Long-distance trail - Citizendia

Long-distance trails (or long-distance tracks, paths, footpaths or greenways) are the longer recreational right-of-way routes mainly through rural areas, used for non-motorised recreational travelling (walking, backpacking, cycling or horse riding). A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted – through an Easement or other mechanism – for Transportation purposes such as for a Rail line or Walking (also called ambulation) is the main form of Animal Locomotion on land, distinguished from Running and crawling Backpacking (in US tramping, trekking, or bushwalking in other countries combines Hiking and camping in a single Cycling is the use of Bicycles or - less commonly - Unicycles Tricycles Quadricycles and other similar wheeled Human powered vehicles For the Roman class see Equestrian (Roman Equestrianism refers to the skill of riding or driving Horses This broad description

Any route named as a "trail" (or "way", in the UK) will probably be waymarked, or identified on a map, but it will usually only be described as "long-distance" if it takes the average user more than one day to travel from end to end. Typically, a "long distance" trail, way or path will be at least 50 kilometers (31 miles) long, but some in Britain are several hundred miles long, and many in the US are much longer.

In some countries, official "trails" will have the surface specially prepared to make the going easier.

In the UK long-distance paths are simply existing rights of way (over private land) "joined together" (perhaps with specially-negotiated linking sections) to make a named route. Different legislation applies in the different countries of the United Kingdom due to different legal systems and legislative devolution Generally the surface is not especially prepared (which can come as a surprise to pampered walkers from abroad, who find their distance-covering estimates need to be rethought to take rough ground into account) except in special places such as converted rail tracks, or some "busy" hilly areas where stone slabs are laid to prevent erosion.

1 Types of long-distance trails
2 See also

Types of long-distance trails

Bicycle trails

These are used by bicyclists. Some are restricted to use by only non-motorized bikes while others are multi-use recreational (hiking, horseback riding, jogging, rollerblading or walking). Bike trails can range in length from under a mile to hundreds of miles, such as the EuroVelo routes, Australia's Munda Biddi Trail or Bike Trails in North America. EuroVelo, the European cycle route network is a project of the European Cyclists' Federation to develop 12 long-distance cycle routes crossing Europe Munda Biddi Trail is a 900 km long distance bicycle trail in Western Australia.

Canal system trails

These follow canal systems. A good example is the 525-mile long New York State Canal System in New York. The New York State Canal System (formerly known as the New York State Barge Canal) is a successor to the Erie Canal and other Canals within New York New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

Coastal trails

These follow coastlines of which good examples are the South West Coast Path in England and the Otter Trail in South Africa. The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Otter Trail is a hiking trail along the Garden Route coast of South Africa and is named for the Cape Clawless Otter which occurs in this region The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa A shorter example is the Gold Coast Oceanway in Australia. The Gold Coast Oceanway is a Foreshoreway along Gold Coast beaches For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

Coast-to-coast trails

These may be cross-country paths, or may follow roadways, or other ways, and often intersect with many other trails in the process. A good example is the Coast-to-Coast path in northern England, which - despite being perhaps the most famous long-distance walking route in England - is not an official National Trail, simply a series of connected pre-existing rights of way. The Coast to Coast Walk is a 192-mile (according to a recent re-measuring the real distance is almost 220 miles unofficial and mostly unsignposted long distance footpath

The American Discovery Trail crosses the continental United States from east to west. The American Discovery Trail is a coast-to-coast hiking and biking Trail across the mid-tier of the United States.

Mountain trails

Long distance mountain trails are of two broad kinds, linear trails and loop trails. Notable linear examples include the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply The A The Pacific Crest Trail (also known as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail) is a long-distance mountain Hiking and equestrian trail that runs from The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (in short Continental Divide Trail) is a United States National Scenic Trail running 3100 miles (5000 km Notable loop examples include the Tahoe Rim Trail, the Wonderland Trail, which encircles Mount Rainier, and the Tour du Mont Blanc, which passes through the Alps of France, Switzerland, and Italy. The Tahoe Rim Trail is a 165-mile (266 km long-distance hiking trail which forms a loop around Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada and Carson ranges of Mount Rainier is an active Stratovolcano (also known as a composite volcano in Pierce County Washington, located southeast of Seattle, Washington The Tour du Mont Blanc or TMB is one of the most popular long distance walks in Europe. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

National Trails

National Trails are a network of well-maintained and well-waymarked routes across England and Wales. Examples are the Pennine Way and the South West Coast Path. The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England. The trail runs 429 kilometres (268 mi from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. The equivalent routes in Scotland are Long Distance Routes such as the West Highland Way. Long Distance Route (sometimes referred to as 'LDR' is an official term for maintained Long-distance footpaths in Scotland that require several days to walk The West Highland Way is a linear long distance footpath in Scotland, with the official status of Long Distance Route.

Peninsular trails

The Kerry Way in south-west Ireland circumnavigates the highest mountain range in Ireland. The Kerry Way is the longest (215km signposted walking trail in the Republic of Ireland, and is situated entirely in County Kerry. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Along with the adjoining Dingle Way it is noted for its scenic views of the Atlantic, loughs and mountains. A lough is a body of Water and is either A Lake. A Sea lough which may be a Fjord, Estuary, Bay

Cross-country trails

Among the longest, the Trans-Canada Trail. The Trans Canada Trail is a proposed corridor in Canada. The creation of the trail was announced as part of Canada's 125th anniversary celebrations in 1992

Te Araroa Trail - New Zealand
Continental Divide Trail - United States
Countrywide Blue Tour in Hungary - Hungary
Shvil Yisrael (Israel National Trail) - Israel

Cross-continent trails

Among the longest is European walking route E8. Te Araroa (The Long Pathway is New Zealand 's newest long distance Tramping route from Cape Reinga to Bluff. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (in short Continental Divide Trail) is a United States National Scenic Trail running 3100 miles (5000 km The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Countrywide Blue Tour (in Hungarian O rszágos K ék' t' úra Kéktúra or simply OKT) is a part of the Hungarian section of the European Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic The Israel National Trail, (שביל ישראל Shvil Yisra'el) is a hiking path that crosses the entire country of Israel. The Israel National Trail, (שביל ישראל Shvil Yisra'el) is a hiking path that crosses the entire country of Israel. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The European long-distance paths are a network of extremely long-distance footpaths that traverse Europe.

Rail trails

Rail trails are trails on old railway rights of way. Rail trail is a term for a Trail that makes use of a railroad right-of-way (ROW. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted – through an Easement or other mechanism – for Transportation purposes such as for a Rail line or There are two major kinds, rails to trails and rails with trails. Rail trail is a term for a Trail that makes use of a railroad right-of-way (ROW. Rails with trails ( RWT) are a small subset of Rail trails in which a railway Right-of-way remains in use by Trains yet also has In the UK rail trails generally are rather short; an example is the Longdendale Trail. Longdendale Trail is an English Long-distance trail which follows the alignment of the former Woodhead railway line which used to run between In the US rail trails generally are among the longer trails apart from the major cross-continent trails.

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