PEI’s north shore sandhill barrier islands have a total length
of 40 km. I can finally say that I have paddled/sailed the full extent of the sandhills
from Malpeque Bay (Fish Island) to the Kildare River estuary. On August 3rd,
I was going to an INT evening event in Alberton, so I came earlier in the day
with my kayak and did a paddle in the Kildare River estuary from the bridge on
R12. What a great place to explore!
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After launching from the end of the R12 bridge, I headed east towards the sandhills. As I approached the sandhills, I noticed that the current was fairly strong – the tide was going out. At the sandhills, I made a left turn (north) and went as far as I could in the shallow waters of the estuary. I went ashore to explore and check out the beach on the gulf side. The sandhill is narrow at this location (150m) and easily walked. I noticed a few plant species to photograph for iNaturalist including a few nice shrubs of Smooth Gooseberries. Luckily, I had a container and collected a few cups for some delicious gooseberry jam. See my iNaturalist page for August 3, 2022 - HERE.
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After my shore visit, I paddled south along the sandhill for about 1 km. I would have liked to go further, but I was worried about getting back with the lowering tide conditions. Before starting to paddle back, I went ashore for another walk and a snack. At this spot, I noticed a few building structures on the sandhills (cottage, TBD). There’s no power or services here, and these buildings would be very exposed to storms (e.g. Dorian 2019, Fiona 2022). On my return to the R12 bridge, I decided to take the same route back. This route seems to be the marked channel used by boat traffic. I would have liked to explore the SE side of the estuary but it would have been a paddling issue with the low tide.
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On the return paddle, it was nice to see so many seagulls,
herons, and shorebirds. The Kildare River estuary is definitely an area that needs more paddling and exploring in the
future. Next year, time the outing better with higher tides, and don’t forget
containers for the gooseberries!
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| The Kildare River estuary |
Also, it would be interesting to paddle up the Kildare River towards Montrose. The river’s name seems to change to Montrose at some point. As well, there’s a large tributary to the east before Montrose (named the Huntley River on some maps).
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Sep 10, 2023 paddle (17ft Merganser kayak).
For the iNaturalist posting of the day - Click HERE.
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| Track, 10Sep2023 (16 km) |
On Sep 10, 2023, I explored the Kildare River estuary by launching my Merganser 17ft kayak at the point in Northport. The tides were not at their highest, but I managed to get around. On the way back, I did a walk on the north shore of Oultons Island. This is a great paddle with a good variety of habitats, nature, and scenery. It's on my list for a yearly visit (but at higher tides).
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