Nepisiguit Mi'gmaq Trail nears completion

After three decades of on and off again progress, there are only 25 kilometres left to cut and clear before the Nepisiguit Mi'gmaq Trail is completely open and hikeable.

The Nepisiguit Mi'gmaq Trail runs from Daly Point Nature Reserve in Bathurst to Mount Carleton Provincial Park — an approximate seven day hike. It dates back thousands of years and was used by the Mi`kmaq for hunting, fishing, travel and trade.

Jason Grant, a volunteer with Nepisiguit Adventures told CBC's Shift that flagging and cutting the last 25 kilometres of trail is their priority. He said they are expecting to be finished by the end of July.

"A lot of people put in their own time and money, so yeah, we are very eager to get it open and get people hiking the trail," Grant said.

Grant said the trail is getting international attention and has been selected as a signature trail in New Brunswick.

He said people can`t believe the sheer beauty of the trail.

"They're amazed that there's actually mountains in New Brunswick and a lot of people don't really get out there and have a chance to see that." 

"There's just so many amazing sights to see along the river — vistas from mountain tops and beautiful gorges and valleys and forests."

"It's been a long winter and we were just dreaming about getting out there."

The trail already has one bridge along it, stretching across Gordon Meadow Brook, but Grant said they'd like to focus on constructing more bridges in the coming years.

"People are visiting that area or that section of the trail just to see the rope bridge," he said.

They're also building three platforms for people to set up tents and working with the provincial government so that people can book and reserve the spaces online. The trail will be open all year.