Follow the red dirt road: Jay Scotland experiences P.E.I.'s heritage roads
Jesara Sinclair | CBC News | Posted: November 3, 2017 7:00 PM | Last Updated: November 3, 2017
'You hear the leaves, you see the colours. It's really, really good for your soul'
Characterized by red clay and a canopy of trees, P.E.I. has 11 designated heritage roads across the Island that are protected from asphalt, logging and snowplows.
CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland got to experience the fall colours on Junction Road, near Hartsville, P.E.I.
"They're a wonderful asset to the province," Ruth DeLong, the trails community relations co-ordinator with P.E.I.'s Department of Tourism, told Scotland.
"I think it's the peacefulness. I think it's the chance that you can get out here — you hear the leaves, you see the colours. It's really, really good for your soul."
The roads were designated in 1987, and many of the landowners along the roads have agreed to leave a "buffer zone" of trees along the roads, preserving the tunnel of trees.
Deep snow not an issue
The roads are also left unplowed in the winter, meaning they sometimes have deep snow.
Barb Trainor, a board member with Island Trails, said that's good news for hikers.
"That's not an issue, in fact, that's an asset for us," she said. "Frequently when we go out snowshoeing, they're totally pristine, no one's been through there and we have to pack our own trail, which is really absolutely gorgeous.
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