Click the image below to enjoy these slideshows of the International Appalachian Trail (IAT) route in Nova Scotia, Canada!
The Sentier International des Appalaches-International Appalachian Trail (SIA-IAT) is a 3,000 km trans-national mountain walking trail route stretching from Mount Katahdin, Maine, through New Brunswick to the Gaspé region of Québec, then to Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and the west coast of the Island of Newfoundland and Labrador.
It connects with the Appalachian Trail (3,505 km), the Benton MacKaye Trail (161 km), the Georgia Pinhoti Trail (241 km), the Alabama Pinhoti Trail (241 km), the Alabama Roadwalk (241 km), the Florida National Scenic Trail (1620 km) and the Keys-Everglades Roadwalk (241 km) to form the 9,200 km Eastern Continental Trail (ECT).
The Appalachian / Caledonian Mountains were formed 200 to 300 million years ago when North America, Europe and Africa were all part of the super-continent Pangea. The International Appalachian Trail concept is based on this ancient geological process and was originally conceived to explicitly celebrate international connectivity and cooperation. Accordingly, discussions are currently underway to extend the IAT to Greenland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Isle of Mann, Scotland, Norway, France, Spain, Portugal and Morocco which are all part of this historic mountain range.
It is this truly international, and possibly intercontinental, dimension that makes the SIA-IAT a unique global hiking experience.
In Nova Scotia, the IAT route connects with the province of Prince Edward Island via the ferry terminal in Caribou (near Pictou); and with the province of Newfoundland and Labrador via the ferry terminal in North Sydney. The NS IAT trail route is 465 km in length and links coastal environments, wilderness protected areas and significant cultural heritage sites. It connects scenic, historic and recreational areas in many communities and provides an exciting Appalachian hiking experience ... up close and personal.
For a brief geology on the origin of the Appalachian Mountains, click here.
