Trans Canada Trail Marks National Aboriginal Month

In many places on the Trail we follow in the footsteps of indigenous peoples who carved out pathways through this land thousands of years ago. We are grateful that The Great Trail runs through these communities…

On Wednesday, June 21, The Great Trail marked sunrise on National Aboriginal Day on the Cranbrook to Wardner Destination Trail, now re-named the Chief Isadore Trail. The event was a celebration in unveiling interpretive signage developed for the Trans Canada Trail, hosted by the Ktunaxa Nation Council.

Also during National Aboriginal Month, the Capital Regional District and the Cowichan Valley Regional District officially opened a new construction portion of The Great Trail. This section of the trail is the outcome of many groups working together: the CRD, CVRD, landowners, donors, and the Malahat First Nation, who have been instrumental in the construction of the Trail on Vancouver Island.

In Manitoba, the Trail will lead you to The Forks where the Assiniboine flows into the Red River – for hundreds of years a meeting place for indigenous peoples. In Alberta, it follows the Peace River Trail and the Athabasca Landing Trail, along the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories. In Nunavut, the Itijjagiaq Trail runs alongside the Soper River, a centuries-old source of sustenance for the Inuit and an overland trail between communities

Keep an eye out for a special edition newsletter next month with more highlights and an overview of some of the projects underway as part of a special Aboriginal Trail Tourism initiative.