The Eastern Continental Trail (ECT) is a combination of North American long-distance hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

 trails, which connect (roughly) from Key West, Florida

Key West, Florida

Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...

 to Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Belle Isle is an uninhabited island just off the coast of Labrador and north of Newfoundland at the Atlantic entrance to the Strait of Belle Isle which takes its name...

 a distance of 5400 miles (8,690.4 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

Key West, Florida

Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...

 / Everglades

Everglades

The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...

 roadwalk

Roadwalking

Roadwalking is a thru-hiking term, indicating a walk on a road instead of a trail. Considered a technique by skippers, flippers and quitters used to avoid trail miles, it usually provides an easier way to reach a farther point on the trail, e.g. by avoiding steep mountain ascents...

 and the Florida Trail with a roadwalk through southern Alabama, the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail

Pinhoti National Recreation Trail

The Pinhoti Trail is a long-distance trail, long, locate in the United States within in the states Alabama and Georgia. The trail's southern terminus is on Flagg Mountain which is located near Weogufka, Alabama...

 and Benton MacKaye Trail

Benton MacKaye Trail

The Benton MacKaye Trail or BMT is a footpath nearly in length in the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States and is blazed by a white diamond, 5" across by 7" tall...

 in Georgia to reach the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...

 at Springer Mountain

Springer Mountain

Springer Mountain is located in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Fannin County of northern Georgia. It is now the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.-Geography:The mountain's peak is at above mean sea level.-Appalachian Trail:...

. Hikers then continue north on the Appalachian Trail to the International Appalachian Trail

International Appalachian Trail

The International Appalachian Trail is a hiking trail which runs from the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail at Mount Katahdin, Maine, through New Brunswick, to the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec, after which it takes bridge crossings to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, a ferry ride to...

 to reach Cap Gaspé, Quebec

Gaspé Peninsula

The Gaspésie , or Gaspé Peninsula or the Gaspé, is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, extending into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...

, and more recently, Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Belle Isle is an uninhabited island just off the coast of Labrador and north of Newfoundland at the Atlantic entrance to the Strait of Belle Isle which takes its name...

. 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
  International Appalachian Trail
  The International Appalachian Trail is a hiking trail which runs from the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail at Mount Katahdin, Maine, through New Brunswick, to the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec, after which it takes bridge crossings to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, a ferry ride to...
  
  
• Appalachian Trail
  Appalachian Trail
  The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
  
  
• Benton MacKaye Trail
  Benton MacKaye Trail
  The Benton MacKaye Trail or BMT is a footpath nearly in length in the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States and is blazed by a white diamond, 5" across by 7" tall...
  
  
• Pinhoti Trail
• Alabama Roadwalk
• Florida Trail
• Key West/Everglades Roadwalk