TransCanada Trail: The 16,000 Kilometre Dream

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

The TransCanada Trail, now approximately 50 percent complete, is the
longest recreational trail in the world. It links Canada coast to coast,
from the Yukon and British Columbia, across the prairies, Ontario,
Quebec, and the Maritimes to Newfoundland. It is the work of volunteers,
coordinated via a network of local councils.

This large-format coffee-table book celebrates the size, scope, and
importance of the trail project with stunning color photos by John de
Visser, Canada’s best-known “patriotic” photographer. The photos
are not necessarily of the trail but rather of scenes within a few
kilometres of it. All provinces and all seasons are represented.

De Visser shoots all the Canadian clichés—sunsets, red-jacketed
Mounties, misty mornings, golden grain fields, crashing surf, majestic
mountains—but does so with a level of artistry that lifts these
subjects out of the ordinary. His magnificent photos are supported by
brief commentary from 11 famous Canadians. The remaining text consists
of one-page introductions to the trail in each province, captions, and
quotes on Canada as a great country.

Designated as the “official” book of the trail, the beautifully
presented TransCanada Trail is intended in part to raise funds for
further trail development.