A great trail
Activities are planned across Pictou County to mark the establishment of The Great Trail throughout Canada
Trail systems in communities across Pictou County will soon officially be part of the longest recreational trail system in the world.
With the completion of a full connection of their trail systems to The Great Trail (formerly the Trans Canada Trail), Aug. 26 will be the date of a number of celebrations at the sites of trails in New Glasgow (Samson Trail); Pictou (Jitney Trail); Scotsburn (Jitney Trail); Stellarton (Old Foster Trail); Trenton (Founders Trail) and Westville (Acadia Park Trail).
Saturday will mark the day that the entirety of The Great Trail will be connected across the country. The Trans Canada Trail consists of a series of trail systems that span the provinces and territories of Canada, from coast to coast. The trail systems offer hiking, cycling, paddling, skiing and snowmobiling routes through urban and rural areas, showcasing the diverse roadways, waterways and landscapes of Canada.
To celebrate the occasion, a county-wide celebration will take place on Saturday, said Sally O’Neill, Active Pictou County coordinator.
Events are happening in seven different places, on all the Trans Canada Trail sections in Pictou County. “We wanted to do something together to celebrate how our communities are linked together,” said O’Neill.
“It’s been great working with all the municipal recreation departments. They’ve really stepped up and the communities are excited about the new work that has been done on their trails.”
O’Neill said the connection has been a goal that Pictou County has been working toward for the last three years, “so it’s very exciting to see it come to fruition and be able to celebrate it.”
Each community will have its own event, but like the trail that connects each community, all the local trails will be joined through the county-wide event. The event will also reward guests who take the time to travel the trails between those communities.
The Great Trail Celebration: Passport Pictou County will involves a passport sheet that participants can get stamped at each community they visit.
“As an incentive to attend, and to go and see each community’s trail, people who have all their passport stamps are entered to win a weekend getaway at Pictou Lodge,” said O’Neill.
The event will involve bringing passports to an evening event at Trenton Park, where the draw will take place.
“We tie it all together with an additional bonus challenge, to encourage people to go to each part of the connected trail and see those parts of it,” O’Neill said, “This passport links it all together.”
O’Neill said although the local trails have been connected to the Trans Canada Trail, work will continue on the trail, post-2017, adding that the trails in the area include road links, and water links, such as kayaking and canoe routes.
“We know that working on trails is a good investment for our community, and we are trying to put in place attractive, welcoming trails and walking spaces that people want to use,” said O’Neill.
She said the work on the trail systems in the area has been the product of collaboration between the Trans Canada Trail Foundation and the local municipalities.
“There has been a lot of work done by our municipal units, as well as the recreation and public works departments,” said O’Neill.
In particular, O’Neill praised the work of the many volunteers, whose efforts constitute the creation of — and maintenance of — the rural sections of the trail, adding that “a lot of volunteers have also done a great deal of work and planning, all going into the creation of the Trans Canada Trail here in Pictou County.”
The Trans Canada Trail, although spanning 22,000 km, is at its heart, “a series of small community trails, built by the community, for the community and to be community assets for years to come,” said O’Neill.
She added: “You can step onto your trail, wherever it is in Canada, and through whatever means, walking cycling, paddling — and you can go across the whole country. You’re connected to all the communities across the country.”