Accomodations and Camping along the Trans Canada Trail

Understanding Accommodation, Remote Trail Sections, and the Realities of Walking Across Canada

 

One of the questions we are asked by people considering and planning a long-distance journey on the Trans Canada Trail is whether it is possible to walk across Canada without carrying camping equipment. After all, the national pathway passes through hundreds of communities, incorporates established recreational trails, and frequently follows roads and former railway corridors. Could someone simply arrange accommodation each evening, staying in hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, or other available lodging rather than carrying a tent and sleeping outdoors?
 
For shorter sections of the trail, and even some extended regional journeys, the answer is certainly yes. However, for someone intending to walk the entire Trans Canada Trail independently, without outside assistance, the practical answer is no. There are substantial portions of the network where accommodations are simply unavailable within a reasonable day's walking distance, and others where designated wilderness routes require several days of travel between accessible communities.

 
This of course does not mean that every section requires camping, or that a traveller must spend every night outdoors. Far from it. During our own journey across Canada, we made extensive use of available accommodations, stayed with people who generously welcomed us into their homes, used hotels from time to time to recharge, and adapted our plans according to the services available along the way   Nevertheless, the distances between communities, the nature of particular trail sections, and the practical limitations of travelling on foot meant that camping remained an important part of our #Hike4Birds on the Trans Canada Trail across the country.

 

Where Can You Walk Without Camping?

 
In many populated regions of Canada, it is possible to walk substantial portions of the Trans Canada Trail while staying in established accommodation en route. Urban pathways, regional rail trails, and sections passing through communities may provide access to hotels, motels, campgrounds with cabins, or other forms of lodging.  Even some trail sections – Sentier des Cap, for example – offer the possibility of using amazing cabins along the trail.  However, as we discovered, people have to remember that the availability of accommodation does not necessarily mean that it is located directly on the trail. A community might have several places to stay, yet reaching them could involve travelling additional kilometres away from and then back to the designated route. In other areas, accommodation may exist only in neighbouring towns, requiring advance arrangements for transportation or significantly longer walking days.

 
In addition, there are also seasonal considerations. Small communities sometimes have limited accommodation, and establishments that operate during the summer may close during other parts of the year. Special events, tourist seasons, and local demand can further complicate availability.

For someone walking a shorter regional section, these limitations may be relatively easy to manage. A vehicle can be left at the end of a trail, accommodation can be arranged in advance, or transportation can be organized between overnight stops.  However, for a person attempting to travel continuously across Canada, the same arrangements become considerably more complicated and would rapidly become very costly. What is practical for a weekend hike or a week-long walking holiday may be difficult to sustain over months or years.
 

Wilderness Trails and Remote Sections

 
Some of the most obvious difficulties of not wanting to camp or carry camping gear arise along established wilderness and backcountry trails where there are no towns, hotels, or other commercial accommodations along the route.  In Newfoundland, for example, the Topsails region presents very different considerations from walking through communities along the T'Railway. Similarly, demanding wilderness routes – Fundy Footpath, Lake Superior Coastal Trail, Pukaskwa Coastal Trail, Casque Isles Trail, etc. – cannot practically be completed without camping.   Given that each are multi-day wilderness routes and that their terrain, access points, and distances between services each necessitate planning and camping.

 

Similarly, in regions such as British Columbia and Alberta, mountain and backcountry sections such as the High Rockies Trail and portions of the Elk Valley region can also present accommodation challenges for those not interested in camping. 

 
In these environments, accommodation cannot simply be assumed to exist at the end of a day's walk. Several stretches of the TCT require several days of hiking and even cycling between practical exit points, while others involve terrain where progress is considerably slower than expected.  Because of this those interested in the TCT need to distinguish between routes that can be completed as a series of day hikes using transportation and those that can be followed continuously while remaining on the pathway. Even the fact that someone could arrange to be collected at a trailhead does not necessarily mean the trail itself offers an accommodation-based itinerary.
 

The Prairies and Northern Canada Present Different Problems

 
It might seem that accommodation would become easier to arrange once the pathway leaves demanding wilderness trails and begins following roads through more accessible landscapes. Yet this is not necessarily the case.
 
Across parts of the Canadian Prairies, and especially along the northern route toward the Arctic Ocean, the principal challenge is at times distance rather than terrain.  Communities with accommodation can be separated by distances that are entirely manageable by car and sometimes practical for cyclists, but impossible to cover during an ordinary day of walking. It is not uncommon to encounter long stretches of roadway without hotels, motels, established campgrounds, or suitable places to obtain food and water.

 
Even where accommodation exists, it may be limited, expensive, seasonal, or unavailable when needed. Northern communities at times also have very few rooms, with much of the available lodging serving local industries, workers, government travel, or other essential purposes.  These conditions become increasingly significant when travelling through northern British Columbia, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories, where distances between services can be enormous making them impractical for those striving to avoid camping.
 
It is important to understand that being beside a highway does not necessarily mean being close to accommodation. A road may provide a continuous transportation corridor across a remote region without offering the infrastructure required for someone travelling slowly on foot.  For a cyclist capable of covering substantially greater daily distances, some of these challenges may be easier to manage. A walker carrying a backpack, however, cannot simply assume that accommodation available 100 kilometres farther along the road will provide a practical overnight option.
 

Could You Travel with a Support Vehicle?

 
One way to undertake a long-distance journey without camping is to arrange outside assistance. A prime example of this is Dianne Whelan, who filmed 500 Days in the Wild, whose partner aided her journey in regions with a support vehicle.
 
A support vehicle can transport equipment, provide supplies, and potentially move a traveller between the trail and accommodation at the beginning or end of each day.  Supported expeditions are not unusual, and they can make certain journeys possible that would otherwise be extremely difficult to organize independently.  However, this approach introduces its own complications. Wilderness pathways, protected areas, paddling routes, and remote trail sections often have no vehicle access for considerable distances.  A support vehicle therefore cannot guarantee access to someone walking every section of the Trans Canada Trail. In more isolated areas. As a result, additional arrangements would still be required, including backcountry camping. 

 
There is also an important distinction between completing a trail independently and undertaking a supported journey. Both can represent substantial accomplishments, but they involve different logistical requirements. For someone who genuinely wishes to avoid camping altogether, a supported journey may make many sections of the TCT accessible. It does not, however, eliminate the geographical difficulties associated with reaching remote trailheads or travelling through areas without road access.
 

The Financial Cost of Avoiding Camping

 
Another consideration is the cost of relying entirely upon commercial accommodation.  

During our years walking across Canada, accommodation represented a substantial and sometimes unavoidable expense. There were occasions when staying indoors offered welcome relief from poor weather, opportunities to rest and recover, or practical access to facilities needed to maintain our equipment and prepare for the next stage of the journey.

 
Yet regularly paying for accommodation over hundreds of walking days would quickly become extraordinarily expensive, especially when combined with food, transportation, laundry, and other regular costs. The financial implications become even greater when accommodation is limited or when avoiding camping requires travelling away from the trail. Additional transportation, longer detours, and the necessity of staying in more expensive establishments would rapidly increase the cost of an expedition.

 
With that said, camping in itself certainly does not eliminate expenses or even high costs.  Purchasing appropriate equipment, permits, campground fees, and supplies must still be considered. Nevertheless, having the ability to camp can provide flexibility that would otherwise be unavailable. It should also be said that there is also a difference between choosing to stay indoors when accommodation is available and constructing an entire expedition around the requirement that accommodation must be available every night.  The first allows considerable flexibility. The second can determine which sections of the national trail are realistically possible to complete.
 

So, Can You Walk the TCT Without a Tent?

 
For someone interested in exploring individual sections of the Trans Canada Trail, there are many opportunities to enjoy the pathway without camping. Day hikes, regional walks, rail-trail adventures, and journeys through populated areas can often be organized around established accommodation or transportation arrangements.  It is even possible to undertake extended walking and cycling journeys through some regions without carrying a complete camping system, provided the route and overnight arrangements are carefully researched.

 
However, attempting to walk continuously across Canada on the Trans Canada Trail without camping equipment is an entirely different proposition. The combination of remote wilderness pathways, extensive road connections, limited accommodation possibilities, designated paddling routes, and enormous distances between communities means that an independent walker cannot reasonably expect to find a bed at the end of every day.
 
Even a carefully planned itinerary can be disrupted by weather, trail closures, seasonal services, accommodation availability, or the simple reality that walking distances do not always correspond with the location of the next community.

In addition, you would miss out on all of the amazing, peaceful, and beautiful locations you can simply camp at en route.   

 
For these reasons, we would not recommend planning a continuous crossing of Canada on the Trans Canada Trail with the assumption that camping can be avoided entirely.  That does not mean everyone must camp to experience the national pathway. Quite the opposite. One of the strengths of the TCT is that it offers an enormous variety of recreational opportunities, many of which can be enjoyed comfortably without spending a night outdoors. But walking a section of the Trans Canada Trail without camping and walking the entire country without camping are two very different undertakings.
 
See you on the trail!