Provincial park officially opens

Bonshaw Hills features more than 20 kilometres of trails

A 693-acre park officially opened Friday in Bonshaw Hills.

The Bonshaw Hills Provincial Park features more than 20 kilometres of trails.

The park’s main trail was named Ji’ka’we’katik (pronounced Jih Ga Way Ga Dog) to honour the traditions and history of P.E.I.’s First Nations. It means “the place where bass are plentiful’’ in Mi’kmaq.

“The indigenous Mi’kmaq have been on this Island for 12,000 years and have always had an inherently close connection with the land and water,’’ said Lennox Island First Nation Chief Matilda Ramjattan.

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“It is beautiful areas such as this that remind us of where we come from where we should be.’’

More than 480 acres of land has been incorporated into the park through the efforts of the Bonshaw Hills Public Lands Committee, which has been instrumental in the development of the park and construction of many kilometres of new trails.

An accessible, natural playground has been developed at the park, along with solar-powered sanitation facilities and expanded parking at the north and south trail entries.