Trans Canada Trail in Ontario Blog


Exploring the trails and cycling routes of the Trans Canada Trail in Ontario

At over 5,200 km in length, Ontario's section of the Trans Canada Trail (formerly the Great Trail) is the longest of any province in Canada. It took Come Walk With Us five months to hike, photograph, bird, and blog more than 2,500 km of the hiking paths, cycling routes, urban pathways, rail trails, and roadways that span from Ottawa to Windsor to the Manitoba border.

"Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time."
                                                                            Steven Wright

In eastern Ontario, highlights included the Cataraqui Trail and the Frontenac K&P Trail in the Frontenac Arch Biosphere. Birding the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail around Toronto and learning about Black History on the Niagara River Recreation Trail in southwestern Ontario were also favourites. Finally, as we headed north over the Canadian Shield, we particularly enjoyed the Sudbury Camino, the Casque Isles Trail, and the Kabeyun Trail in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.


Hiking the Trans Canada Trail in Eastern Ontario

You have to hike the trail you are given….

A Renewed Invitation to Come Walk With Us in 2020! 

En Route back to The Great Trail - London to Ottawa

Exploring Ottawa before the Trans Canada Trail

Eastern Ontario on the Trans Canada Trail Soundtrack!!! 

Second Year on the Trans Canda Trail Begins, Ottawa to Bell's Corners

Birding the Capital Region, Bell's Corners to Carleton Place

Birding, Bobolinks and Rock Art, Carleton Place to Beyond Almonte 

The need for Diversity in the Outdoors, in Nature, and Birding

Lost in Lanark: Pt 1, Beyond Almonte to Somewhere in Lanark County

Lost in Lanark Pt 2, Somewhere in Lanark County to Smiths Falls

Exploring the Rideau Canal in Smiths Falls 

Trek Changes, Smiths Falls to Little Lake 

Onto the Rideau Trail, Little Lake to Cataraqui Trail, km 63

With the Help of Strangers, Cataraqui Trail,km 63 to K&P Trail km 37 

Explosion of Wildlife and Birds, K&P Trail km 37 to km 60

Forests and Wetlands, K&P Trail, km 60 to Sharbot Lake

Time to listen, reflect and learn - while the voices and experiences of society are Amplified

Porcupines and Whip-poor-wills, Sharbot Lake to beyond Arden

Off and On the Raceway, Beyond Arden to Tweed 

Small Jails and Smiling Turtles, Tweed to past Springbrook 

An Ornithologist meets Darwin, Springbrook to Campbellford

Home of the Two Dollar Coin, Campbellford to ... barely past Campbellford

Picnic along the Trent River, Campbellford to Settler's Line

Memorial to Genna McLinden, Settler's Line to Peterborough

Sometimes You Can't Go Home, Exploring Peterborough  

The Vastness of the TCT in Ontario


Our #Hike4Birds Crosses the Greater Toronto Area

Soundtrack for the Greater Toronto Area on the Trans Canada Trail

Birding Walk with Birders, Peterborough to Lindsay

Moles and Gnomes on the Trail, Lindsay to Beaver River

Reflecting on Hiking the Great Trail in Eastern Ontario 

Durham Trails, Beaver River to Walker Woods(ish) 

Into the City, Walker Woods to Ajax

Robotic Deer, Digital Drones, Nuclear Realities, Ajax to Scarborough 

Navigating Suburbia and Cities, Scarborough to Downtown Toronto

Rising Temperatures, Downtown Toronto to Long Branch 

Waterfront Trail in the GTA, Long Branch to Oakville 

Harbourfronts and Green Spaces, Oakville to Burlington

To Walk the Streets, Burlington to Hamilton 

Birding the Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail, Hamilton to Brantford(ish)

Hub of Trails, Crossing Brantford

Canadian Gypsies in Paris, Brantford to Glen Morris

Grand River and Rail Trails, Glen Morris to Kitchener

Heat, Humidity, and Hospitals, A day off The Great Trail  

Stunning Ignorance, Kitchener to the Kissing Bridge Trail

....all it takes is for Good People to do nothing.....

Covered Bridges and Cottontail, Kissing Bridge Trail to Elora 

The Actions of Good People Change the World

Grand Birding, Elora to Orton

Bruce and the Badlands, Orton to Ingelwood

Greenspace, Ingelwood to Beeton 

Bison in the GTA, Beeton to Barrie


Hiking Lake Simcoe and Muskoka Cottage Country

Hiking Barrie and the shores of Lake Simcoe

The Journey not the Destination, Barrie to Wyevale(ish)

Tiny Trail through History, Wyevale to Midland 

Shrines and Steampunk Festivals: Midland to beyond Foxmeade

Frustration Peaks, Trekking into Orillia 

The Great Trail in the Greater Toronto Region (Lindsay to Orillia)

Trans Canada Trail Soundtrack for Northern Ontario!

Not all Trails are Equal, Orillia to Doe Lake

The Map, The App, and the Signs, Doe Lake to Bracebridge  

Venture off the Beaten Path, Circling around Bracebridge

Wading Down Flooded Trails, Bracebridge to Huntsville

Tom Tomson and Memories of Algonquin, Crossing Huntsville


Hiking Northward on the Trans Canada Trail in Ontario

Sun don't shine on the same Dog every day, Huntsville to Compass Lk

Northward on the Old Ghost Road, Compass Lake to Dufferin Bridge

Screaming Heads and Cornballs, Dufferin Bridge to Magnetawan

A Jewel in the Heart of Ontario, Magnetawan to King Creek

The Longest Day, King Creek to Nipissing 

One Slow Step at a Time, Nipissing to Callander

The Gateway to the North, Callander to North Bay 

The Northern Ontario Question Pt 1: North Bay to Sudbury

Reflecting on the Great Trail through Muskoka 

Westward, North Bay to Sturgeon Falls

Heading South Again, Sturgeon Falls to Lavigne

Life is a Long Road, Lavigne to Monetville

Every Kilometre has a Story, Monetville to St. Charles 

Stormfronts Arise, West Arm to Hagar

Highway Trekking, Hagar to the Greater Sudbury Region 


Sudbury Camino and the Huron Shores Trail to Sault Ste. Marie

Beginning a Canadian Camino, Into Sudbury

Exploration and Pilgrimage, Exploring Sudbury

Unexpectedly Beautiful, Sudbury to Whitefish

Wonder, Despair, and Hope, Whitefish to Nairn Center 

Sirens of Temptation and Trail Angels, Nairn Center to Espanola

Northern Natural Beauty, Espanola to Massey

Learning the Hard Way… 

Angel on a Bike, Adventure on a Boat, Massey to Spanish 

Reflecting on our Histories, Spanish to Serpent River  

Rising Waters, Serpent River to Blind River

"Walking in Balance", Blind River to Iron Bridge 

Northern Question Pt 2, Voyageur and Huron Shores Trails

Continuing Westward, Iron Bridge to Thessalon 

Fall Migration, Artistic Influences, Thessalon to Bruce Mines

In the Shadow of a Loonie, Bruce Mines to Echo Bay 

Wet Walk around the Bay, Echo Bay to Sault Ste Marie

Trails, Histories and Canals, Sault Ste Marie

Logistical Nightmares and Diminishing Possibilities


Exploring the Trails of Lake Superior's North Shore

The Way Provides, Day Trip to Lake Superior PP

"Connecting the North", Sault Ste Marie to Marathon

There and Back Again, Marathon to Sturdee Cove

Walking in Circles, Marathon to Lunam Lake ... and back

Following Footprints, Terrace Bay to Les Petits Ecrits 

Through Death Valley, Les Petits Ecrits to Schreiber 

A Deluge and a Pause, Exploring Schreiber

A Walk in the Woods, Schreiber to Rainbow Falls PP 

Gratitude and Perspective, Rainbow Falls to Rossport 

Two Communities Connected, Nipigon to Red Rock

Legends and Wonders, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

Hike the Giant, Marie Louise Lake to Sawyer Bay

Soaked Through, Sawyer Bay to Thunder Bay Lookout

Hobbling On, Thunder Bay Lookout to Pass Lake 

A Tale of Two Cities, Trekking across Thunder Bay

Big Fish in Rat Portage, Hiking Kenora 

Hike the Trail you are given, Westward ho? or Eastern Bound? 


Reflections on Hiking in Ontario

The Wisdom of Ontarians (things heard along the way)

Reflecting on The Great Trail in Northern Ontario

Shame and Reflection, A Moment from the Trail

Understanding the Great Trail in Ontario

Reflecting on the Great Trail in Eastern Ontario 

The Great Trail in Greater Toronto Area (Lindsay-Orillia)

The Great Trail in the Muskokas (Orillia-North Bay)

The Great Trail in Northern Ontario (North Bay-Kenora)


The Trans Canada Trail in Southwestern Ontario

Niagara TCT, A Historical Route through Living History 

Fort to Fort Trail, Fort Erie to Niagara Falls  

Fort to Fort Trail, Niagara Falls to Niagara-on-the-Lake

Laura Secord Legacy Trail, Queenston to St. Catharines

The Bruce Trail, St. Catharines to Short Hills PP 


The goal of our #Hike4Birds was to inspire people of all ages, physical abilities, cultural backgrounds, orientations, and identities to reconnect with nature through birds and Citizen Science.  To learn more about our project, how you can get involved, and ways to support our work, please visit the Come Walk With Us website.

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