Long-distance trail


A long-distance trail is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents except Antarctica.
Many trails are marked on maps. Typically, a long-distance route will be at least long, but many run for several hundred miles, or longer.
Many routes are waymarked and may cross public or private land and/or follow existing rights of way. Generally, the surface is not specially prepared, and the ground can be rough and uneven in areas, except in places such as converted rail tracks or popular walking routes where stone-pitching and slabs have been laid to prevent erosion. In some places, official trails will have the surface specially prepared to make the going easier.

History

Historically, and still nowadays in countries where most people move on foot or with pack animals, long-distance trails linked far away towns and regions. Such paths followed "logical" routes, that can be approximated to least-cost paths. The introduction of mechanical and motorized transport during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century changed all this.

Hiking trails

Europe

s are long-distance footpaths in Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal.

United Kingdom

are a network of officially sanctioned footpaths in the United Kingdom which are well maintained and well way-marked across England and Wales. Examples are the Pennine Way and the South West Coast Path. The equivalent routes in Scotland are styled as Scotland's Great Trails; they include the West Highland Way and the Speyside Way.
The success of the Welsh Government's 870-mile Wales Coast Path prompted an ongoing project of create a similar route for England. When completed, the King Charles III England Coast Path will be around 2,700 miles long.
There are many other recognised, sometimes waymarked, long-distance footpaths in the UK which do not have National Trail status. The Long Distance Walkers Association has the most comprehensive online database of long-distance paths in Britain, and members are able to download GPX files of routes. The association also maintains the LDWA National Trails Register, with different levels of membership for people who have completed five, 10, 15 or all 19 of the National Trails and Great Trails. An annual report is published in April in the association's magazine, Strider.

Republic of Ireland

The Kerry Way, in south-west Ireland, is the longest of the Irish waymarked trails and circumnavigates the highest mountain range in Ireland. Along with the adjoining Dingle Way it is noted for its scenic views of the Atlantic, loughs and mountains.
Image:Map of the European Long Distance Paths.png|thumb|300px|Map of European long-distance paths

Asia

Hong Kong

Long-distance trails in Hong Kong:
Japan has a network of ten long-distance trails called Long Distance Nature Trails. Their creation is the result of a Ministry of Environment initiative to highlight the specific environmental, cultural or historic landscapes through which the trails pass. They also aim to allow hikers a safe and easy hike in any season, as well as raising awareness of the importance of protecting natural spaces and adopting sustainable behaviors.
Long Distance Nature Trails in Japan:
  • Tokai Nature Trail: 1697 kilometers
  • Kyūshū Nature Trail : 2932 kilometers
  • Chūkoku Nature Trail: 2295 kilometers
  • Shikoku Nature Trail : 1637 kilometers
  • Shutoken Nature Trail : 1800 kilometers
  • Tōhoku Nature Trail : 4374 kilometers
  • Chūbu Hokuriku Nature Trail: 4085 kilometers
  • Kinki Nature Trail: 3296 kilometers
  • Hokkaidō Nature Trail: 4600 kilometers
  • Tōhoku Pacific Coast Nature Trail : 1000 kilometers

    South America

Brazil

In Brazil, long-distance trails are regulated by two Federal Government decrees, and implemented and managed by government agencies in partnership with many NGOs, such as the Brazilian Trails Network Association and the Atlantic Forest Trail Institute. The aim is to create a national system of trails that are pleasant to hike, but that also generate employment and income and function as conservation tools by linking protected areas with natural corridors.
There are more than 120 trails in different stages of implementation in 25 of the 27 Brazilian states, connecting all Brazilian biomes. As of January 2022, Brazil has more than 5,500 km of managed trails and another 20,500 km planned.
Long-distance trails in Brazil:
  • Atlantic Forest Trail: 4270 km
  • Transmantiqueira National Trail: 1200 km
  • Transcarioca Trail: 180 km
  • Atlantic Amazon Trail: 350 km
  • Pioneers Route: 390 km
  • Serra do Mar Trail: 300 km

    Coastal trails

These follow coastlines; examples are the Brittany Coast Path in France, the California Coastal Trail in the US, the South West Coast Path in England, the East Coast Trail in Canada, and the Otter Trail in South Africa.
The King Charles III England Coast Path, in development by Natural England, will be around long. It is expected to open by the end of 2024 as the longest coastal walking route in the world and Britain's longest National Trail.

Coast-to-coast trails

These may be cross-country paths, or may follow roads or other ways, and often intersect with many other trails. Examples are Wainwright's Coast-to-Coast path in northern England, and the GR 10 in France. The English Coast to Coast route, despite being amongst the best-known long-distance walking routes in England, is not an official National Trail, but simply a series of connected pre-existing rights of way, roads and open country with some informal links between them. There is also a coast-to-coast mountain-bike route in northern England that has the same trailheads as the walkers' path. GR 10 is a French GR footpath that runs the length of the Pyrenees Mountains, roughly paralleling the French–Spanish border on the French side. It runs west to east, from Hendaye on the Bay of Biscay to Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean Sea.
The American Discovery Trail is a hiking and biking trail that crosses the continental United States from east to west, across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The eastern terminus is the Delmarva Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean and the western terminus is Point Reyes, on the northern California coast at the Pacific Ocean. The Iditarod Trail connects the coastal cities of Seward and Nome, Alaska: a distance of around.
The European long-distance paths traverse Europe, passing through many countries.
Among the longest are European walking route E8 and the Iron Curtain Trail. The latter is a partially complete long-distance cycling route which will run along the entire length of the former Iron Curtain. During the period of the Cold War, the Iron Curtain delineated the border between the Communist East and the capitalist West.
Some of the longest walking routes worldwide:
Long-distance mountain trails are of two broad kinds: linear trails and loop trails.

Europe

In Europe the Via Alpina consists of five connected hiking trails across the alpine regions of Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Italy, France and Monaco. It is long, with 342 day stages. Circular routes include the Tour du Mont Blanc, which passes through the Alps of France, Switzerland, and Italy. In the Balkans region, the Peaks of the Balkans Trail and High Scardus Trail connect Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro or North Macedonia respectively through a network of combined almost.

United States

In the United States, notable linear trails include the Appalachian Trail,, the Pacific Crest Trail,
and the Continental Divide Trail,. The first long-distance hiking trail in the US was begun in 1910 and named The Long Trail. Notable circular trails include the Tahoe Rim Trail and the Wonderland Trail.

Australia

The Australian Alps Walking Track traverses the alpine areas of Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. It is long, starting at Walhalla, Victoria, and running through to Tharwa, Australian Capital Territory near Canberra.

Himalayas

The Himalayan routes are famous for attracting a large number of trekkers. Typical trekking regions in Nepal are Annapurna, Dolpo, Langtang, Manaslu, Kangchenjunga and Mount Everest. In India, the Kashmir Valley is home to several trekking routes that traverse western sections of the Himalayas. Vishansar Lake, Gangabal Lake and Tarsar Lakes are accessible only through different trekking routes. Other popular trekking routes in India include Chandra Taal, Dzongri, Goechala, Gomukh, Hemkund, Kafni Glacier, Kailash-Manasarovar, Kedarnath, Kedartal, Milam Glacier, Nanda Devi Sanctuary, Pindari Glacier, Richenpong, Roopkund, Sar Pass, Satopanth Tal, Saurkundi Pass and the Valley of Flowers.
The Great Himalaya Trail is proposed to follow the Greater Himalaya Range from Namche Barwa in Tibet to Nanga Parbat in Pakistan, forming the world's highest mountain trail.