Eastern Continental Trail

Long-distance hiking trail in the United States and Canada

Eastern Continental Trail

Route of the Eastern Continental Trail through the eastern United States and Canada

Length| 4,400 mi (7,100 km)
Location| Eastern United States and Canada
Trailheads| Key West, Florida
Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Use| Hiking
Highest point| 6,643 ft (2,025 m), Clingmans Dome
Lowest point| Key West, Florida
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 network of hiking trails in the United States and Canada, reaching from Key West, Florida to Belle Isle, Newfoundland and Labrador.

## Description[edit]

The hiking distance of the ECT is approximately 4,400 miles (7,100 km), not including water gaps around Newfoundland. The trail system was named by long-distance hiker M. J. Eberhart (trail name: Nimblewill Nomad).[1] The first person to complete the ECT from Key West to Cap Gaspé, Quebec, was John Brinda in 1997.[2]

From south to north, the route strings together the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (a rail trail that is partially complete as of early 2022), the Florida Trail, a road walk through southern Alabama, the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail, and part of the Benton MacKaye Trail, to reach the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain, Georgia. The ECT includes the entire Appalachian Trail to Mount Katahdin, Maine, then continues on the International Appalachian Trail through Maine, New Brunswick, and Quebec. The hiking trail ends at the Gulf of St. Lawrence; the hiker can then travel to Newfoundland by other means and complete the next section of the ECT across that island. After another water gap, the ECT reaches its symbolic end at Belle Isle off the northern end of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula.[3][4]

## Components[edit]

From south to north, these are the established trails that have been incorporated into the ECT:

* Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (under development)
* Florida Trail
* Pinhoti Trail
* Benton MacKaye Trail
* Appalachian Trail
* International Appalachian Trail

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Eastern Continental Trail Guide". M. J. Eberhart. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
2. ^ "Resume: John C. Brinda". John C. Brinda. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
3. ^ "Hiking the 5,500-Mile Eastern Continental Trail". RootsRated. September 7, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
4. ^ "Hiking The Eastern Continental Trail". Backpacker. October 1, 2001. Retrieved January 6, 2022.

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Hiking trails in Vermont

* Appalachian
* Eastern Continental Trail
* Long Trail
* North Country Trail
* Stowe Recreation Path
* Taconic Crest Trail
* Taconic Trails

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Hiking trails in Massachusetts

* Appalachian
* Battle Road
* Bay Circuit
* Cape Cod Canal Trail
* Canalside
* Commonwealth Connections
* East Coast Greenway
* Eastern Continental
* Emerald Necklace
* Great Esker Park
* Mahican-Mohawk
* Metacomet-Monadnock
* Midstate
* New England
* Norwottuck
* Pocumtuck Ridge
* Robert Frost
* Taconic
* South Taconic
* Taconic Crest
* Taconic Skyline
* Tully
* Wapack
* Warner

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Hiking trails in Connecticut

* Airline
* Alain and May White
* American Legion
* Appalachian
* Arthur A. Harris
* Aspetuck Valley
* Bigelow Hollow
* Case Mountain
* Charter Oak Greenway
* Chatfield
* Cockaponset
* East Coast Greenway
* Falls Brook
* Farmington Canal Heritage
* Gay City
* Hancock Brook
* Hop River
* Housatonic Range
* Iron
* Jericho
* Kettletown
* Lillinonah
* Lone Pine
* Macedonia Brook
* Mattabesett
* Mattatuck
* McLean Game Refuge
* Menunkatuck
* Metacomet
* Mohawk
* Moosup Valley
* Muir
* Narragansett
* Natchaug
* Naugatuck
* Nayantaquit
* Nehantic
* New England
* Nipmuck
* Old Furnace
* Pachaug
* Paugussett
* Peoples
* Pequot
* Pine Knob
* Pomperaug
* Quinebaug
* Quinnipiac
* Ragged Mountain
* Regicides
* Salmon River
* Saugatuck
* Shenipsit
* Sleeping Giant
* Still River Greenway
* Stony Creek Quarry
* Sunny Valley Preserve
* Tunxis
* Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route
* Westwoods
* Whitestone Cliffs
* Williams
* Wolcott
* Zoar

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Hiking trails in New Jersey

* Appalachian
* Batona
* Capital to Coast
* Columbia
* Delaware and Raritan Canal
* East Coast Greenway
* Eastern Continental
* Hackensack RiverWalk
* Highlands
* Lenape
* Long Path
* Patriots' Path
* Paulinskill Valley
* Raritan River Greenway
* Shawangunk Ridge
* Sussex Branch

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Hiking trails in Maryland

* Allegheny Highlands
* American Discovery
* Anacostia Tributaries
* Appalachian
* B&A
* North Bethesda
* Billy Goat
* Borden Tunnel
* BWI
* Capital Crescent
* Catoctin
* C&O Canal
* Cross Island
* Dalecarlia Tunnel
* East Coast Greenway
* Eastern Continental
* Great Allegheny Passage
* Great Eastern
* Grist Mill
* Gwynns Falls
* Jones Falls
* Ma and Pa
* Mason-Dixon
* Metropolitan Branch
* Muddy Branch
* Patuxent Branch
* Potomac Heritage
* Rachel Carson
* Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail
* Savage Mill
* Seneca Creek
* Short Line
* Sligo Creek
* Torrey C. Brown (Northern Central)
* Trolley Line #9
* Tuscarora
* WB&A
* WMRT

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Hiking trails in North Carolina

* American Tobacco
* Appalachian
* Art Loeb
* Bartram
* Benton MacKaye
* Cape Fear River
* Capital Area Greenway
* Deep River
* Dunn-Erwin
* East Coast Greenway
* Eastern Continental
* Farlow Gap
* Fonta Flora
* Foothills
* Haw River
* Hickory Nut Gorge
* Mountains-to-Sea
* Neusiok
* Northern Peaks
* Overmountain Victory
* Sauratown
* South Tar River
* Tanawha
* Uwharrie Trail
* Wilderness Gateway

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Hiking trails in Pennsylvania

* Allegheny Front
* Appalachian
* Baker
* Black Forest
* Bucktail Path
* Chuck Keiper
* Conestoga
* Darlington
* Donut Hole
* Eagleton Mine Camp
* Eastern Continental
* Elk
* Fred Woods
* Gerard
* Glacier Ridge
* Golden Eagle
* Great Eastern
* Hickory Creek
* Horse-Shoe
* Jack Paulhamus/Garby
* John P. Saylor
* Laurel Highlands
* Lost Turkey
* Loyalsock
* Mason-Dixon
* Mid State
* Mill Creek
* Minister Creek
* Morrison
* North Country
* Old Loggers Path
* Pinchot
* Potomac Heritage
* Quehanna
* Rachel Carson
* Rock Run
* Rockton Mountain
* Slippery Rock Gorge
* Standing Stone
* Susquehannock
* T-Squared
* Tanbark
* Terrace Mountain
* Thunder Swamp
* Tracy Ridge
* Tuscarora
* Twin Lakes
* Warrior
* West Rim

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Hiking trails in West Virginia

* Allegheny
* American Discovery
* Appalachian
* Eastern Continental
* Great Eastern
* Tuscarora
* Warrior
* Washington Heritage

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Hiking trails in Virginia

* Appalachian
* Blue Ridge Railway
* Bull Run Occoquan
* Chessie Nature
* Dahlgren Railroad Heritage
* Difficult Run
* East Coast Greenway
* Great Eastern
* High Bridge
* Massanutten
* Huckleberry
* New River
* Overmountain Victory
* Potomac Heritage
* Tuscarora
* Virginia Creeper
* Washington & Old Dominion
* Wild Oak

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Hiking trails in North Carolina

* American Tobacco
* Appalachian
* Art Loeb
* Bartram
* Benton MacKaye
* Cape Fear River
* Capital Area Greenway
* Deep River
* Dunn-Erwin
* East Coast Greenway
* Eastern Continental
* Farlow Gap
* Fonta Flora
* Foothills
* Haw River
* Hickory Nut Gorge
* Mountains-to-Sea
* Neusiok
* Northern Peaks
* Overmountain Victory
* Sauratown
* South Tar River
* Tanawha
* Uwharrie Trail
* Wilderness Gateway

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Hiking trails in Georgia

* Appalachian
* Arkaquah
* Bartram
* BeltLine
* Benton MacKaye
* Black Heritage
* Cheshire Farm Trail
* Coleman River
* Duncan Ridge
* Eastern Continental
* Great Eastern
* Jacks Knob
* Panther Creek
* Pinhoti
* Silver Comet

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U.S. National Trails System

National Historic Trails|

| Scenic motor routes|

* Butterfield Overland
* California Trail
* El Camino Real de los Tejas Trail
* El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
* Juan Bautista de Anza Trail
* Mormon Trail
* Nez Perce Trail
* Old Spanish Trail
* Oregon Trail
* Pony Express Trail
* Santa Fe Trail
* Selma to Montgomery Trail
* Trail of Tears
* Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route

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Natural surface trails|

* Ala Kahakai Trail
* Chilkoot Trail
* Iditarod Trail

Water trails|

* Captain John Smith Chesapeake Trail

Combination|

* Lewis and Clark Trail (motor, land, and water)
* Overmountain Victory Trail (motor and land)
* Star-Spangled Banner Trail (motor and water)

National Scenic Trails|

* Appalachian Trail
* by state
* Arizona Trail
* Continental Divide Trail
* New England Trail
* Florida Trail
* Ice Age Trail
* Natchez Trace Trail
* North Country Trail
* by state
* Pacific Crest Trail
* Pacific Northwest Trail
* Potomac Heritage Trail

National Geologic Trail|

* Ice Age Floods Trail

National Recreation Trails|

* Category

Related|

* Triple Crown of Hiking

Authority control databases |

* VIAF

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