Epic trail: New hiking and cycling network will run entire length of Northern Peninsula

For provincial Immigration, Population Growth and Skills Minister Gerry Byrne, a newly announced trail project for Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula has been a long time coming.

The provincial government on Sunday announced $7 million to develop the Great Coastal Trail into an 850-kilometre attraction for hikers, cyclists and other adventure tourists.

"It's an idea which has been hiding in plain sight. It's an idea which has come," he told CBC News.

Work has already begun, according to the provincial government, to inventory existing trails and services on the peninsula, on Newfoundland's west coast.

The goal is to complete a continuous trail anchored by UNESCO World Heritage Sites: L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site at the northern end of the trail, Gros MorneNational Park at the other end.

The length more than double the 336 kilometres of the East Coast Trail, on the other side of Newfoundland would make it "one of the most substantial hiking and biking trails anywhere in Canada," said Byrne.

"But it's something that's very, very doable, and our preliminary work today has shown that to be the case."

Building N.L.'s adventure tourism

Byrne said it's an opportunity to develop more adventure tourism draws for the province.

"We've had success in other trails, not only in Newfoundland and Labrador but in Eastern Canada, where we've had repeat visitations, not only by Canadians but by a host of international enthusiasts," he said, listing Germany, France, Austria and Great Britain as sources of travellers who come for the East Coast Trail and who will, the provincial government hopes, also come from the Great Coastal Trail.

"They've been coming to our province now for many, many years, taking in the East Coast Trail, and we really have discovered that this is an opportunity that can complement what is already occurring on the East Coast Trail but with a different production altogether."

The trail will purposely follow the Northern Peninsula's coastline "all of its magnificence,"said Byrne, and crucial to its development will be the connection of communities along the route.

"Within the course of the trail system, not only will there be magnificent territory, but there are very historic communities, 50 communities in total, that the trail will go through, many of which are historically rooted in the French shore," he said, listing Port au Choix, Croque, Conche and Grandois as being among the places historically branded as members of the French Shore community.

"This trail will make that prominence even greater," he said.

But if the Great Coastal Trail will be a destination for cultural tourists, it will need to cater to French-speaking travellers, whether they're Canadian or from abroad.

"For us here in Newfoundland and Labrador, we recognize that we're serving our own interests but we're serving a greater good by making sure that we actively promote and service francophones in their own tongue," he said. "That's a demand that should be expected, and we will service that."

That means more than just providing signage along the trail, said Byrne.

"From a labour market point of view, from a skills development point of view, we will be encouraging greater French language participation in service delivery, greater entrepreneurismby the francophones in this particular area, because this is significant," he said. "[Francophones] seem to be very, very attracted to the west coast of Newfoundland. Shame on us if we don't promote that and service that properly."

Not starting from zero

The provincial government wants to have all the work completed within the next 10 years, said Byrne, but it isn't starting from scratch.

"It's really connecting all the existing trails that are in place, creating new trails where required and, very importantly, creating the attractions and services that are associated with a hiking and biking trail." Roads can go a few hundred kilometres at a stretch if necessary without services, he said, but the same isn't true of a long hiking trail.

"You really do need services every 15-30 kilometres at a minimum," he said. "So this is capacity-building. So our capacity-building will be to provide language services in both French and English to travellers, to visitors, along the way. To provide amenities such as restaurants, cafs, accommodations, bike rentals, bike repairs, other services that will be required, that work begins today."

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