Explore Canada’s Exceptional Trails from Coast to Coast to Coast
From epic coastlines — north, east and west — to the stunning scenery of the Great Lakes and the endless skylines of the Prairies, Canada’s natural beauty is as awe-inspiring as it is varied. And from coast to coast to coast, trails abound; trails that are managed by dedicated groups across the country. We spoke to members of some of these trail groups about why they love their trails so much, and what their recommendations are for must-visit trails across Canada.
Island Walk: the beauty of Prince Edward Island over 700 kilometres
Confederation Trail
With hundreds of kilometres of the Trans Canada Trail winding its way through rural and urban areas around the island, Prince Edward Island offers beaches (and seafood!), cycling, heritage hotspots and much more.
Bryson Guptill is the creator of Island Walk, which takes people through Prince Edward Island, from the Confederation Trail — a tip-to-tip trail network that spans the length and breadth of the Island and is part of the Trans Canada Trail — to red dirt roads, beaches and quiet secondary roads. The walk has been broken into 32 sections, and packages are available, with local accommodation providers partnering with Island Walk.
Bryson sums up the Island Walk as follows: “The Island Walk (modelled on the Camino de Santiago) is unique in North America. It is a gentle hike that includes rolling hills (no mountains), stunning ocean views and the red dirt roads that are familiar to fans of Anne of Green Gables.”
Group of Seven Lake Superior Trail: stunning landscapes and artistic inspiration in Northern Ontario
The Group of Seven Lake Superior Trail takes its name from the famed Group of Seven artists, whose work from 1920 to 1933 resulted in some of Canada’s best-known landscape paintings. The Trans Canada Trail section spans 20 kilometres through Marathon, Ontario, and connects to other sections of the Voyageur Trail, including waterways and land-based trails.
Kirsten Spence, Principal at Quercwood Consulting, is Project Coordinator with the trail group, and she brings her extensive experience of having worked for Trans Canada Trail Ontario, and several other clients including Parks Canada, all levels of government and many Indigenous communities to her current role. She explains that she is working to develop a hiking trail to connect “some of the most iconic painting sites of the Group of Seven, of which many grace the walls of galleries, museums and private collections internationally. Standing where Lawren Harris painted 100 years ago is a magical experience. The landscapes have changed with the vegetation growing back but the light is exactly the same as it reflects off beautiful Lake Superior. This project is a passion project for me as it has all the feels of community connection, tourism development and appreciation of nature and art.”
Alberta Parks: from the Rockies to the Prairies
Amisk Wacîw Mêskanaw Beaver Hill Road
From the Canadian Rockies to grasslands to Boreal Forest and more, Alberta boasts unparalleled natural beauty, year-round. Trans Canada Trail’s Banff National Park – Cave and Basin National Historic Site is located within Banff National Park, and the Rocky Mountain Legacy Trail offers exceptional mountain biking and hiking routes in a beautiful setting.
Another popular trail experience in Alberta: the continuous path through the Saskatchewan River Valley, including the Amisk Wacîw Mêskanaw – City of Edmonton Trail, Strathcona County and Amisk Wacîw Mêskanaw – Fort Saskatchewan sections of the Trans Canada Trail.
Peggy Holroyd, Planning Lead with Alberta Parks, is based in Cochrane, Alberta. Her highlights for trail enthusiasts visiting the region include the following:
• Any of the hikes in Dinosaur Provincial Park
• In Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park in Kananaskis: Ha Ling and Yamnuska
• Another Kananaskis Country gem: Prairie Mountain
• Siffleur Falls in the Kootenay Plains Ecological Area
• The site of one of only three Birkebeiners (55-kilometre cross-country ski events) worldwide, Cooking Lake Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area trails
Great Lakes Waterfront Trail: an epic trail running through Ontario
City of Thunder Bay
Taking its name from the Great Lakes, the largest group of freshwater lakes by total area in the world, the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail is no small undertaking. The trail spans 3,600 kilometres and connects over 170 communities and First Nations in Ontario, 4 Great Lakes; 60 provincial parks; and 23 national historic sites. Several sections of the Trans Canada Trail are part of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, in both urban and rural settings.
The Waterfront Regeneration Trust leads the work to complete, enhance and promote the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail from outside of Sault Ste. Marie all the way to the Ontario-Quebec border, by way of Sudbury, Windsor, Toronto and more. As part of their work, the group helps to protect the physical, natural and cultural attributes of the waterfront; and raise awareness and foster cooperation among communities, among other objectives. The group also promotes active living by organizing epic cycling adventures as fundraisers for the organization and other community-oriented activities along the Trail.
Marlaine Koehler, Executive Director with the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, is a major advocate of waterfront regeneration. “The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail signifies and creates a new relationship with our Great Lakes and watersheds. Its job is to get people down to the waterfront so that they can appreciate how fortunate we are to have this natural wonder in our backyard and inspire us and future generations to be responsible stewards,” she says.
Saskatchewan Trails Association: rich in history and culture in the Land of Living Skies
Meewasin Trail – Saskatoon, SK
The Saskatchewan Trails Association was founded in 2004, and since then, has worked to promote the development and use of nature and hiking trails in the province, and to ensure that nature sites remain preserved and accessible to everyone.
Trails in Saskatchewan vary greatly: the urban oasis of the Meewasin Trail in and around Saskatoon; Pêmiska Trails, which offers powerful connections to Indigenous history and culture — including at national historic sites; the scenic canoe routes along the Trans Canada Trail in the Qu’Appelle Valley, the awe-inspiring Chief Whitecap Waterway; and much more.
Pat Rediger with Saskatchewan Trails Association describes the impact of trails and access to nature across the province: “Saskatchewan trails offer a window into the province’s rich and diverse landscapes, proving that our home is far from flat. From rolling grasslands and scenic vistas to unique sand dunes and dense forests, our trails provide access to a wide variety of natural beauty. These trails not only encourage exploration and adventure, but also connect people to the stunning, often surprising, natural diversity that Saskatchewan has to offer.”
Les Raquetteurs de Thunder House Falls: embracing winter in beautiful Northern Ontario
Located north of Hearst, Ontario, Thunder House Falls is a beautiful waterfall that can be found at the end of a 10-kilometre snowshoeing trail on the Missinaibi River – designated a Canadian Heritage River because of its rich Indigenous history, dating back thousands of years as a route for the Anishinaabe peoples of the region. Beginning in the 18th century, the river was used as part of the fur trade.
Snowshoers travel through beautiful forested areas before reaching the falls. Les Raquetteurs de Thunder House Falls leads snowshoe excursions along the trail, encouraging people to get outside and stay active, year-round.
Marc Johnson is a member of Les Raquetteurs and an avid outdoorsperson. “If you long for a winter trail that winds its way through a mature boreal forest shrouded in a blanket of at least a metre of snow in the dead of winter, or even early spring, the Thunder House Falls Snowshoe Trail is for you. It truly is a ‘winter wonderland’!” He notes that though the distance may seem daunting, in his experience, everyone who has started out on the trail ends up finishing it, and many admit it was not the challenge they thought it would be. He adds, “Many have heard about Thunder House Falls, but not many have been there. This trail allows for some of those to realize that dream on snowshoes.”
Learn more about trails across Canada — and worldwide — at the upcoming World Trails Conference, taking place from September 29 to October 3 in Ottawa, Ontario. Hear from trail group representatives featured here at the “Explore the Trails of Canada,” general session, taking place on October 2.
Learn more about the World Trails Conference.
