Travel & Adventure

Take a Hike Along the Longest Trails in Canada

Getting lost has never been so magical! Canada is home so some of the most beautiful nature, and trails and loop and expand across all of it. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing nature walk, or tackling some of the toughest terrains, this country has it all.

How long could you hike for? Check out the absolute longest trails in Canada to trek!

The Trans Canada Trail

Length: 28,000 km

There’s no ‘location’ for this trial because this trail goes through every province and territory of Canada connecting the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans. Not only is it the longest hiking trail in Canada, but it’s the longest hiking trail in the world, and it’s right here in Canada.

You can walk, hike, run, cycle, cross-country ski, and even paddle to get across this trail, but it’ll take you two years, two months and one week to complete (and that’s if you’re doing consistently 30km per day!

trans canada trail — photo via @transcanadatrail

The Great Divide Trail

Alberta/BC
Length: 1,200 km

Now, the next longest trails in Canada are going to be considerably shorter than the Trans Canada Trail, nothing touches that. If you’re thinking about doing an extreme hiking, you’ll have to set aside about eight weeks to complete.

the great divide trail — photo by @_huckleberrywild

Bruce Trail

Ontario
Length: 885 km

This trail will take you from the edge of Ontario’s wine country, to the top of cottage country. It runs from the Niagara River to the tip of Tobermory and has over 400 km of associated side trails to it, so you could really go for a LONG time if you wanted.

Depending on how you approach it, the journey from one end to the other can be be done over 30 days consistently, even the span of several years depending on how you’d like to approach it.

bruce trail — photoa via @sydenhambrucetrailclub

Newfoundland T’Railway Provincial Park

Newfoundland & Labrador
Length: 883 km

Running right across The Rock, from St. John’s to Port Aux Basques, this former railway line cuts through 55 towns and crosses 150 bridges (with a total of 3.5 km of pure bridgeway in the trail)

Not only is this trail long, but it’s considered a highly challenging route. It takes an average of 203 hours to complete, so depending on how you’re splitting that up you could be on the trail for at least three to four weeks.

Kettle Valley Rail Trail

British Columbia
Length: 600 km

Now this trail is best experienced on a bike, we’ve heard. The decommissioned rail trail that has been converted into a recreational trail spans across BC from Hope to Castlegar, and is also part of the Trans Canada Trail.

The section of the trail between Penticton and Naramata is arguably the most developed of the entire Kettle Valley Rail Trail and it’ll take you about 20 to 30 days to walk. If you’re planning to bike, it should only take between a week or two.