A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents except Antarctica.
Many trails are marked on maps. Typically, a long-distance route will be at least 50 km (30 mi) long, but many run for several hundred miles, or longer.
The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, passing through Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. It is named after John Muir, a naturalist.
From the northern terminus at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley (37°43′54″N 119°33′31″W / 37.7317°N 119.5587°W) and the southern terminus located on the summit of Mount Whitney (36°34′43″N 118°17′31″W / 36.5785°N 118.292°W), the trail's length is 213.7 miles (343.9 km), with a total elevation gain of approximately 47,000 feet (14,000 m). For almost all of its length, the trail is in the High Sierra backcountry and wilderness areas. For about 160 miles (260 km), the trail is coincident with the longer Pacific Crest Trail.
Sucevița (German: Suczawitza or Kloster Suczawita) is a commune in Suceava County, in the historical region of Bukovina, northeastern Romania. It is composed of two villages, namely Sucevița and Voievodeasa (German: Fürstenthal). Sucevița Monastery, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site series of the painted Churches of Moldavia, is located in the commune.
Sucevița is also the second town along the Via Transilvanica long-distance trail.
A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corridor with active railways, light rail, or streetcars (rails with trails), or with disused track. As shared-use paths, rail trails are primarily for non-motorized traffic including pedestrians, bicycles, horseback riders, skaters, and cross-country skiers, although snowmobiles and ATVs may be allowed. The characteristics of abandoned railways—gentle grades, well-engineered rights of way and structures (bridges and tunnels), and passage through historical areas—lend themselves to rail trails and account for their popularity. Many rail trails are long-distance trails, while some shorter rail trails are known as greenways or linear parks.
The Putna monastery (Romanian: Mănăstirea Putna) is a Romanian Orthodox monastery (one of the most important cultural religious and artistic centers established in medieval Moldavia); as with many others, it was built and dedicated by Stephen the Great. Putna was founded on the lands perambulated by the Putna, which has its source in the Obcina Mare mountains, Bukovina. Stephen the Great is famous for building and influencing the building of dozens of churches and monasteries all over Moldavia. Allegedly, he founded a religious edifice after each important military victory. The Putna Monastery houses the tombs of Stephen (nowadays a place of pilgrimage) and several of his family members. The icon veils and tombstones are held as fine examples of Moldavian art in Stephen the Great's time.
The Putna monastery is also the starting point of the Via Transilvanica long-distance trail.
The Lycian Way (Turkish: Likya Yolu) is a marked long-distance hiking trail in southwestern Turkey around part of the coast of ancient Lycia. It is approximately 760 km (470 mi) in length and stretches from Hisarönü (Ovacık), near Fethiye, to Aşağı Karaman in Konyaaltı, about 20 km (12 mi) from Antalya. It is waymarked with red and white stripes of the GR footpath convention.
The trail, which was conceived by Briton Kate Clow, takes its name from the ancient civilization that once ruled the region.
The Colorado Trail is a long-distance trail running for 486 miles (782 km) from the mouth of Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver to Durango in Colorado, United States. Its highest point is 13,271 feet (4,045 m) above sea level, and most of the trail is above 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Despite its high elevation, the trail often dips below the alpine timberline to provide refuge from the exposed, storm-prone regions above.
The Colorado Trail was built and is currently maintained by the non-profit Colorado Trail Foundation and the United States Forest Service, and was connected in 1987.
The Ulster Way is a series of walking routes which encircles Northern Ireland. It was founded in the 1970s by Wilfrid Merydith Capper, who was inspired by Tom Stephenson's Pennine Way. The route was relaunched in 2009 by the Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland).
The vast majority of the trail lies within Northern Ireland, with small sections being in the Republic of Ireland. The path visits many places of interest including the Mourne Mountains, Giant's Causeway, Cavehill and the Sperrins. Most of the sections are clearly sign-posted.