Canada's Great Trail - An Overview

Exploring Canada's Great Trail – From the Atlantic to the Pacific and Arctic

Researching the Major Trails, Landscapes, and Routes of the Trans Canada Trail

 

“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.”
T. S. Eliot
 

As we continue researching our proposed hike across Canada, one of the most exciting discoveries has been just how many remarkable trails are connected through the 24,000 km Great Trail, formerly known as the Trans Canada Trail. What initially appeared on a map as a single line stretching across the country has gradually revealed itself to be an extraordinary collection of local pathways, historic railway corridors, wilderness footpaths, cycling routes, roads, and waterways.

 

Although we have already spent considerable time learning about the history and development of the Great Trail, we are now beginning to investigate the individual routes that might eventually lead us from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific and eventually north to the Arctic. Some are well-known destinations that attract hikers and cyclists from around the world. Others are smaller community pathways that we had never heard of before beginning our research.

 

As we study the maps, investigate accommodation and resupply possibilities, and try to imagine what travelling across Canada on foot might involve, we are discovering that the Great Trail offers considerably more than a route between three oceans. It is an opportunity to explore the landscapes, wildlife, histories, and communities that make Canada such a remarkable place.

 

Beginning on the Atlantic Coast – Newfoundland

 

Our proposed journey will begin at Cape Spear, Newfoundland, the easternmost point in North America. From there, we hope to follow the spectacular East Coast Trail, a network of coastal footpaths along the Avalon Peninsula that leads hikers through fishing communities, forests, rocky headlands, and landscapes overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean.

 

The East Coast Trail has attracted attention for several years. Photographs of its enormous sea cliffs, historic lighthouses, seabird colonies, and rugged coastal scenery suggest that it will be an extraordinary place to begin our walk. We are particularly excited about the opportunities to observe Atlantic Puffins, Northern Gannets, seabirds, whales, and the diverse wildlife associated with Newfoundland's coastal ecosystems.

 

After exploring the Avalon Peninsula, our planned route will join the Newfoundland T'Railway Trail, an approximately 883 km former railway corridor crossing the island toward Port aux Basques. Unlike the coastal footpaths of the East Coast Trail, the T'Railway appears to offer a journey through the interior of Newfoundland, passing lakes, forests, wetlands, and remote landscapes that we know relatively little about.  The former railway played an important role in connecting Newfoundland's communities before the railway service was discontinued. Today, its route has become a recreational pathway, offering an opportunity to experience both the province's natural landscapes and part of its history.

 

From Port aux Basques, the route of the Great Trail takes the ferry across the Cabot Strait to Nova Scotia, bringing the first major stage of our cross-Canada journey to an end.

 

The Maritime Provinces – Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick

 

In Nova Scotia, the Great Trail follows a combination of coastal pathways, former railway lines, forest trails, and connecting roads across Cape Breton Island and the mainland. One of the sections we are particularly interested in exploring is the Celtic Shores Coastal Trail, a former railway corridor along Cape Breton's western coast.  The trail promises views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and opportunities to explore communities shaped by Scottish, Acadian, and Mi'kmaq history. We are also looking forward to travelling near the Bras d'Or Lake Biosphere Reserve, an enormous inland sea surrounded by forests, wetlands, and communities whose histories are closely connected to the water.

 

Our research has already raised questions about the Great Trail's route through Nova Scotia. In particular, we will need to decide whether to follow an additional branch toward Halifax, or continue along the more direct route toward the next province. One of the challenges of planning a journey across a network rather than a single footpath is deciding which of its many possibilities to explore.

 

From Nova Scotia, we will again have to take a ferry to Prince Edward Island, where the Confederation Trail provides an established pathway across Canada's smallest province.  Following the route of a former railway, the Confederation Trail connects rural communities, agricultural landscapes, wetlands, and small towns throughout the island. Its relatively gentle grades and developed trail surface appear to make it particularly suitable for walking and cycling. We are looking forward to experiencing Prince Edward Island's famous red soils, coastal landscapes, and agricultural communities while discovering the birds and wildlife that inhabit the region.

 

New Brunswick promises an entirely different collection of experiences. Among the routes we have been researching are the Dobson Trail, which connects the Riverview area with Fundy National Park, and the Fundy Footpath, a rugged wilderness trail following part of the province's dramatic southern coastline.  The Fundy Footpath has particularly captured our imagination and somewhat unnerves us.  The trail's remote coastal wilderness and steep terrain overlooking the Bay of Fundy are renowned as being very challenging.  In fact, it appears to be one of the more physically demanding routes we will follow on the Great Trail - but also one of the most exciting.

 

We are already wondering how difficult it will be to carry our full expedition packs across such rugged terrain. Nevertheless, the opportunity to explore this part of Canada's Atlantic coastline is one we are very much looking forward to.

 

Following the St. Lawrence – Quebec

 

Quebec presents an extensive network of established hiking and cycling routes, historic communities, and landscapes extending from the St. Lawrence River into the Laurentian Mountains.

 

One of the first pathways we hope to encounter is the Petit Témis Trail, a former railway corridor connecting New Brunswick with the Rivière-du-Loup region of Quebec. From there, our route will eventually take us toward the mountainous Charlevoix region, where we are investigating sections of the Sentier des Caps de Charlevoix.  This network of mountain trails promises forests, elevated viewpoints, and spectacular panoramas overlooking the St. Lawrence River. It also raises some practical concerns about terrain, seasonal weather, and the distances between services, particularly if we arrive later in the year than anticipated.

 

Westward in the province, other routes that have attracted our attention include the extensive Route Verte cycling network, which connects communities and recreational pathways throughout Quebec, and the P'tit Train du Nord, a former railway corridor stretching through the Laurentians.  The P'tit Train du Nord appears particularly intriguing because it passes through a succession of small towns, forests, lakes, and communities, providing opportunities to explore a landscape that has attracted travellers for generations.

 

Exploring the Great Lakes and Canadian Shield – Ontario

 

Ontario contains an enormous portion of the Great Trail, making it one of the most complicated provinces to research. The network connects urban pathways, roads, waterfront routes, former railway routes, and wilderness footpaths across an extraordinary variety of landscapes.  The Great Trail will lead from Ottawa, where the capital region's recreational pathways provide connections along rivers, canals, and green spaces. From there, the trail branches through southern Ontario, including routes associated with the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and the Niagara Parkway.

 

We are particularly interested in exploring the southern portion of the province, including the trail's long connections through Southwestern Ontario. Although this will add considerable distance to our journey, it offers an opportunity to visit communities and landscapes that might otherwise be bypassed on a more direct crossing.

 

Farther north, the trail leads toward the Canadian Shield and the enormous landscapes associated with the Great Lakes. One of the routes we are most excited about is the Casque Isles Trail, which follows part of the rugged northern shoreline of Lake Superior.  The trail promises rocky headlands, forests, beaches, and viewpoints overlooking one of the world's largest freshwater lakes. Nearby, the Kabeyun Trail in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park offers another opportunity to explore the distinctive cliffs, forests, and wildlife of the Lake Superior region.  The northern Ontario section of the Great Trail is largely defined by the Lake Superior Water Trail, a developing paddling route following the lake's shoreline. Although we are planning to undertake most of our journey on foot, there is a possibility that we might attempt this section. If not, a solution to hiking across Ontario will need to be figured out.

 

Beyond Lake Superior, we will eventually turn northwest toward Manitoba, leaving the Great Lakes behind and entering a landscape that promises an entirely different experience.

 

Crossing the Prairies – Manitoba and Saskatchewan

 

As we study the Great Trail across Manitoba and Saskatchewan, we are beginning to recognize that crossing the Prairies may involve considerably more road walking than we originally imagined. The route appears to connect local trails, historic travel corridors, small communities, and recreational pathways through extensive agricultural landscapes.  In southeastern Manitoba, we are particularly interested in the trail systems associated with Whiteshell Provincial Park and the Pinawa region, where forests, lakes, granite outcrops, and rivers offer opportunities to explore the transition between the Canadian Shield and the Prairies.

 

Farther south, the Crow Wing Trail follows part of a historic transportation corridor connecting Winnipeg with the international border near Emerson. This route has a particularly interesting history associated with Indigenous travel, the Red River settlement, and the development of communities across southern Manitoba.  Other sections we are researching include the Rossburn Subdivision Trail, another former railway corridor that has been incorporated into the Great Trail network.

 

Saskatchewan presents an even larger geographical challenge. Much of the route appears to cross rural roads, agricultural regions, river valleys, and small towns spread across the southern portion of the province.  We are looking forward to experiencing the open landscapes of the Prairies, observing grassland birds, and learning more about the histories of communities along the route. We are also beginning to wonder about some practical questions, particularly the availability of drinking water, shade, camping opportunities, and places to purchase supplies between communities.  These are concerns that are difficult to resolve from maps alone, and we suspect that travelling across the Prairies may require considerable flexibility.

 

From Grasslands to Mountains – Alberta

 

Alberta will mark another major transition in our proposed journey, carrying us from the agricultural landscapes of the Prairies toward the foothills and Rocky Mountains.  It will also be a province that we will return to twice – the first being when we hike from the Atlantic to the Pacific and the second will be when we hike north to the Arctic. 

 

As we trek east to west, one of the trails we are looking forward to exploring is the Iron Horse Trail, a former railway corridor connecting communities across northeastern and central Alberta. Like several other sections of the Great Trail, it offers an opportunity to experience landscapes and communities through a transportation route that once played an important role in their development.

 

Farther west, the High Rockies Trail promises some of the most spectacular scenery on our proposed journey. This mountainous route crosses sections of Kananaskis Country near the Alberta–British Columbia boundary, linking forests, valleys, and mountain landscapes beneath the towering peaks of the Canadian Rockies.  We have considerable experience hiking long-distance trails, but crossing the Rockies with everything we need on our backs will present another challenge. Weather, elevation, trail conditions, and the distances between services are all considerations we are investigating.  Nevertheless, the prospect of travelling through the mountains is one of the highlights we are most looking forward to.

 

Following Historic Railway Corridors – British Columbia

 

British Columbia contains some of Canada's most famous recreational trails, including several remarkable former railway corridors that have become part of the Great Trail. 

 

After crossing the Rocky Mountains, we hope to descend into the Elk Valley and follow sections of the Elk Valley Trail, which connects communities in southeastern British Columbia.  Farther west, the Columbia and Western Rail Trail and Kettle Valley Rail Trail offer opportunities to follow historic railway routes across the mountainous interior of the province.  These pathways are particularly interesting because of the extraordinary engineering required to construct railways through British Columbia's difficult terrain. Tunnels, bridges, trestles, and long mountain grades are also likely indicators of the challenges involved in hiking these same landscapes.

 

From the southern interior, our route will eventually continue toward the Fraser Valley and Vancouver, before crossing to Vancouver Island.  On the island, the Cowichan Valley Trail follows former railway corridors and logging routes through forests, river valleys, and communities north of Victoria. The trail includes the remarkable Kinsol Trestle, one of the largest wooden railway trestles in the world. Together with the developing Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Trail and the Galloping Goose Regional Trail, these pathways provide an exciting final approach to Victoria.

 

If everything goes according to plan, we hope to reach Clover Point in Victoria, completing the Atlantic-to-Pacific portion of our walk across Canada.

The North

 

Of course, reaching the Pacific Ocean will not necessarily mean our adventure is finished.  Continuing North Toward the Arctic Ocean  Our ultimate ambition is to continue north from Alberta toward Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, on the Arctic Ocean.  This portion of the Great Trail presents some of the greatest uncertainties in our research so far. The distances are enormous, communities are often separated by hundreds of kilometres, and much of the route of the Great Trail follows roads and highways through northern forests, mountain valleys, and eventually Arctic landscapes.

 

Unlike the established recreational pathways we are researching in southern Canada, travelling north will require us to consider particularly remote conditions, limited services, wildlife encounters, and the challenges associated with resupply and transportation.  For now, for any number of reasons, our northern plans remain preliminary. We have considerably more research to undertake before we can confidently determine how we might complete this final portion of our journey.

 

An Invitation to Explore Canada

 

The more we research the Great Trail, the more we realize that what initially appeared to be a relatively straightforward idea - following a trail across Canada - is actually an undertaking involving hundreds of different trails, communities, landscapes, and practical decisions.  There are former railway lines through forests and mountains, coastal footpaths overlooking the Atlantic, urban greenways connecting parks and neighbourhoods, historic transportation corridors crossing the Prairies, and waterways that have served as routes of travel for generations.

 

Each section seems to offer something different, and each raises new questions about what we might encounter.  For us, that is much of the attraction.

 

Through our proposed #Hike4Birds, we hope to explore these landscapes, observe the birds and wildlife we encounter, learn about the communities through which we travel, and share our discoveries with others. We want to encourage people to recognize that nature, exploration, and adventure are not confined to distant wilderness areas or extraordinary expeditions.  Sometimes they can be found along a familiar pathway close to home.

 

There is still much to research, and we have no doubt that many of our plans will change as we learn more. Maps and guidebooks can tell us where a trail goes, but they cannot fully explain what it will be like to experience the places it connects.  That is something we hope to discover for ourselves.

 

In the meantime, whether you are interested in exploring a few kilometres of a local pathway or following our preparations for a much longer journey, we invite you to Come Walk With Us!