Canton Land Trust Challenge (2022)

There is still time to complete The Canton Land Trust Challenge in 2022!

The Canton Land Conservation Trust encourages you to take the Canton Land Trust Challenge, a series of nine hikes whose total distance is just over 23 miles. This is not a race; the goal is to simply complete the challenge at whatever pace you choose to visit some of the lovely trails in the town of Canton.

This year’s challenge is the exact same route as in 2021.

All the trails are in whole or in part on Canton Land Conservation Trust properties, with one of the legs of the challenge at the Roaring Brook Nature Center.

These hikes have a combined elevation gain of over 4,000 feet. To put this in perspective, climbing Mt. Washington by one of the most popular routes (Tuckerman’s or Jewell trail) results in an altitude gain of about 4,200 feet. As another perspective, there is a race up the stairs in the Empire State Building. That climb has an elevation gain of 1,050 feet, so you would have to repeat that climb almost four times to match the elevation gain of the Canton Land Trust Marathon Challenge. If you were to do Mt. Everest by the South Col route, you would have an elevation gain of 13,756 feet, so this challenge is almost one third of Everest (without the reduced oxygen).

Take the hikes in any order you choose, although those new to hiking might wish to start with the shorter ones and build up to the longer ones.

You can complete the hikes either by following the text-based turn-by-turn instructions, or you can use the AllTrails app on your phone. You don’t need to download the app, and you do not need a dedicated QR reader, you simply point your phone at the QR code as if you were planning to take a picture, and it will prompt you to click on a link. You can also go to:

https://www.alltrails.com/lists/canton-land-trust-challenge

or you can scan the QR codes for each of the legs of the challenge.

The AllTrails app gives you driving directions to the trailhead. While on the trail, the app identifies your current location with a blue dot.

Use the Completion Form to document your progress.

The Land Trust will publish the names of those who complete the challenge in an upcoming newsletter.

The Main AllTrails website is located here: https://www.alltrails.com/

Free apps are available for both iPhone and Android devices.