THE ECT SECTIONS ARE:
Section #1 - Key West/Everglades Roadwalk (KER) 175 miles
The KER begins at the
monument marking the southernmost point on the eastern North
American continent, in
Key West, Florida. From there, the roadwalk continues
north on US1 to Florida City/Homestead. There it picks up
Krome Avenue (SR997) and proceeds north to Tamiami Trail
(US41/SR90). At that intersection the roadwalk turns west
to follow Tamiami Trail to the Miccosukee Indian Reservation at
Loop Road, then follows Loop Road to the southern terminus of
the Florida National Scenic Trail on Loop Road.
This KER route, with associated mileage, is detailed in the
The Florida Trail Guide
– Logistics for hiking
and backpacking the
Florida Trail.
Additionally, consult
Pinky's
site, the
DeLORME Atlas and Gazetteer
for Florida, and the Interactive Maps of the Florida Keys.
Interactive Maps
of the Florida Keys |
|
Section #2
- Florida National Scenic Trail (FT) 1100 miles (plus or
minus)
Development of the FT began with a dream by a man named Jim
Kern. Jim and other volunteers organized the
Florida Trail Association nearly forty years ago.
Bordered by rivers and lakes and surrounded by forests of palm,
pine, cypress and moss-draped live oak, the trail offers a
unique hiking experience. Utilizing public lands where
possible, and developed under agreements with private landowners
elsewhere, the FT threads its way north, then west through the
state. The winter and spring months, when the air is
crisp, and the dry season is upon the land, are best for hiking
in Florida.
In the South, just an hour (by vehicle) west of Miami, the FT
begins its northerly journey, in the
Big Cypress National Preserve, (Everglades
National Park), a semi-tropical ecosystem featuring
varieties of cypress draped with orchids and bromeliads.
Central Florida terrain boasts rolling pinelands, palm and oak
hammocks, and many lakes. North Florida is known for its
rivers, springs, deep woods, and its unsurpassed scenery and
solitude. Deer, turkey, and migrating birds, as well as an
incredible diversity of other wildlife are abundant in the many
wilderness areas through which the FT passes.
The ECT currently utilizes over 1100 miles of the 1800 miles of treadway that is the FT, beginning in the Everglades and ending
clear out in another time zone in the
Florida Panhandle.
View the most current
Florida Trail Association information concerning the ECT.
For maps, guidebooks and other information about the FT,
contact:
Florida Trail Association
P. O. Box 13708
Gainesville, FL 32604
(877) HIKE-FLA (877) 445-3352 (Gainesville office)
(850) 523-8500 (Tallahassee office)
www.floridatrail.org
fta@floridatrail.org
Also: Western Gate Chapter, FTA
http://westgate.floridatrail.org/
*Section #3 - Alabama Roadwalk (ALR) 190 miles
The longest connector link along the entire ECT runs for some
190 miles through southern Alabama, involving a roadwalk along
mostly rural, scenic, country roads ─ a land of gentle, friendly
people. It starts at the Florida/Alabama line in the
Conecuh National Forest, where the FT connector ends and
forest service roads begin. North of Montgomery, the roadwalk
will soon end, where the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail
begins atop Flagg Mountain. This roadwalk through southern
Alabama is an absolute trailtown lovers delight!
Check under
Notices to Thru-Hikers,
or under
Notice to Long Distance Hikers, for a guide to the route
currently recommended by the Alabama Hiking Trail Society.
For the USFS Conecuh National Forest map, go to the
Forest Place Store.
For information about the Alabama Roadwalk contact:
Alabama Hiking Trail Society
PO Box 231164
Montgomery, Al 36123
http://www.hikealabama.org/
ahts@hikealabama.org
*Section #4 - Pinhoti National Recreation Trail
(PT) 295 miles (plus or minus)
In 2007, to promote and advance the PT (path of the turkey), the
Pinhoti National Recreation Trail Alliance (PTA) was
organized, a not-for-profit, non-chartered cooperative of many
volunteer organizations (trail/other), and numerous local,
state, and federal agencies. The PTA serves as a clearinghouse
for all vital information concerning the PT.
In Alabama, the PT lies almost entirely with the
Talladega National Forest. Beginning on
Flagg Mountain,
south of Sylacauga, the southernmost of the grand Appalachian
Mountains to stand above 1,000 feet, the PT trends generally
northeast along a continuous footpath, some 140 miles, to
Flagpole Mountain (where presents a most spectacular vantage
across and into Georgia) at the Alabama/Georgia line (time
change at the cairn, central to eastern). Of significance: The
beautifully restored old stone
CCC Lookout Tower atop
Flagg Mountain stands ever as a
sentinel, marking the symbolic beginning/terminus of the
Appalachian Mountain Range - at least as we know these timeless
and spiritual mountains to exist on the North American
continent.
In Georgia, the PT descends Flagpole Mountain to enter the
delightful, hiker-friendly trailtown of
Cave Spring. From there, it continues trending generally
northeast some 155 miles, as it traverses the
Armuchee Ridges west of Rome - then on to
Rocky Face near Dalton, there to cross the
Great Valley, to reach the rugged
Cohuttas before connecting to the Benton MacKaye Trail below
Dyer Gap.
Oh yes it is true, that south of Springer Mountain, seldom do
these grand old Appalachians rise to stand much above 2,000 feet
- but do not be lulled or turned away! For within the bosom of
these little-known southern mountain reaches, does this grand PT
traverse some of the most rugged, remote, breathtakingly
picturesque mountain terrain to be found anywhere along the
entire Appalachian Mountain Range - from Flagg Mountain,
Alabama, clear to Belle Isle, Newfoundland. Believe me, dear
friends, I know!
For information concerning the PT, visit the
PTA. Also, for PT resources go to the
Alabama Hiking Trail Society, the
Georgia Pinhoti Trail Association and the
USFS.
For the beautiful, USFS five-map series of the PT through the
Talladega National Forest, go to the
Forest Place Store, or contact:
Forest Supervisor
National Forests in Alabama
2946 Chestnut Street
Montgomery, AL 36107
(334) 832-4470
http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/alabama/aboutus/
*Section #5 - Benton MacKaye Trail (BMT) 65 miles
A portion of the BMT in Georgia connects the PT to the
Appalachian National Scenic Trail at Springer Mountain.
Thus, for some 65 miles the ECT follows the BMT. This
treadway is complete and is well maintained, through the
cooperative effort of the USFS and the
Benton MacKaye Trail Association. The BMT is moderate
to strenuous hiking, preparing hikers for what lies ahead on the
Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
For BMT maps and information, contact:
Benton MacKaye Trail Association
P. O. Box 53271
Atlanta, GA 30355-1271
www.bmta.org
*Section #6 - Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT) 2150
miles
The AT, the granddaddy of all trails, begins on
Springer Mountain, Georgia, and runs some 2150 miles along
an uninterrupted footpath, over mountains and through the
valleys in fourteen states, to
Mt. Katahdin, Maine. The AT is the backbone for a
network of other delightful and enjoyable side and loop trails
all along the central Appalachians. It serves as the
anchor and the
grand section for the ECT.
The AT is maintained by the
Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) through the cooperative
effort of the ATC, its maintaining clubs, and a myriad of local,
regional, and federal agencies.
For AT maps and information, contact:
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
799 Washington Street
P.O. Box 807
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-0807
(304) 535-6331
www.atconf.org
info@appalachiantrail.org
*Section #7 – Sentier International des Appalaches/International
Appalachian Trail (SIA/IAT) 1285 miles
The
SIA/IAT offers hikers the opportunity to continue their hike
along the Appalachian Range from
Baxter State Park, Maine to where the Appalachians meet the
sea at Cap Gaspé, Québec, thence across the Gulf of St.
Lawrence, to continue along the spectacular Long Range
Appalachian Mountains of Newfoundland. The SIA/IAT
connects Mt. Katahdin,
Mt. Carleton,
Mt. Jacques Cartier, and
Lewis Hill, the highest points in Maine, New Brunswick,
southern Québec, and the island of Newfoundland respectively, to
end on the remote island of Belle Isle, Newfoundland.
Interest in the entire Appalachian Range, as we know it to exist
on the North American continent, and especially the interest to
hike there, is now taking root in Newfoundland, through
formation of the newest group of trail builders, the
Newfoundland Chapter, SIA/IAT.
For maps and information about the SIA/ IAT, write to:
Richard
Nopack Anderson
Maine Chapter SIA/IAT
27 Flying Point Road
Freeport, ME 04032
www.internationalat.org
richardban@suscom-maine.net
*Sections #4-#7 - Appalachian Mountains Trail (AMT) 3800 miles
These sections, beginning with the Pinhoti Trail on Flagg
Mountain in Alabama, combine to create the Appalachian Mountains
Trail. The AMT stretches from where the Appalachians begin in
south-central Alabama to where they plunge to the sea at the tip
of Belle Isle, Newfoundland, in the Labrador Sea.
†John
Brinda first hiked this amalgam of trails in 1997, which has
since come to be known as the Eastern Continental Trail. The following year, Eb Nimblewill Nomad Eberhart retraced
Brinda’s path. Shortly thereafter, Nomad coined the
term Eastern Continental Trail, in order to offer up some
identity to their remarkable and respective adventures.
In 2000-2001,
Nomad returned to Canada, again, to hike the ECT from north
to south. Shortly after completing that southbound trek,
he returned north once more, to Canada, to hike the Long Range
Appalachian Mountains of Newfoundland ─ and shortly thereafter,
to chronicle the first known hike o’er the entire Appalachian
Mountain Range, at least as we know these spiritual, aged
mountains to exists on the North American continent.
Where
Less the Path is Worn,
the latest book by Nomad (which follows this remarkable
adventure), is now out of print and no longer available at this
site. Please check our
Book/Intro page for availability on the used book/secondary
market. Also, the
ATC Trail Store may have a few remaining copies in their
inventory. |