Can You Cycle the Trans Canada Trail in New Brunswick?

 “Sweat has the power to end a

Pity party in such a way that

Even the hostess is happy.”

 

Kristin Armstrong

 

Cycling the Trans Canada Trail: What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Expect

 

While we have chosen to hike across the country - section by section and province by province on our #Hike4Birds - there is no denying that most people who undertake a journey of this scale choose to cycle it. It is quicker, you carry less on your body, and you have far greater flexibility in how you move through distance and time. That is something we entirely get and understand.  There are days when we think that this could all be far simpler and quicker on a bike.

 

Because of that, one of the most frequent questions we are asked is simple: Is the Trans Canada Trail - or Great Trail - in a given province cyclable? It is a fair question, but one that is not always easy to answer from a map or an official route description. Especially as the Great Trail has declared the entire system completed and connected, which implies many things, including that it is all off-road.  

 

What we have found, however, walking each province in full, is that there is often a significant difference between a route that is designated for cycling and one that can be viably and practically cycled over distance.  In New Brunswick, that distinction becomes more pronounced.

 

A Route That Cannot Be Followed as Drawn

 

In New Brunswick, the Trans Canada Trail includes sections that cannot be cycled at all – full stop. 

 

The Dobson Trail and the Fundy Footpath are both wilderness routes - technical, rugged, and designed for foot travel. These are not sections that can be adapted for bicycles. They require full commitment, as hiking routes, with terrain and conditions that define them as such.

 

In addition to these land-based challenges, the route also includes the Lower Passage - a 122-kilometre water segment where there is no land trail to follow.  Once again, cyclists here have to find their own way to the Trans Canada Trail near Oromocto and Fredericton. 

 

Taken together, these sections mean that the Trans Canada Trail, as officially routed, cannot be cycled continuously across the province of New Brunswick.  It must be adapted.

 

Adapting the Route

 

For those travelling by bike, this reality changes the nature of the journey.

 

To move across New Brunswick, it becomes necessary to leave the official alignment of the Trans Canada Trail at times and find alternate routes. In practice, this often means turning to roadways and highways to bypass sections that are either impassable or do not exist as land-based trails.

 

Unlike in Nova Scotia, where road connectors link otherwise cyclable sections, here the need to leave the trail is more fundamental. The route itself requires it.  Cycling across the province is therefore not about following the Trans Canada Trail as a continuous path, but about interpreting it and using it as a general guide, leaving trail users choosing how and where to reconnect with it as conditions allow.

 

Where the Trail Works

 

With that said, there are sections of the Trans Canada Trail / Great Trail in New Brunswick that are well-suited to cycling.

 

The Marshes, extending roughly 66 kilometres from the Confederation Bridge south toward Moncton, offer a long and consistent stretch where the route is smooth and uninterrupted. It is the kind of section that aligns with expectations of what the trail can be.

 

Further inland, a series of connected routes - including the Lincoln Trail (22.5 km), the City of Fredericton trail network (13.3 km), the Wolastoq Valley Trail (117.2 km), and sections approaching Edmundston and Grand Falls - provide additional opportunities for sustained riding.  These are complemented by connectors such as the Woodstock to Fredericton route (97.3 km) and the Edmundston to Grand Falls connection (48.6 km), though these are road-based and must be approached as such.

 

Individually, these sections are strong. They offer the kind of surface and alignment that make cycling both practical and enjoyable.  But they do not form a continuous off-road route.

 

Between the Sections

 

As in Nova Scotia, what defines the experience is how these sections connect.  The trail moves in and out of roadway segments, shifting between dedicated paths and shared routes. At times, this transition is expected. At others, it reflects the necessity of working around sections of the official trail (Dobson and Fundy) that cannot be followed by bike at all.

 

Walking these areas, we experienced the same tension that comes with leaving the trail and stepping onto roads - an awareness of dealing with the dangers of being so near to traffic, where a different kind of attention is required to move safely forward.  For cyclists, especially those accustomed to long-distance touring, this may be manageable.  But it is not incidental. It is part of how the province must be crossed.

 

Conclusion

 

By the time we had crossed New Brunswick, the answer to our question seemed complex.  Can you cycle the Trans Canada Trail across New Brunswick?

 

Yes - but only by adapting the route beyond the trail itself.

 

There are sections of the Trans Canada Trail that are well-suited to cycling, offering long, consistent stretches that support sustained movement. But these are interspersed with wilderness trails that cannot be ridden and water routes where no land-based trail exists.

 

To move across the province by bike requires leaving the official route at times and continuing along roadways or alternate paths to reconnect further ahead.

 

One of the key lessons we have found on the Trans Canada Trail is that there is a difference between what is designated and what is practical. In New Brunswick, that difference is not just about surface or continuity - it is about whether the route itself can be followed at all in certain long stretches.

 

Our goal in sharing these experiences is not to define how the trail should be travelled, but to show what it is like on the ground - so that whether you are hiking or cycling, you can make informed decisions about the route, the conditions, and the kind of journey you want to have.

 

See you on the trail!

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