Cabox Geopark is one step closer to coming to fruition. After a Corner Brook city council meeting on Nov 18, the project now has the support of every community in the Bay of Islands region. The council approved and accepted the Strategic Tourism Areas and Regions Plan (STAR) report, a strategic tourism development plan for…

On November 13, IAT Co-Chairs Don Hudson of Maine and Paul Wylezol from Newfoundland joined Ulster Ireland mayors Michaela Boyle (Derry City and Strabane) and Nicholas Crossan (Donegal County) at a meeting with Appalachian Mountain Club President John Judge and Conservation and Recreation Director Heather Clish at their new headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts.

During 2019, the IATNL made significant strides in completing its Cabox Geopark basecamp at Stone Brook (aka Stowbridges) in North Arm, Bay of Islands. The two-storey former fisherman’s house will serve as a start/end point for 2-3 day treks across the North Arm Hills to/from Trout River. This year’s work included the installation of new…

In 2019 the IATNL added new signage to the Humber Valley Trail, including directional signage and memorial interpretive panels at both Scott’s Lookout on the west side of Wild Cove Valley and Barry’s Lookout above Humber Village. The latter two were designed in the James Cook inspired style of the new trailhead sign at Ballam…

For many years now, Vermont maple syrup farmer and Appalachian hiker Lew Coty has travelled to Western Newfoundland in August to spend a month exploring the Long Range Mountains, the most northerly of North America’s Appalachian Mountain range. In 2019, in addition to making a Gregory Mountain trek with IATNL/CABOX director Paul Wylezol and a…

During the summer of 2019, the IATNL made several exploratory treks into the Blow Me Down Mountains east of Blow Me Down Brook in search of new trail routes to connect the mountains to Benoit’s Cove and the new Cabox Geopark Information Center at Saltbox restaurant. Plan calls for routes to link to the…

August 6-8, Appalachian explorer Lew Coty from Vermont, USA undertook a 3-day trek across the Bay of Islands north uplands in search of a St Gregory’s Arc hiking route from the southern end of the Gregory Mountains across the North Arm Hills to the IATNL basecamp at Stowbridges. He was joined during the first half…

For one week in July, long-distance hiker Geoff Rose of Ontario took on the challenges and rewards of Western Newfoundland’s UltramaTrex, a 6-8 day trek across the ultramafic sections of the four Bay of Islands Ophiolite Massifs, from Tablelands in the north, across the North Arm Hills, Bay of Islands, Blow Me Down Mountains and…

From June 2 to 7, representatives of the International Appalachian Trail (IAT), Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and Appalachian Trail Museum gathered in Ulster Ireland for an Outdoor Economy Forum to discuss common issues and assist IAT Ulster Ireland develop a world-class trail network.

From May 28 to June 2, representatives from IAT Newfoundland and Maine visited Scotland on a 10th anniversary IAT Europe tour which ended in Northern Ireland on June 7 after an Outdoor Economy Forum that also included representatives from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Museum, and Appalachian Mountain Club based in Boston, Mass.

On May 2-3, the International Appalachian Trail held a 25th Anniversary Meeting at Shin Pond Village in Northern Maine. The meeting was attended by IAT North America representatives from Maine, New Brunswick, Quebec and Newfoundland, as well as long-distance hikers Nimblewill Nomad (M.J. “Eb” Eberhart), Mother Nature’s Son (John Calhoun) and Ed Talone.

Cabox Aspiring Geopark’s UltramaTrex long-distance hiking route across the ultramafic sections of the four Bay of Islands Ophiolite Massifs is nearing completion and good to go for the brave of heart! The 145 kilometer (90 mile) trek is divided into 4 stages that can be completed individually, in groups of two (north and south…