The European long-distance paths (E-paths) are a network of long-distance footpaths that traverse
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. While most
long-distance footpaths
A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway (landscape), greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking (wilderness), backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-co ...
on the continent are located in just one country or region, each of these numbered long-distance trails passes through many countries.
The first long-distance hiking trail in Europe was the
National Blue Trail
The National Blue Trail (in Hungarian: ''Országos Kéktúra'', short: ''OKT'') is a national trail in Hungary, for most of its length part of the European Long Distance Walking Route E4. The route starts atop the Írott-kő Mountain (884 m) ...
of Hungary, established in 1938. The formation of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
in 1993 made transnational hiking trails possible. Presently, the network consists of 12 paths and covers more than , crisscrossing the continent. In general, the routes connect and make use of existing national and local trails, such as the
GR footpath
The GR footpaths are a network of long-distance walking trails in Europe, mostly in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain. They go by the following names: , , , , – generally meaning "long trail" or more literally "great route". T ...
s.
The trails are officially designated by the
European Ramblers' Association
The European Ramblers Association (ERA; ; ) is a network organisation working for promotion of walking, hiking, creating trails, exchange of the know-how over the borders and secure the rights of free access to nature for the walkers. Through thi ...
.
List
See also
*
Transcaucasian Trail
The Transcaucasian Trail (TCT) is a long-distance hiking trail under development in the Caucasus through the nations of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. It was named one of the world's "100 Greatest Places" by ''Time'' magazine in 2019.
Many ...
*
Geography of Europe
Europe is traditionally defined as one of seven continents. Physiographically, it is the northwestern peninsula of the larger landmass known as Eurasia (or the larger Afro-Eurasia); Asia occupies the centre and east of this continuous landmass. ...
*
EuroVelo
EuroVelo is a network of 17 long-distance cycling routes criss-crossing Europe, with 2 more in early construction across various stages of completion. When completed, the EuroVelo network's total length will be almost . more than were in place. ...
, European cycle route network
*
Long-distance trails in the United States
This is a list of notable long-distance trails in the United States, with a minimum length of .
See also
* National Trails System
* National Millennium Trail project – 16 long-distance trails selected in 2000 as visionary trails that refl ...
References
External links
{{commons category, European long-distance paths
Overview of the paths(European Ramblers' Association)
All hiking trails(Waymarkedtrails.org)
OpenStreetMap project on E-paths(Openstreetmap.org)
*01
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...