Touring - Best time to tour Prince Edward Island?

I've heard that the best time to tour PEI is during the off season (Sept-Oct) but I'm wondering if there are other good touring times. Anybody done a tour of the island? I'd like to schedule a week to tour around there, staying at camp grounds and camping in the state forest. Just wondering how crowded the camp grounds would be in say July or August. thanks!

Yup - they are very crowded but you are so very little. They can usually find a spot to tent. Traffic is heavy but people are usually in no hurry. The best time to discover PEI? Any time you can!! Love it :love:

Check out this link: http://www.canadatrails.ca/tct/tctpe.html

It deals specifically with PEI and has links to people/places that might be able to help answer your question.

Ray

The one time I toured there was early September (Labour/Labor Day week). Crowds were already gone but the weather was still warm. I recall being very surprised that lots of places were already closing for the season. We ate at a seafood shack on the north coast about an hour before they closed for the year.

I spent two night at PEI National park around the 10th of august 2008 and didn't have problem finding a campsite.

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Hello:

We have been planning a family (5) trip to PEI in mid-September the traditional way - rent a van etc. It seems like a perfect time to go, still great weather, MUCH quieter people wise, somewhat cheaper accommodation, etc.

At the risk of hijacking your thread (Mods, please move it if you feel that way).........

However, we just got a Trek T900 tandem, highly customized by a previous owner. Our Tandem seems to have changed all of our plans! We are thinking of getting a second one and doing at least part of PEI on our bikes. I will no doubt have MANY questions but the most important one so far is "What is bike theft like in PEI". We live in Toronto and I would presume it is way less than that. I'm sure we could bring our bikes inside to the motels/cabins etc. we stay at but if we pop into a small museum for a couple hours, what are the chances of still having a ride back? We would probably NOT be in Charlottetown when we hit the road on our bikes.

Thanks and I look forward to reading some of the great adventure stories told in these forums.

I have camped there at labour day weekend with no problem. You should also consider taking the ferry from PEI to the Magdalen Islands (Iles Madeleine).

We were in PEI in early October 2006 and the weather was still nice. We were able to free camp on the bike path (although such things are not technically encouraged). It will be busy in the summer but PEI is a pretty laidback place and I think you'd be pretty unlucky to not get a campsite. Make sure to go to the lobster supper in New Glasgow and there's a great campsite just up the hill. Maybe called the Highland Campsite? It's hard to remember but a great place and the only one around, at least when we were there. As for bike theft, I think you'd be very unfortunate to have a bike stolen. This is overwhelmingly rural Canada and on the extremely low end of the risk scale.

I'd suggest the last couple weeks of August.

I figured as much about the theft "problem" plus the bikes would be well locked up - to Toronto standards. I was just slightly concerned that since PEI seems to be a very popular cycling destination there would likely be a large number of high end bikes, thus possibly attracting the wrong crowd.

Thanks for your thoughts.

I think bike thieves are opportunists and PEI is pretty isolated. Plus tandem aren't an easy target. I left bike locked at the busy tourist info in Charlottetown for about 15-20 minutes. Not sure I even locked it but my gear was up for grab and nothing happened. Of course, it takes one person and a few seconds to ruin everything, anywhere.

If you plan to ride a significant amount on the Confederation trail, I suggest 35mm minimum. The surface is a bit coarse. If my memory is correct, sites 18 and 19 were the nicest at the Stanhope campground at PEI Nat'l park.

PEI is hilly!


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