Description

While in Ottawa researching thehistory of Prince Edward IslandNational Park, I fell into conversationwith a Parks Canada employee. Uponhearing my topic, he grinned, 'Well, if snot really a national park, is it?"The nature of the Island's parklends itself to such sniping. It isCanada's smallest national park, littlemore than a strip of reclaimed farmlandgrowing back into scrub. Drivingalong the highway that runs throughthe strip, the park's boundaries —fields and cottages on one side, theGulf of St. Lawrence on the other —are always within sight. The park's statusas one of the most popular inCanada doesn't help in purists' eyes;this only proves that it cannot providea true wilderness experience.