The ambitious Trans Canada Trail aims for 2017 completion!

25 years, 24,000 kilometres, 13 provinces, 6 outdoor sports and one whole lot of wilderness adventure

A multi-sport trail spanning the entire width of Canada – which happens to be the fourth largest country by land area – the Trans Canada Trail is the longest recreational trail in the world and one of the most ambitious ideas in the realm of outdoor adventures. Once complete it will be a whopping 24,000km long, and 80% of Canadians will live within 30 minutes of some part of it.

“We thought it would be nice for Canadians to rediscover their country at a slow speed.” Pierre Camu Co-Founder of the Trans Canada Trail

The Great Trail Launch

Uploaded by TransCanadaTrail SentierTranscanadien on 2016-06-25.

Construction on the trail started back in 1992, and with 87% already completed it currently stretches almost 21,000km with sections for hiking, cycling, canoeing/kayaking, horse riding, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. It’s a community project, and genuinely a gift from Canadians to Canadians, funded by individual and corporate donations with the Canadian government matching 50 cents to every dollar donated. The goal is to complete the trail by 2017 (25 years after its inception and Canada’s 150th anniversary), but with 240 gaps totalling 3,200km of some of Canada’s most remote and wild terrain still to be bridged, it’s a big task!

The hope is that the trail will connect Canadians with Canadians, and with their natural and cultural heritage for generations to come. It can be enjoyed by people of all ages, with a number of benefits for Canada: improving health by inspiring active lifestyles, encouraging conservation, preserving the wild landscape, and stimulating tourism.

You can learn more about the trial and explore the different sections and adventure possibilities here.

 

OAG