The Trans Canada Trail is a trail 18 078 km long that will soon be completed across Canada. The creation of the trail was announced as part of Canada's 125th anniversary celebrations in 1992. It will be the longest recreational trail in the world. It has its counterparts in other greenway routes like the 12 EuroVelo routes and the USA's East Coast Greenway.

It was funded by the government, individual donors, and corporate donors. It is still under construction and as of 2003 is about 62% completed. The first province to have completed its section of the trail is Prince Edward Island.

Much of the trail has been built along defunct rail lines donated to provincial governments by CP and CN. As such, much of the Trans-Canada Trail development emulated the successful Rails-to-Trails initiative in the United States, whereby these transportation corridors are "rail banked" as recreational trails, allowing conversion back to rail should future need arise.

Some parts of the Trans Canada Trail run along existing trails such as the Rideau Trail, or along the trail system of parks such as Gatineau Park. Other parts of the right-of-way for the Trans-Canada Trail have been paid for by individual donations. For $50 any person can have their name inscribed on a metre of trail and more than a hundred thousand people have done so.

The main section runs along the southern areas of Canada connecting most of Canada's major cities and most populous areas. There is also a long northern arm which runs through Alberta to Edmonton and then up through northern British Columbia to the Yukon.

The trail is a multi-use trail and allows hikers, bicyclists, cross country skiers, and snowmobilers. The trail has two major sections. The trail is equipped with regularly spaced pavilions which provide shelter as well as fresh water to travellers.

External link

• Trans Canada Trail