Along with the Victoria Rail Trail I recently posted about, another great hiking or biking trail near Bethany is the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail.

Kawartha Trans Canada Trail

The Kawartha Trans Canada Trail is a 44 kilometre trail between Peterborough County and Muncipality of Durham, near Uxbridge.  Most of the trail is the abandoned rail line which makes it easily accessible for all users. It’s a four season route with some historic and cultural heritage, linking five communities, parkland, farmland and the natural environment and providing opportunities for nature appreciation and interpretation.  There’s lots of room to hike, walk, cycle, go horseback riding and snowmobile on the trail.

The eastern part of the trail hits downtown Omemee.

Trans Canada Trail

I was interested to discover that this trail is part of the Trans Canada Trail, which is the world’s longest network of recreational trails. When fully connected, the Trail will stretch 23,000 kilometres (14,000 mi) from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic oceans. More than 16,800 kilometres (10,400 mi) of trail are currently usable, making it approximately 73% complete.  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

Two hundred forty gaps totaling 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 Trail has been funded by Canadian federal and provincial governments and contributions from corporate and individual donors. The first province to have completed its designated section of the trail was Prince Edward Island.