Extending the Appalachian Trail to Both Sides of the Atlantic

We’re looking for the name of a very long hiking trail for our Geo Quiz, more than 10,000 miles miles long.

The trail is a horseshoe-shaped trail that roughly wraps around the North Atlantic Ocean. The path follows along some mountain ranges that share a common geology.

“The Appalachian Mountains, and of the course the Caledonians, and Anti-Atlas in Morocco were all formed around the same time when the plates collided to form a supercontinent Pangea the North American, Eurasian, and African plates collided about 250 million years ago, so those mountains have a common geological heritage,” says Paul Wylezol from the International Appalachian Trail Newfoundland and Labrador.

So as you may recall from your high school geology class, some spectacular mountains now line both sides of the North Atlantic.

Perfect for a hiking trail… Can you name it?

The answer to the’s Geo Quiz is the International Appalachian Trail, a trail or network of trails that spans not just North America but Europe and maybe even Africa as well.

The idea according to Newfoundlander Paul Wylezol, one of the organizers of the International Appalachian Trial (IAT) is to stitch together an international network of hiking trails, some existing, some still in development ranging from the eastern US to North Africa.

Here’s how the IAT describes the long range project:

“The mission of the International Appalachian Trail is to establish a long-distance walking trail that extends to all geographic regions once connected by the Appalachian Mountain range, formed more than 250 million years ago … In addition to connecting people and places, the goal is to promote natural and cultural heritage, health and fitness, environmental stewardship, fellowship and understanding, cross-border cooperation, and rural economic development through eco and adventure tourism.”