Eastern Continental Trail
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| Eastern Continental Trail | |
|---|---|
 Route of the Eastern Continental Trail through the eastern United States and Canada |
|
| Length | 5,400 miles (8,700 km) |
| Location | Eastern United States and Canada |
| Trailheads | Key West, Florida Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador) |
| Use | Hiking |
| Elevation Change | 6,643 feet (2,025 m) |
| Highest Point | Clingmans Dome |
| Lowest Point | Key West |
| Trail Difficulty | Moderate to Strenuous |
| Season | Summer in northern sections, year round in southernmost sections |
| Sights | Appalachian Mountains Everglades Florida Keys Gaspé Peninsula Hudson Valley Lake Okeechobee Mount Katahdin Springer Mountain |
| Hazards | Alligators American Black Bear Fire Ants Limited Water Lyme disease Poison Ivy Severe Weather Steep Grades Venomous Snakes |
The Eastern Continental Trail (ECT) is a combination of North American long-distance hiking trails, which connect (roughly) from Key West, Florida to Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador) a distance of 5,400 miles (8,700 km). A thru-hike on this system of trails requires almost a year to complete.
[edit] History
Since 1997, an increasing number of thru-hikers have utilized a route that strings together a Key West/Everglades roadwalk and the Florida Trail with a roadwalk through southern Alabama, the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail and Benton MacKaye Trail in Georgia to reach the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain. Hikers then continue north on the Appalachian Trail to the International Appalachian Trail to reach Cap Gaspé, Quebec, and more recently, Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador). The trail system was named by legendary long distance hiker, M. J. Eberhart (trailname: Nimblewill Nomad).
