Trails serving a wide variety of different user groups are increasingly a focus of recreation and tourism-related development in regions across Canada. A growing market seeking opportunities for outdoor recreational activity, increasing pressures on outdoor recreation resources close to urban centres and a recognition of the potential economic, health and social benefits of trail development are all contributing factors. The establishment of the Trans Canada Trail over the past five years has clearly had an impact in raising the profile of trails, and in spurring trail development projects in many areas. At the same time, trail development groups are grappling with a variety of issues such as responding to the demands of conflicting user groups (e.g ATVs, snowmobiles, hikers, cross country skiers), funding trail development and maintenance, obtaining insurance and promoting their trails to both resident and tourism markets.