

Cavendish Beach is also one of the two areas in the PEI National Park where you can camp in.

a sandy trail leading you further into nature, possibly towards the water far off in the distance. There isn't a tree in site. The greenery comes from the different floral and low grass on the grand. There is a mountain in the distance, a sand dune completely covered in grass

North Rustico Section

The North Rustico section of the park is near, well, North Rustico.

It should really be a different section of the park, since the terrain varies wildly from that of the Cavendish beach area.

It also might be one of my favourite parts of Prince Edward Island National Park. This section is all about the incredible red rocks of PEI! 

You’re mainly driving through this ssection of the park as the shoreline isn’t accessible for the most part. There are small parking areas for you to stop at the points of interests along the drive.

cape turner viewpoint. The lens seems to have some water on it from the wind, the photo seems a tad hazy. The water is coming up to the red rocks leading up the cliff to land. There is quite a steep drop to the water below, you don't want to fall here!

You’ll want to see Mackenzie’s Brook sea arch, a peek-a-boo rock structure (that’s since broken in half), and Cape Turner, a jaw dropping lookout of the ocean and the red rocks.  

I just need to add a small footnote on Mackenzie’s Brook; there are stairs leading you to the beach but then it’s another 10 minute walk to the rocks. And make sure to keep an eye on the tide ad when it’s going to be high, by checking the tide schedule.

2022 Update: After tropical storm Fiona, the sea arch was weakened. It finally collapsed during hurricane Nicole… You can of course still go see where it used to stand, but it will not look the same.

mackenzies brook sea arch prince edward island photographed in 2021. A large red sea wall juts out from the side of the cliffs edge, there's a small hole, creating an archway to walkthrough. The photograph was taken at high tide so the water is crashing in to the archway and the sea cliffs.
RIP Mackenzie’s Brooke… Photographed in 2021

Is Green Gables A Part Of The PEI National Park?

Technically, Anne of Green Gables Heritage Place is actually a part of the Cavendish section of the Prince Edward Island National Park.  

Parks Canada bought the house and the surrounding land from the MacNeill family (Montgomery’s cousins). It was only once the family decided to move out that Parks Canada reworked it to look like Green Gables. 

Even though it isn’t actually Green Gables (because that’s a fictional place…), this is the farm that inspired it. It also isn’t just the house, there are two walking trails through PEI forests: Lover’s Lane and the Ghost trail (based on the novel).

If you are interested in visiting Green Gables, it does require a separate ticket from the National Park, UNLESS you have a Parks Canada Discovery Pass.

Anne of Green Gables Organized Tours With Viator

This Viator half day tour takes you on a drive through along North Rustico along Cavendish beach, before stopping to tour the inspirational farmhouse for Anne of Green Gables.

See more Prince Edward Island organized tours with Viator.

green gables heritage place national park pei. A white and green house, the epitome of the description of Green gables from the novels Anne of Green Gables. Green grass leads your eye to a triangle roofed house with a second rectangular part attached to it. The roofs are painted green, along the with accents around the doors and windows. The shingle on the facade are painted a crisp white. There's a white picket fence in front of the rectangle portion of the house and lush green tree in front. the sky is a bright blue with the remnants of a cloud in the top left corner leaving the frame.

Brackley – Dalvay Beach Section

The Brackley-Dalvay is probably the largest section of the PEI National Park.

It’s called the Brackley-Dalvay section, but it encapsulates so much more than just those beaches.

Covehead Lighthouse & Harbour

The main point of interest in the Brackley-Dalvay section is the Covehead lighthouse. It’s surrounded by sand dunes and overlooks the beach. 

Across from the lighthouse you’ll find the Covehead Harbour. This is where you can sign up to go deep-sea fishing or stop for lunch!

Another good spot for lunch is right outside the National Park at the Dunes Café and Gallery.

Related

The 10 Best Prince Edward Island Lighthouses You Won’t Want To Miss

the covehead lighthouse in pei national park. It's a small lighthouse, just slightly raised off of the sand floor below it. There are also long tuffs of grass that stuck up out of the bottom of the frame and continue upward to create a small sand dune on the left. White clouds are spotted throughout the sky.

The Beaches At Brackley-Dalvay

The Brackley-Dalvay section has the most number of beaches in the Prince Edward Island National Park. So if you’re looking for a beach, there’s no shortages to choose from here!

First off, there’s obviously the Brackley and Dalvay beach. But there’s also Shaws beach, Stanhope Cape beach, and Ross Lane beach.

Like Cavendish beach, these beaches are shaped by the sand dunes in the background.

Some of the beaches are also supervised during high season between July and August, which is great if you’re travelling with kids. 

If you’re interested in a quieter beach on red rocks, there may be a secret beach on Robinson’s Island (but more on that in a bit…).

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covehead beach pei national park. A relaxing image of the calming beaches on prince edward island. You can tell it's a windier day because the water has a lot of white ripples crashing into the shoreline. The beach is a narrow strip of land going off into the distance. But the beach doesn't last long because grass starts sprouting out of the sand, until it fully takes over on the sand dune on the right of the frame.

Robinson’s Island PEI National Park

Robinson’s Island is at the tip of the Brackley-Dalvay section of the National Park. It’s more of a peninsula rather than an island because it’s still attached to land.

There are walking and mountain biking trails to enjoy here. The entire trail takes about an hour to walk and stop at all the viewpoints around the island.

The second half of the trail is a lot nicer to walk through though. This is where the nicest walking trails are and the most gorgeous look out points.

So I recommend skipping the first half of the trail. The trail typically starts directly to the right of the parking lot, but you can actually walk straight down the middle instead and then turn left.

There’s also a secret beach if you can find it! It’s the perfect spot for a private picnic lunch!

2022 Update: Robinson’s Island was damaged during tropical storm Fiona, it is set to reopen in 2024.

a simple narrow gravel travel leads you through the grass and tree on robinsons island.

Dalvay-By-The-Sea

Dalvay-By-The-Sea is another point of interest at the Brackley-Dalvay section of the park.

This former estate is now a Prince Edward Island historical site, with quite a bit going on.

All year round you can visit the grounds and admire the Queen Anne Revival architecture.

During high season, it’s also a luxury resort and with a restaurant you can dine at.

This is also where you can rent bikes if you want to cycle through the National Park instead of driving.

P.S. Looking for a hotel to stay at on Prince Edward Island that isn’t a luxury resort? Check out my hotel recommendations throughout the Island and for every budget! 

a fox in the middle of the road in prince edward island national park. There's a dense forest behind and then the blue sky with some clouds above

PEI National Park Greenwich Dunes

Greenwich is the smallest of the three sections. Just like the other two sections, there are hiking (walking) trails and a beach to enjoy.

But! The main attraction is the floating docks at the end of the Greenwich Dunes Trail.  

The Greenwich Dunes trail is about an hour walk round trip (it takes 20 minutes just to reach the floating docks).

The trail takes you through different PEI terrains, from forest to marsh, to sand dunes and finally the beach.

The floating docks really are spectacular to experience and worth the walk there.

P.S. The Greenwich section is a great addition if you’re planning on driving the Points East coastal drive in Prince Edward Island.

pei national park greenwich dunes trail. A normal wooden dock leading you to a white floating dock over choppy water. The water is interrupted by grass all around it. In the distance is one hill, a sand dune.

What’s The Best Way To See Prince Edward Island National Park?

It’s kind of surprising, but the best way to see the Prince Edward Island National Park is to drive through it.

As I mentioned, you can drive through the Cavendish and Brackley-Dalvay sections of the park. It’s actually known as the Cavendish-Brackley-Dalvey scenic drive.  

Along the road there is a walking/ biking path. But the park is so long that there’s no way you’d be able to make it through (especially walking). Plus, the lookout points are quite far from each other.  

At each main lookout, or point of interest, there’s also a small parking lot where you can safely stop. This way, you know when you should stop to see something. Plus you don’t waste time getting there.

Organized Tours With Viator From Charlottetown

Half day Island drive & Anne of Green Gables Farmhouse tour →

Private driving tour of Prince Edward Island (4 Passengers) →

See more Prince Edward Island organized tours with Viator.

a prince edward island snap shot. The water is slowly leaving the shore. The sand has remnants of the water recently covering it, there's a lot of kelp buildup, adn the colour of the sand become lighter as you near the sand dunes that are covered with long green grass blowing in the wind. On the far right, just above the grass stands a lighthouse looking out onto the water. It's a bright sunny day, but yet there are a surprising amount of clouds in the sky. They become more and more dense the further onto the horizon they are.

You’ll have to leave the park between Cavendish and Brackley-Dalvay.

Along the way I recommend driving through North Rustico for a more scenic drive. You can also stop by The Prince Edward Island Preserve Company for souvenirs or to enjoy a beautiful afternoon tea. 

The Dunes Café and Gallery is also en route and makes a good place to stop for a pick me up between the sections of the park. 

The only part that isn’t included in this scenic drive is the Greenwich section. From the end of the Brackley-Dalvay section, it’s another 40 minute drive to Greenwich.

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9 Prince Edward Lighthouse Printable Postcards

a sun haze photo. Tall green grass lines the bottom of the frame, some strands are glistening in the sun. Beyond the grass is some marshland. Across the water is a snaking floating dock that brings you all the way across to the other shore line in the far distance. Just beyond the marshland is a forest of trees before the sky takes over the top of the image. This is a birds eye view of the floating docks portion of the greenwich dunes trail in Prince edward island national park

Can You Swim At The PEI National Park?

You can swim at the PEI National Park, although keep in mind, it isn’t always safe to do so. There are incoming tides, rip currents and even jellyfish. 

Select beaches will have a lifeguard on duty between July and August (see the schedule).

They also update the water conditions during this time of year, letting you know if it’s safe to swim. 

When it’s safe to swim, it a very popular destination because apparently the water is quite a bit warmer than swimming on any other coast.

That’s because you aren’t actually swimming in the ocean but the Gulf of St Lawerence. Don’t hold me to this though, I didn’t try it for myself.

getting to the beach at national parks pei. There's tall yellow and green grass blowing in the wind. There grass is stopped by a wood and string makeshift railing separating the grass from the sand. Ib the middle is a rickety staircase built into the sand dune to bring you over the edge. The top of the image is purely blue sky

Can You Camp At The Prince Edward Island National Park?

There are two campsites at the National Park: Cavendish and Stanhope campsites.

The campgrounds are open from the beginning of June until September. You can choose from a range of campsite options.

You can rent a regular tent or RV campsite. But they also have two unique camping options: oTENTiks, and bunkies! 

OTENTiks are perfect if you don’t want the hassle of putting up a tent. It blends the fun of a tent with the accessibility of a cabin. They can sleep up to 5 or 6 people.

If you want the escape to nature but still want a proper roof over your head then rent a Bunkie! A Bunkie can sleep between 2 to 4 people. 

This way you don’t have to lug all your camping gear to PEI but you can still enjoy nature of the Island.

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My digital travel planner template has everything you need to plan your vacation. And keep track of your travels every day with my digital and printable travel journal.

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a sun kissed photo of the pei national parks brakley-dalvay section. Stopped on the side of the road, you can see a small portion of a simple fence keeping people off the natural lands of the national park. The middle is a mix of grass with little ponds that are reflecting the sky above it. In the distance are the grassy sand dune hills.

What You’ll Need To Spend A Day At The Parks?

There are a few must-haves when visiting the Prince Edward Island National Park, but of course, this will also depend on what you’re interested in doing!

It’s always a good idea is to pack a lunch. There are a few exceptions, but most destinations are pretty far from any decent place to eat. 

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You might also be interested in…

My digital and printable packing guide on Etsy. Filled with packing planning prompts for your next trip!

Interested in PEI Photography: Photo Gear For The Parks

You will not want to leave your camera at home when visiting the PEI National Park, my camera of choice is always a Nikon DSLR.

You’ll want to make sure to also pack a trusty zoom lens. Some of the scenery can be pretty far away so you’ll be thankful to have that zoom lens with you!

I also made sure to bring my Manfrotto tripod (shop their travel version on Amazon) and lens filters. I brought both a polarizing filter and a Neutral Density filter, make sure to get one that fits your camera lens!.

With the tripod and extra filters, I was able to set up my camera on the beach and get some beautiful long exposure shots. Plus, the tripod came in handy to set up some self-timer photo-ops!

a woman in the right of the photo standing behind a camera on a tripod. She's on the great expanse of the beach, photographing the covehead lighthouse in the distance.

A Day At The Beach Must-Haves!

If you’re planning on setting up at the beach in the summer, obviously you’ll need a spanking new bathing suit.

But don’t forget a water bottle, sunscreen, beach blanket and even an umbrella to keep you safe from the beating sun!

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What You’ll Need For Hiking The Trails

If you’re planning on hitting the trails at the PEI National Park you do not want to leave the bug spray at home!

I was SHOCKED by how buggy the Island still was in October. I can’t even imagine what it would be like during the summer.

I have never seen so many mosquitos, and they were quite vicious too! I came home with an insane amount of mosquito bites on my head.

In terms of footwear, the trails are more walks than hikes, so you don’t really need hiking shoes to walk the PEI National Park. I was fine wearing my Blundstones.

But my new favourite (waterproof) boots are the Columbia Newton Ridge, you can even order a pair on Amazon.

a wide open walking trail on robinson island pei national park. The actual path is small narrow gravel, but there's flat green grass all around you. There's really only one tree. So the path is wide open to the sun beams of the day.

Looking For A Place To Stay In Prince Edward Island? Hotel Recommendations

We stayed at the Great George in Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island. It’s centrally located boutique hotel that offers a unique luxury experience. I mean the bathroom has heated floors – it doesn’t get better than that! Plus, a delicious healthy breakfast was included every morning with your stay. See room rates & availability on Booking.com.

If you aren’t staying in Charlottetown, here are some other hotel recommendations in Prince Edward Island…

We also stayed in Summerside at the Summerside Inn Bed & Breakfast. It’s in a beautiful victorian home and walking distance to the city centre. Plus the host is very nice and helpful, making a delicious breakfast for you! See room rates & availability on Booking.com.

Or, if you’re visiting Prince Edward Island with the family and staying in Cavendish, book the Cavendish Lodge & Cottages. Rent your own private little cottage in a small cottage village. See room rates & availability on Booking.com.

See more accommodations in Prince Edward Island on Booking.com.

Or you might also be interested in reading…

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Hotels On Prince Edward Island: The Best Places To Stay In PEI

the great george hotel charlottetown view from behind some blurred purple and yellow flowerls. There are 3 island style buildings all attached. The only way to tell them apart is by the colour difference. On the left is a light blue building, with one dormer popping out of the roof. Next to it is a yellow building, about the same height, but instead of a single dormer, it has a whole third level. Finally, the largest part of the hotel is in red, it's the widest and tallest with a fourth floor of two dormers sticking out of the roof.
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Read More Prince Edward Island Guides!

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The Ultimate Guide To Prince Edward Island National Park: Looking out on Greenwich Dunes Trail Floating Dock
The Ultimate Guide To Prince Edward Island National Park: Looking out Cavendish Beach Dunes

Save the PEI National Park Map For Future Reference

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Last update on 2024-05-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Amanda

Sunday 3rd of July 2022

Thanks for this helpful guide and map! The PEI National Park website mentions that there is an $8.50 fee for each adult to enter the park in the summer (kids are free). Do you know if you have to pay this fee each time you visit a different location in one day (i.e., $8.50 to visit Cavendish beach, an additional $8.50 to visit Green Gables, another $8.50 to visit Brackley Beach) or does $8.50 cover a full day at any location within the park? Thanks for any info you might have!

Meghan

Monday 4th of July 2022

Hi Amanda,

This is such a good question and one that I'm still wondering about myself! It was low season when I visited so it was free to enter every section of the park (except for Green Gables Heritage Place). I was hoping to get an answer from my sister who was there this past June, but unfortunately it was still low season for her as well and had the same experience as I did.

I'd like to imagine that if you purchase a ticket for the National Park you can come and go as you please into the different sections. Maybe the only place you'd have to pay extra for is the Heritage House just because it's more museum than park!

Sorry I don't have a better answer, still looking for an answer to this question unfortunately

Tara

Monday 13th of June 2022

I found this article REALLY helpful. I initially found the PEI National Park concept difficult to understand - with the separation between the distinct sections. But the way Meghan broke it down, I got it! And plenty of good tips. Thank you for this "Dummies Guide to PEI National Park" lol

Meghan

Thursday 16th of June 2022

Hi Tara,

Thanks so much! I'm so glad my article helped - I was SOOOO confused before visiting PEI with the parks, I actually thought they were all three separate parks :P !