Red Point Provincial Park (July 2018)

Red Point Provincial Park Beach

Red Point Provincial Campground and Day Use Beach is just north of Souris on the northeast coast of PEI. It is a very relaxed park overlooking the Northumberland Straight with views over to 

Cape Breton on a clear day.

Lifeguards on Red Point Beach

Our home parked at Red Point

We'd try for sites up on the ridge next time

Amazing tent and small rig sites on the cliff

Miles of beach

Loving the Lupins - top of the cliff

We arrived on Monday and are here until Saturday (July 21st). The weather has been beautiful outside of one rainy day which we appreciated as a "forced" relax day around the camper.

Yesterday was calm and not too hot so we went kayaking on the Fortune River (Paddles on Fortune River). There was a $5. fee to lower Scott's kayak down the cliff using their pully system, fair enough. My 2 hour rental was $35 CAD. Great fun and good exercise offsetting our stop at the Ice Cream Shoppe on the Souris Causeway before heading back. Yummy!!

Plenty of flavour choices

Lobster Shack Souris Causeway

Today warmed up quite a bit so it's off to the beach a short walk away. 

Day use is free and the beach here is definitely worth a visit.  The water is warmer than on the north shore, the beach is gorgeous white sand, tides move in and out leaving new ground to explore. We haven’t seen it crowded yet but if it is when you visit just walk to the right past the first bit of land jutting out and there is another very long white beach.

Park Specific Info in case you are heading that way:

Red Point Campground Map

We really like this park however the campground map on the website was very vague. Here is a picture of the one we got when we checked in. There are some gorgeous sites on the water but contrary to the norm some of the sites towards the back of the park, away from the water have the best views. It is a short walk to access the beach over by the day use area. Would be easy to stay the day after you’ve checked out if you weren’t needing to travel too much further that night.

All sites are grassy which is a great help in keeping the motor home clean. Showers / washrooms are clean. Two playgrounds for the kids, laundry with 3 washers and 3 dryers. Fire pits are concrete or truck tire rims.

We are in site 3 (2-way $32 CAD per night) which I consider to be in the lower section of the park, closer to the water. It is fine however our view varies depending on what is parked in front of us on the water side. I would try to avoid sites 1 and 2 if possible.

Sites 9,10,21-26 overlook the cliff at the waters edge and accommodate primarily tents, tent trailers and conversion vans.

Sites 7,8,20,A can accommodate larger rigs but are very uneven. One A Class we saw had their front wheels off the ground around a foot.

Sites 30-53 are nicely treed if you are looking for a bit of shade.

Sites 54-56 and 105-111 have the best views in our opinion. They are a little further from the beach but up higher on the hill with unobstructed views. These are also 3-way sites.

What to do in the area:

East Point Lighthouse is 15 minutes away at the Northeast tip of PEI. Beautiful lighthouse with a long history.

Souris is 10 minutes south and boasts a lighthouse, places to eat, a boardwalk and beach, a grocery store, Dollarstore and gas. If you looking for music watch for signs in Souris or check out the billboard on the side of the campsite office for local goings on.

Tanner at Souris Lighthouse

Souris Lighthouse

Elmira Railway Museum – we went a few years ago and enjoyed the visit.

Basin Head Provincial Park (Day Use Only – free entrance) is very close.  In addition to one of the best beaches in the Atlantic provinces, there is a Fisheries Museum (small cost), ice cream, food, washrooms and change facilities.  There used to be a fish cannery on the wharf . The wharf is still there and extenuates the tide which means you can swim in and out, depending on the tide, very quickly. There are signs advising you not to jump from the bridge which most ignore. It’s great to watch (used to jump years ago but now we swim through without jumping). Basin head gets very busy and parking can be difficult with a big rig. I really don’t recommend this unless you get there very early or plan to stay late, turning around would be tough  The parking lot doesn’t offer big rig parking so the side of the road would be best but again, turning around would be a challenge).

North Lake – In season (August) Tuna fishermen bring their catches in to North Lake. Buyers from around the world but particularly Japan are on hand to evaluate and taste the catches before sending them off overseas. Fishing charters are available from North Lake.

Scenic Stop # 68  The beach just around the corner can also be accessed from the main road, tourist stop 68 and would be an ideal place to put in a kayak or paddle board on a calm day as there are no steps down to the beach. however I wouldn’t recommend it in a big rig as the road in is narrow and you may have difficulty turning around.