Eastern Continental Trail

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 Tick-borne diseases 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.

History

The first person to hike the ECT from Key West to Cap Gaspe was John Brinda from Washington State, in 1997. Since then, 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 long distance hiker, M. J. Eberhart (trailname: Nimblewill Nomad).

Trails Used in the System

Trails listed in order from north to south.

• International Appalachian Trail
• Appalachian Trail
• Benton MacKaye Trail
• Pinhoti Trail
• Alabama Roadwalk
• Florida Trail
• Key West/Everglades Roadwalk