Krisstina told me about this trail and sent this video to watch. We are looking for somewhere to practice and just getaway on a trip. Even if we don’t visit this trail before the PCT… it opens up the idea of doing it later. This trail is not really known that much. Eric Hanson does a great job in the video. In 2023 we plan to go somewhere to hike. This trail is an option for us. It’s was formed in 1994 and now has 300 km of trail. The people are beautiful and so friendly. We have a choice… to go east or west to B.C. and go hiking. You can learn more about it from the website of the trail.
(Pulled From The Video Description) At the far eastern edge of North America lies a hidden gem. The East Coast Trail has been in development for 24 years, yet some sections make you feel like the first explorer to arrive as you are taken by nature’s majesty.
Getting to hike there felt like a real opportunity to showcase a place and a trail that more people MUST know about. Just spend a few minutes talking with the dedicated crew of people behind the trail and you will know there’s something special there.
And then when you actually step out onto that rocky coastal trail, you’ll be even more surprised. The East Coast Trail is about 300 kilometres long and follows the rugged east coast from St. Johns down the Avalon Peninsula. There are some truly unique features, such as The Spout, where a geyser-like eruption happens every 15 seconds. There are hundreds of waterfalls cascading into the ocean, arches, and towers. Throw in some fresh seafood (including the raw scallop that served as my birthday cake) and you’ve got yourself one heck of a hiking trip—it’s all remarkable. Newfoundland was amazing and getting to hike the East Coast Trail and meet the people along the way was a big highlight of my year. I hope you enjoy this episode of Trackin’ Dirt and that it inspires you to potentially make the journey yourself!
Newfoundland & Labrador: www.newfoundlandlabrador.com
The East Coast Trail is a continuous linear hiking trail. All the paths are connected, mostly via a “community walk” (one path will end on one side of the community and the next path will begin on the other side of the community). There will be occasions where hikers will walk along the roads to get to the next path. These community walks give hikers the opportunity to experience the Communities Along the Trail and learn about the culture of Newfoundland, without having to stray far from the paths.
There are some paths that connect directly to one another (La Manche Village Path and Flamber Head Path, and Spout Path and Motion Path, for example) that you will not need to walk through a community to connect. For more information about each individual path, including access points, please visit the Choose a Path page on our website.
The paths along the trail, in order from north to south, are listed below.
Please note, the distances shown are the distances from start to finish of each path and do not include side trails or community walks (for side trail and community walk distances, refer to the ECT New Mapset 2019 Edition). Also, if you are walking the trail as a thru-hike, you would not need to walk the 6.3km access trail shown for Motion Path and Spout Path and the 1.4km access trail shown for La Manche Village Path and Flamber Head Path. Those access trails are entrances to the coastline or exits from the coastline back to a road/parking lot.
- Long Shore Path 17.2km (Topsail Beach – Portugal Cove)
- Piccos Ridge Path 14.5km (Portugal Cove – Bauline)
- White Horse Path 18.2km (Bauline – Cape St. Francis)
- Biscan Cove Path 7.0km (Cape St. Francis – Pouch Cove)
- Stiles Cove Path 15.1km (Pouch Cove – Flatrock)
- Father Troy’s Trail 8.9km (Flatrock – Torbay)
- Silver Mine Head Path 3.8km (Torbay – Outer Cove)
- Cobblers Path 5.0km (Outer Cove to Logy Bay)
- Sugarloaf Path 8.8km (Logy Bay – Quidi Vidi Village)
- Deadmans Bay Path 10.5km (Fort Amherst – Blackhead)
- Cape Spear Path 15.4km (Blackhead – Maddox Cove)
- Motion Path 13.8km + a 6.3km access trail (Petty Harbour – Shoal Bay Road)
- Spout Path 16.2km + a 6.3km access trail (Shoal Bay Road – Bay Bulls)
- Mickeleens Path 7.2km (Bay Bulls – Witless Bay)
- Beaches Path 7.1km (Witless Bay – Mobile)
- Tinkers Point Path 5.0km (Mobile – Tors Cove)
- La Manche Village Path 6.4km + a 1.4km access trail (Tors Cove – La Manche Village)
- Flamber Head Path 11.5km + a 1.4km access trail (La Manche Village – Brigus South)
- Brigus Head Path 6.4km (Brigus South – Admirals Cove)
- Cape Broyle Head Path 19.4km (Cape Broyle – Calvert)
- Caplin Bay Path 5.6km (Calvert – Ferryland)
- Sounding Hills Path 5.4km (Ferryland – Aquaforte) *
- Spurwink Island Path 20.4km (Aquaforte – Port Kirwan)
- Bear Cove Point Path 11.9km (Kingman’s Cove – Renews)
- Island Meadow Path 10.0km (Renews – Cappahayden)
*Sounding Hills Path is closed until further notice. Please visit the path web page for more information. If you are hiking the trail from north to south, after finishing Caplin Bay Path you can walk along the side of Highway 10 for a few kilometres to the town of Aquaforte, where you will rejoin the trail on the Spurwink Island Path.