Trans Canada Trail Blueway Guidelines

Glenn Group was selected to prepare a document to serve as national guidelines and standards for connecting sections of the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) by water. The goal of this work was to join all sections of the TCT, for a single cross-country trail, connected by both land and water.

The purpose of this document is to outline the Trans Canada Trail principles and guidelines for the development of a national Blueway (Water Trail) as part of the TCT network. The document recommends a process for planning, implementation, and management of a TCT Blueway. The information provides a “how to” manual for developing a water trail from launch site design to community consultation and signage recommendation.

Glenn Group and the Nova Scotia Trails association then used the TCT Blueways concept as a model and evaluation tool for the Bras d’Or Lake and surrounding watershed in Cape Breton, NS, a designated Biosphere Reserve.