Chief Sark's Natural Area, Conway Narrows

 

The Chief Jack Sark Memorial Natural Area is now an Island Nature Trust property. The boundary has not been made public yet, but it is located in the area of Rocky Point and includes a significant shoreline. I have been on this shore before, but this fall (October 14), I made a special outing to check out the area in more detail. The closest boat launch for the Rocky Point area would be Milligan's Wharf. I don't necessarily like to launch from commercial wharves if I have other options. If you don't mind adding a bit of paddling to get into the Conway Narrows, the end of Wharf Road (off Brooks Rd) is a great option. The Wharf Road shore launch is also a great put-in if you are looking at exploring the Brooks River and/or the Southwest Creek.

Chief Sark's NA, Conway Narrows

The day was near perfect for a kayak paddle – not too hot and perfectly calm waters! Except, it turned out that the water levels (tides) were a bit low, but I still managed okay. My first shore stop to explore the Chief Sark NA was in the Conway Narrows just east of the Brooks River mouth. I had a great walk on the shore, taking pictures of the calm shoreline scenery and the erratic boulders/rocks. I did peek into the shore forest, but I left that for another year, when I have the boundary lines.

Chief Sark's NA shoreline

my Shearwater 14ft kayak

As I approached Rocky Point, I was able to capture pictures of two mature Bald Eagles perched there. It's always great to see – even though they are pretty common nowadays in western PEI. After Rocky Point, I paddled NE to see if I could find a channel with deeper water. I ran out of water to paddle, so I walked a bit further, but I couldn't find any deeper water. If I had walked another 300m, I would probably have found the eastern Hardy Channel, but I wasn't about to drag or carry my kayak for 500m.

Bald Eagles (Rocky Point)

Common Glasswort

There was enough deep water near shore to paddle as far as the large marsh near Josephine Shore. I went ashore for lunch and then explored the northern part of the marsh. I would have liked to go further (i.e., Peter Creek), but it was time to head home. The return paddle was okay, but there were close calls in some areas due to low water levels. You just need to follow the white buoys that the locals have installed.

Eel net (Conway Narrows)

Large marsh near Josephine Shore

Hardy's Channel, Conway Narrows

 

Black Huckleberry patch on the sandhills

Track follows channel markers (4.3 km from Milligan's Wharf)

In late September 2025, three young Sperm whales beached themselves on the north shore's sand dunes in the area of Hardy's Channel (Conway Narrows). By September 30, all three whales had died and were left on the shore of the sand hills (Gulf side). The precise location wasn't given, but from the description and photos, I had a pretty good idea of the possible locations. On October 12, I paddled to Hardy's Channel from the Brooks River launch point (end of Wharf Rd). There was a slight breeze, but not enough to be a serious issue. On the way, I made a stop on the sandhills and went for a nature walk. I did come across large patches of Bearberries, Broom Crowberries, and colourful Huckleberries. 

Bearberries

Starry False Solomon Seal

 
Afterwards, I continued SE in Hardy's Channel in search of the whales. When I got to the Hardy's Channel opening (to the Gulf), I first went ashore on the north side looking for the beached whales. There were no signs of them on the north side, but with my binoculars, I spotted them on the other side of the channel opening. After a short paddle across the channel, I went ashore and made my way to the whale site. The only other life close to the site was seagulls (i.e. no eagles or vultures). The whales were still relatively intact but quite flattened by their great weight on land. There was a strong smell, but not an extreme one (yet). After taking some photos, I headed back to the kayak and paddled back to the Brooks River launch in one stretch (5 km). The tide was low, so I had to stay in the channel all the way back (i.e. no shortcuts).

Three Sperm whales (all dead by Sep 30)

Looking pretty sad on land

Hardy's Channel opening to Gulf