Reflections on Hiking Across the Prairies on The Trans Canada Trail

Trekking across the Canadian Prairies on the TCT

Walking today from Cochrane to Bragg Creek here in Alberta (by our best guess) puts us on the western edge of the Canadian Prairies.  Much of today’s trek was filled with conversations reflecting on our trek along the Trans Canada Trail across this vast landscape that spans Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. 

 
So what are our thoughts about hiking the TCT across the Pairies? 

Crossing Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta on the TCT

"This wasn't the trail we imagined."

That’s the sentence that kept repeating in our minds as we walked mile after mile along dusty prairie roads through Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

When we set out to trek the Trans Canada Trail, we dreamed of wooded footpaths and quiet greenways. What we found west of North Bay, Ontario was more than 5,000 km of road walking across three provinces, which challenged that dream in ways we couldn’t have predicted. 

Walking the Line

When most people envision the Trans Canada Trail, they imagine a meandering footpath through quiet forests, along rugged coasts, or across mountainous ridges in the Rockies. What they don’t picture, understandably, is thousands of kilometres of dusty concession roads, gravel tracks, and paved highways stretching endlessly across the prairie provinces. Yet from North Bay, Ontario, to the Alberta foothills, that’s often what it is: not so much a continuous trail, but a route stitched together from what already existed.

 
At first, we were disheartened. We had dreamed of a national pathway that celebrated Canada’s natural beauty and connected its people through off-road, walkable spaces. Instead, we often found ourselves dodging semi-trucks, walking along sun-scorched shoulders, and traversing road networks that seemed to reflect more the logic of a meandering road trip than the soul of a trail.

 
We weren’t alone in that observation. In every province, we met trail builders, volunteers, and local supporters who voiced similar frustrations.   One TCT trail builder in fact noted that the long meandering route is composed “as though someone in an office got drunk, opened a map, connected a few green spaces, and key cities before declaring it done.”   There was no denying that it certainly felt that way at times. 

Indeed, these comments sting because they feel true. Yet after walking approximately 5,000 km through the prairies, across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, we’ve come to understand that the situation is more complex than mere oversight or indifference. 

Geography, Demographics, and the Limits of Vision

First and foremost, the Prairies are vast. In reality, the Trans Canada Trail could be a route that runs directly across 1,200-1300 km from east to west, but instead it meanders for more than double that length, due to circuitous paths that attempt to link what few green spaces exist. Even in Manitoba, a province only 449 km wide, the trail stretches 1,346 km to cross it.  A fact that is hard to mentally comprehend when you are walking a single province for 2 or 3 months.

 
And then there’s the issue of population. Rural communities are small and widely dispersed. Trail development and maintenance require both money and people, and without a steady stream of users, it’s hard to justify the time, effort, or funding needed to maintain a true off-road trail system.
 
We’ve come to see the truth in that logic. Trail use begets trail maintenance. Without regular foot traffic, trails become overgrown, signage disappears, and bridges rot. A trail without users becomes little more than an idea. As a result, in the prairies, the idea of the TCT, despite the impressive efforts of local volunteers and trail builders, remains very much that….an idea. 

Canada’s Pedestrian Problem

This issue isn’t limited to the Prairies. As we’ve learned during our cross-country hike, Canada as a whole isn’t exactly pedestrian-friendly. Even in cities, sidewalks vanish, trail networks end abruptly, and walking is often seen as suspicious behaviour rather than a legitimate mode of travel. The infrastructure simply doesn’t support those who choose to move slowly across the land.

 
That problem is echoed at the national level. It’s as though Canada - and even the Trans Canada Trail organization itself - can’t quite grasp the idea of someone walking the entire route. The original dream of a greenway has, in many cases, given way to a patchwork of pathways, service roads, farm lanes, and highway shoulders.

 

Worse still, by declaring the trail “completed” or “connected,” the organization may have inadvertently halted further investment and imagination. Once something is called finished, people stop building it - and stop funding it too.  Yet the TCT is clearly and will always be “a work in progress” – constantly developing, shifting, and needing maintenance. 

But Is It Still Worthwhile?

Despite all this, we would say yes.
 
Yes, the prairies are tough to walk. Supplies, water, and camping possibilities can all be hard to find. Days are long, and shade is rare. Roadwalking isn’t what most people expect - or want - from a national trail.  Certainly, few people who live in the prairies thought that walking across them was sensible or understandable. 
 
And yet… the Prairies are also incredibly beautiful. Beneath the wide-open skies, there is a silence and space that invites reflection. We saw migrating birds spiral overhead, met kind strangers who offered water and encouragement, and watched storms sweep in from miles away like nature’s own theatre.

 
The truth is that walking across the Prairies taught us something important. Trails aren’t just about the surface underfoot - they’re about the experience en route and the stories you gather along the way. And even when the path was rough, dusty, or frustrating, it still led us somewhere worthwhile.

As Daniel J. Rice wrote, “I walked slowly to enjoy this freedom, and when I came out of the mountains, I saw the sky over the prairie, and I thought that if heaven was real, I hoped it was a place I never had to go, for this earth was greater than any paradise.” 

The Way Forward

We believe that the Trans Canada Trail can still become the trail it was meant to be. In urban centres, provincial parks, and designated greenways, we’ve seen how well it can work. Places like the Confederation Trail, Casque Isles, Winnipeg’s riverwalk, and the pathways in cities like Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Calgary prove that people will flock to great trails when they’re built with care, vision, and community support.
 
But the road to a truly connected trail system must be walked - not declared. It will require renewed investment, national leadership, continued efforts by amazing local trail builders, and a shift away from checking boxes and claiming kilometres. It will also require honesty - about what the trail is now, and what it could be.

We can, and should, dream big.  Canada has long been built on large, improbable projects and big dreams.  Together, anything is possible. 

  
As we make our way into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, we are excited for the change in scenery – but we don’t deny that we will also very much miss the open landscapes and clear skies of the prairies.
 
See you on the Trail!