Eastern Continental Trail

Eastern Continental Trail
Route of the Eastern Continental Trail through the eastern United States and Canada
Length	5400 mi (8690 km)
Location	Eastern United States and Canada
Trailheads	Key West, Florida Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Use	Hiking
Elevation
Elevation change	6,643 ft (2,025 m)
Highest point	Clingmans Dome
Lowest point	Key West
Hiking details
Trail difficulty	Easy to Strenuous
Season	Summer in northern sections, year round in southernmost sections
Sights	Appalachian Mountains Everglades Florida Keys Gaspé Peninsula Hudson Valley Lake Okeechobee Mount Katahdin Springer Mountain Amicalola Falls State Park Clingmans Dome McAfee Knob
Hazards	Alligators American black bears Fire ants Limited water Tick-borne diseases Poison ivy Severe weather Steep grades Venomous snakes

The Eastern Continental Trail (ECT) is a combination of North American long-distance hiking trails, from Key West, Florida to Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador) a distance of 5,400 miles (8,700 km), not including the Newfoundland section. A thru-hike on this system of trails requires almost a year to complete.

The first person to complete the ECT from Key West to Cap Gaspé, Quebec, was John Brinda from Washington state, in 1997.

From south to north, the route strings together the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail, the Florida Trail, a walk in forests and along roads through southern Alabama, the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail and part of the Benton MacKaye Trail in Georgia, to reach the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain. The Appalachian Trail connects with the International Appalachian Trail; through Maine, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Newfoundland.

The trail system was named by long-distance hiker M. J. Eberhart (trail name: Nimblewill Nomad).

Trails listed in order from north to south.