During my morning trail run in the Parcs des Chutes-de-la-Chaudiere, I accidentally stumbled my way onto a paved path. The nearby signs indicated this was the Trans Canada Trail. I know about plenty of trails in North America. But I’d never heard of this epic one before. Seeing these markers inspired me to learn where it exactly is goes.
Learning more about the Trans Canada Trail
The Trans Canada Trail is the longest recreational path in the world at 24,000 kilometers long. The majority of the trail runs along the southern part of country, allowing access through many of the major Canadian cities.
After a quick search on the internet, I found the TCT’s website chock full of interesting nuggets. There’s a superb interactive map online that allows you to zoom in on certain routes, and even find parking for your visit to the trail. Playing with the map a little bit, I could see that the TCT and Green Route run through Quebec City and along both sizes the St. Lawrence River.
After contemplating the route a bit, we were inspired to bring our bikes along with us to Montmorency Falls. The trail runs right past the base of the falls, so we could easily bike on a bit of the path after lunch.
Map of the TCT along the trail
The Littoral Corridor of the Trans Canada Trail
We rode on the Littoral Corridor portion of TCT along Beauport Bay. Cycling west back toward the city provided us with views of the picturesque Chateau Frontenac in the distance for much of the ride. Our portion of the trail was almost completely flat and made for the perfect afternoon adventure.
This section of the trail is multi-use, and is shared by walkers, runners, cyclists, and inline skaters. We even saw some electric bikes, wheelchairs, and Hoveround scooters. (Seriously! Those little red medical scooters, like the ones you see at the grocery store.) I found it incredibly inspiring to see people of all ages – and levels of mobility – outdoors on the trail enjoying the trail during our visit.
Despite the many approaches people took to enjoy the TCT, it never felt crowded or chaotic. Certainly not in that way other urban paths can be. We lived in Northern Virginia for four years near the southern terminus of the George Washington Parkway. After dodging cyclists whenever I tried to run on the on the GW Parkway’s path, I suppose I had a bit of a sour taste in my mouth for multi-use trails. The TCT showed me that it’s possible for a variety of users to co-exist without developing road rage.
Chateau Frontenac. Not bad motivation to ride toward, eh?
Bonus stopover along the way
We didn’t cycle all the way into Old Quebec as intended. One of the attractions distracted us along the way. As we rounded a turn, we could see a three-story tall concrete tower shaped like a ship’s sail. As we got closer, the entrance to a vast park named the Domaine de Maizerets opened up before us.
The tower was up on a hill surrounded by an arboretum of gorgeous trees, plants, and flowers. There was also an massive hedge maze with 7-8 foot tall hedges to work your way though. Once Finn and I were done with the maze, we made our way to the top of the tower to take a bird’s eye view of labor. The park also boasts several ponds and bridges, a nature preserve, and a large playground for the kids.
Awesome maze in the park
We had such a great time exploring the park, we lost track of time. We had dinner plans with Keith’s family that evening, so it was soon time to head back to where we parked at Montmorency Falls. While we didn’t ride as far as we’d planned, that afternoon was one of the most enjoyable and relaxing experiences I’d had in a very long time.
And, let’s be honest. We’ll never get those remaining 23,980 kilometers of the Trans Canada Trail under our belt. But, the ones we experienced were pretty darn good!