After 2022’s successful launch of its new and improved IAT Ireland, IAT Europe’s most westerly chapter has welcomed the Western Way, a long-distance walking trail taking in spectacular scenery in the counties of Galway and Mayo in the west of Ireland.

My trek begins with a boat ride from Cox’s Cove to Stowbridge Head where I spend the night at a cabin owned by Paul Wylezol (who heads up the International Appalachian Trail Newfoundland and Labrador) and Arne Helgeland. For the past several years they have been renovating what was once a dilapidated fishing shack into…

A photo and video tribute to the Lewis Hills and Blow Me Down Mountains, faced with industrial wind development.

In the early morning of July 28, IATNL executive members Paul Wylezol, Delano Pittman and Ulrica Murley-Pye set off on a north to south traverse of the Blow Me Down Mountains on the south side of the Bay of Islands. However unlike the well-established IATNL Blow Me Down Traverse through the center of the Blow…

From July 22 to 27, IATNL executive members Paul Wylezol and Arne Helgeland played host to American Hiking Society Founding President Jim Kern.  Paul, Arne and Jim, who soon turns 88, are friends of Appalachian Trail Museum President Larry Luxenberg, who in 2019 joined Paul and Arne on an IAT 10th anniversary tour of Scotland,…

Ireland’s chapter in the International Appalachian Trail runs from the spectacular West Donegal to the stunning North Coast in County Antrim. Get ready to take the next step on one of the world’s largest walking trail networks, the Ulster–Ireland leg of the International Appalachian Trail. The next phase of the Ulster-Ireland chapter of the International Appalachian Trail…

Unable to travel to Newfoundland during the summers of 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19, Lew Coty recently reminisced about his many adventures in Western Newfoundland while browsing his e-photo albums, and shared the following story about his West Tablelands Trek with us. Lew hopes to return again this August when he takes a break…

After significant work over the past two years, the IATNL basecamp at Stowbridges in North Arm is nearing completion and will soon be available for public use. Serving as a basecamp for eco, geo and adventure “seefarers” and hikers interested in exploring the remotest region of the Bay of Islands and Cabox Geopark, the renovated…

A new phase of a walking trail which links Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland with the Appalachian Mountains has been launched in a bid to attract more international visitors. The International Appalachian Trail (IAT) Ulster–Ireland is part of an international walking trail that follows the Appalachian Mountain terrain, which existed on the super…

The IATNL is saddened to announce the passing of Tom Calon, a professor of earth sciences at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) who spent many years exploring the geology and landscapes of Western Newfoundland and often took advantage of IATNL trails to access the backcountry. As a tribute to Tom and his keen desire for…

On October 15, octogenarian Arne Helgeland hiked up 335 meters (1100 feet) to Arne’s Lookout at the top of the new IATNL Bear Head Trail. Follow along as he takes in the bright fall colours and fantastic views of the lower Humber Valley.

On Friday, June 25, after 2.5 years of intermittent work, the International Appalachian Trail Newfoundland & Labrador (IATNL) launched the Elephant Trail on the south side of Trout River Pond with a group hike of 14 people. The trail is at the northern end of the 3-day North Arm Traverse, with the southern end located…