Trans Canada Trail celebrate 20 years

The Trans Canada Trail, the world’s longest and grandest trail, is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2012. What began in 1992 as a legacy project of Canada’s 125th Anniversary has grown into 16,500 kilometres of connected trail from coast to coast to coast. Through the dedication and commitment of countless volunteers; generous donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations; and the support of all levels of government, the Trail is 6,000 kilometres away from being fully connected. Our goal is to fully connect the Trail in time for another celebration – Canada’s 150th Anniversary in 2017.

The remaining sections of trail – 200 gaps across the country – traverse some of Canada’s most challenging terrain. In collaboration with its trail partners, the Trans Canada Trail organization has developed a detailed Connection Plan to meet these special demands. The Trail also recently established a new Foundation and launched an ambitious fundraising campaign to raise the 150 million dollars needed to connect the Trail. With the continued support of our provincial and territorial partners and all levels of government, I believe we will fill in those gaps.

The Trans Canada Trail is the largest volunteer effort of its kind ever to be undertaken in this country. As the organization turns 20, we applaud the contributions of over 100,000 Canadians who have selflessly donated their time, talents, labour, and essential fundraising dollars to this national treasure.

As we look forward to fully connecting the Trail in 2017, we remember a few of the many milestones of the past 20 years: opening the first pavilion in Caledon, ON; the exploration of a route through the Northwest Territories; the 2009 reception for our provincial and territorial partners hosted by then Governor General Michaëlle Jean; and a trail walk in Gatineau led by Mrs. Laureen Harper, a valued champion of this project.

We invite you to share your memories on our new website by joining our online community and uploading photos and stories of your Trail experiences over the years.

Our new interactive map was designed with features to make it easier for you to find information. Today, we’ll look at Explore, located under the blue tab to the furthest left on the map screen. Click on it and you will find a list of filters, arranged under five categories: Activities, Environment, Type, Surface, and Other. You can use these filters to narrow down the information for your particular needs.

If, for example, you would like to go cross-country skiing in a rural area, simply check the boxes beside those terms on the list. Trail sections that match your request will be highlighted in yellow. Use the cursor to drag the map to the region you’re interested in and click on it to enlarge. To access basic information about the Trail, hover over the green and yellow line with your cursor. A pop-up box will appear – you can expand it by clicking on the arrow.

You can save a list of Trails, access printable maps in .pdf format or .gpx and .kml coordinates and bookmark locations by creating a free user account. New members can still obtain a free copy of the beautiful Trans Canada Trail 2012 calendar, featuring winning photos from our contest held this past summer.

Do you have a question about using the map? If so, send it in. We’ll share the questions and answers in the next issue of Trail Talk.

Video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oytnL455XcU#!

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