Trans Canada Trail

Trans Canada Trail
Trans Canada Trail pavilion in Fredericton, New Brunswick
Established	1992
Length	(As of 2016[update]) 21,452 kilometres (13,330 mi)
Location	Canada
Trailheads	St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador; Victoria, British Columbia; Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories
Use	Hiking, biking, equestrianism, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing
Elevation
Lowest point	Sea level
Hiking details
Trail difficulty	Variable
Season	All seasons
Sights	Numerous
Hazards	Multiple
Surface	Variable
Right of way	Multiple
Website	http://thegreattrail.ca

The Trans Canada Trail, being promoted since 2016 as The Great Trail, is the world's longest network of recreational trails. It began construction in 1992. When fully connected, the Trail will stretch 24,000 kilometres (15,000 mi) from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic oceans. Just over 21,000 kilometres (13,000 mi) of the trail have been completed as of November 2016 and are usable, making the entire project approximately 90% complete. Two hundred forty gaps totalling 6,200 kilometres (3,900 mi) must be bridged in order to achieve a fully connected trail. The Trans Canada Trail has given itself until its 25th anniversary and Canada's 150th anniversary in 2017 to reach this objective.

The creation of the Trail was born of Canada's 125th anniversary celebrations in 1992. It has its counterparts in such other greenway routes as the 12 EuroVelo routes, the UK's National Cycle Network, and the United States Numbered Bicycle Routes network.

To date it has been funded largely by Canadian federal and provincial governments, with significant contributions from corporate and individual donors. The first province to have completed its designated section of the trail was Prince Edward Island (see Confederation Trail).

The network of the Trans Canada Trail is made up of more than 400 community trails. Each trail section is developed, owned and managed locally by trail groups, conservation authorities and by municipal, provincial and federal governments, for instance in parks such as Gatineau Park or along existing trails such as the Cataraqui Trail and Voyageur Hiking Trail. The Trans Canada Trail supports and is made up of greenways.

Moreover, considerable parts of the Trail are repurposed defunct rail lines donated to provincial governments by CP and CN rail rebuilt as walking trails. 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.