Cavendish Campground closes for season after 'significant change to the landscape'

Cavendish Campground in P.E.I. National Park will remain closed for the remainder of the year due to damage from Hurricane Dorian, Parks Canada says.

The campground was due to close at the end of the month, but fallen trees and debris have made the area unsafe, said Arja Romaniuk, visitor safety and fire co-ordinator for P.E.I. National Park.

"Some of the areas are still not accessible due to heavy tree damage," she said. "Getting into Cavendish Campground has been quite a challenge."

The campground closed early Saturday and the area was evacuated before the storm hit, she said.

She said Parks Canada is thankful nobody was hurt in the storm, but the area won't look the same when it reopens.

"It's heartbreaking looking at a lot of the trees and stuff that have come down. It's a significant change to the landscape."

She said crews from other national parks are arriving this week to help with the cleanup.

Stairs washed away

Parks Canada is still surveying the damage and extent of any coastal erosion, but said some stairs at Stanhope's main beach and Brackley Beach were washed away.

Here are the details of site openings and closures:

• Green Gables Heritage Place reopened at noon. The trails at Green Gables will remain closed until a safety assessment has been completed.
• Greenwich Interpretation Centre and beach complex reopened at noon.
• Stanhope Campground is closed for the season, as per regular scheduled operations.
• All trails administered by Parks Canada in P.E.I., including those throughout P.E.I. National Park and Skmaqn-Port-la-Joye-Fort Amherst National Historic Site, will remain closed until safety assessments have been completed.
• Robinsons Island Road in Brackley remains closed until further notice.
• Hammies Lane in Cavendish, P.E.I. National Park, remains closed to everyone except residents and emergency vehicles.
• Grahams Lane in Cavendish is open.
• Access to Cavendish Main Beach is open but washrooms there are closed.
• Churchill Avenue in North Rustico, P.E.I. National Park, is now open.
• Gulf Shore Parkway East from Brackley to Covehead is now open.

Some guests weathered the storm in Bungalow Court Cottages in Cavendish, according to owner Gavin Ren. Ren said he rents the land from Parks Canada.

He said his guests are safe, but there were some trees that fell and minor damage to some cottages.

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