About Us
A Brief History
As most people know, the Appalachian Trail (AT) in the United States has been in use for more than 75 years and has become an international icon. This wilderness hiking trail runs from Springer Mountain in northern Georgia to Mount Katahdin in northern Maine, a distance of over 3,500 km. The AT was named after the Appalachian mountain range along which it is located.
Dick Anderson, a former Commissioner of the Maine Department of Conservation, had long dreamed of having a trail along the entire length of the Appalachian mountain range. This trail, which became public on Earth Day 1994, began with the state of
Maine and the provinces of
New Brunswick and
Québec. It was decided that the name would be Sentier International des Appalaches-International Appalachian Trail (SIA-IAT). Each jurisdiction, acting independently, located and built the trail over the next few years until it evolved into a continuous trail from the northern terminus of the AT on Mount Katahdin in Maine to Cap Gaspé in Québec.
In 2002, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador joined the IAT and began building a trail from Port aux Basques to Crow Head on the western coast of Newfoundland. Nova Scotia partnered with
Hike Nova Scotia Society in 2007 to form the IAT NS chapter and developed the IAT NS trail route from the Prince Edward Island ferry terminal in Caribou to the Newfoundland and Labrador ferry terminal in North Sydney. In 2008, Prince Edward Island joined the SIA-IAT, extending the trail from the Confederation Bridge which links New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island, to the Nova Scotia ferry terminal at Wood Islands, PEI.
IAT Nova Scotia (IAT NS) Chapter
The International Appalachian Trail Nova Scotia chapter (IAT NS) was formed at a general meeting in Halifax on February 6, 2006 and partnered with
Hike Nova Scotia on March 24, 2007. Hike Nova Scotia is a registered non-profit organization that encourages and promotes hiking, walking and snowshoeing throughout Nova Scotia. It is governed by a Board of Directors with strong regional and special interest representation, and the IAT NS chapter is a subcommittee of Hike Nova Scotia with representation on the Board of Directors.
The IAT NS chapter is a member of the SIA-IAT Council which currently consists of six state or provincial jurisdictions. The SIA-IAT is an entirely volunteer-led effort and while all chapters coordinate their work through the Council, each chapter is free to chart its own course within the shared vision of the Council. The chapters are incorporated non-profit organizations within their respective jurisdictions and work according to the standards and practices of their state or province.
Vision Statement
The vision of IAT Nova Scotia is to develop a high quality, low impact Appalachian hiking experience extending from Caribou to North Sydney using an existing network of traditional walking trails, logging roads, secondary roads, the Trans Canada Trail (TCT), and new sections of community and backcountry hiking trails. This trail will connect the IAT route from
Maine,
New Brunswick,
Québec and
Prince Edward Island to
Newfoundland and Labrador and points beyond, extending the International Appalachian Trail an additional 465 km.
Volunteer
The IAT Nova Scotia chapter is currently seeking volunteers to assist in the development of Nova Scotia’s first long distance hiking trail. Our goal is to raise the profile of this new project, form community or regional committees, prepare trail guides and materials, and create a continuous trail route from the Prince Edward Island ferry terminal in Caribou to the Newfoundland ferry in North Sydney.
If you're interested in being a part of this exciting initiative, please
contact us or
become a Hike Nova Scotia member. Be sure to indicate that you'd like to help develop the International Appalachian Trail in Nova Scotia.
Become a Member
The IAT Nova Scotia initiative is a project of Hike Nova Scotia, a registered non-profit organization that encourages and promotes hiking, walking and snowshoeing throughout Nova Scotia. The IAT NS chapter is a subcommittee of Hike Nova Scotia with representation on the Board of Directors.
To become a member of Hike Nova Scotia and the IAT NS chapter,
please sign up here.
Got an Idea?
Are you a business, community group or trail organization located on or near the IAT NS trail route? Got a trail event coming up or have an idea in mind?
We're all ears!
