The Sacred Door Trail

Changing spiritual perceptions and attitude towards our environment, landscape and nature lead to a multitude of ways to relate to the outdoors.

New locations are becoming places of pilgrimage (both traditional religious or new age spiritual, and there are many other reasons to make a 'pilgrimage' (like film based, dark tourism, etc.)

This item is on the Sacred Door Trail, an interfaith pilgrimage route in Montana, USA. A little more than 5 years old, about 165 miles long. A circular route like the Shikoku in Japan.

So, let me be your guide in introducing you to the Sacred Door Trail.

Video Let's start with an introduction video (2:41) by the founder Weston Pew

Video As we're in video mode, perhaps have a look at the 'opening ceremonies' some five years ago in the Vimeo video (11:13)

 (click text above for video)

Text with video: "The Sacred Door Trail is a 175-mile interfaith pilgrimage trail in southwestern Montana dedicated to Spiritual Unity, Peace and our connection to Earth and Community. It is comprised of pre-existing National Forest Service trails, which form a loop that explores some of the most beautiful mountains, valleys, lakes and rivers in the United States. The trail serves as a bridge connecting us to our original church, our original temple ~ Mother Earth. 

On June 28-30th of 2012 people from diverse belief systems, cultures and lineages gathered together to offer blessings from many different traditions, thereby establishing the land and trail as a shared sacred space. The trail is a celebration of our rich spiritual diversity as humans, but more importantly, it honors the spirit that unifies all things, thereby turning the many into One. 

In hiking The Sacred Door Trail you not only carry your own prayers but the prayers of the world and all life upon your shoulders."

Article Only recently (May 2017) the Backpacker magazine published
"Sacred Door Trail Hike" by Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan.

 "A piece about a woman trying to overcome the pain of a breakup, navigate her emotions and find peace on the Sacred Door Trail."

You find it here.

Brochure Curious?

Find out more in the brochure, click here.

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Online The Trail has it's own website and Facebook page.

Website here.

Facebook page here

Blog A blog entry by Weston Pew in Huffington Post (2013)Sacred Activism: The Key to Religious Survival in the Age of SBNRs.

See also In 2015 I introduced you to some other interesting (new and older) trails on Pilgrimage and Place.

One of them being the Walk of Wisdom in The Netherlands, also a route of contemplation.

You find the link here.

New routes, a selection

Hiking is hot, trails are hot, pilgrimage is hot.

And if it's hot, there have to be more of them.

Some time ago I introduced new routes in Korea and the USA: The Wonhyo Trail and the Camino del Norte a Chimayo.

Now, I'll introduce another set of interesting, even special, choices.

• The National Forest Way in the UK.
• The Bigfoot trail in the USA.
• The Walk of Wisdom in The Netherlands.
• And, if your feet had enough, just pick the Al Andalus train to Santiago de Compostela.

The National Forest Way in the UK

The National Forest Way opened in May 2014 and guides you along a 75-miles trail through Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire. Right, England! And all England is here, according to the National Forest Project: Coal and granite, heathland and hills, meadows and water, woodland ofcourse.
The environmental project transforms 200 sq miles in the middle of England.

Read more on the project website.

Or interested in walking? Then continue on this page. 

The Bigfoot trail in the USA

After 'Wild' (saw it?) and 'A Walk in the Woods' (forthcoming) hiking in the US is immensely popular. The Bigfoot Trail will attract a lot of feet trying to get a glimpse of the sasquatch. The trail leads 360 miles through the Klamath-Siskiyou mountains in northern California and Southern Oregon.

Read this article

or visit the trails website,
but remember it's brand new and perhaps not yet ready for you!

The Walk of Wisdom in The Netherlands

Now this is interesting, a complete new contemporary pilgrimage route. A route to contemplate the wisdom of life. Please turn of mobile phones!
This, again brand new, pilgrimage route leads you along the city of Nijmegen in eastern parts of The Netherlands. The initial route is 136km, more is planned, much more, perhaps sometimes covering the earth.

So, today you can walk the hilly environment, along rivers, ancient forests and cultural landscapes. The initiative looked at the Camino to Santiago, at Henro in Japan and came up with this Walk.
Not religious, contemplative!
It's rituals and symbols are the Pilgrim's book of tides, a symbol of the 'icoon', a lace to collect the daily rings and an advice to fast: no internet or mobile phone.

You can read more on this pilgrimage route on their site, but: only in Dutch for the moment.

Al Andalus train to Santiago de Compostela

And finally, a trail on wheels: Al Andalus.

In july Spain’s national rail company, Renfe, allows you to travel from Leon to Santiago de Compostela in their luxury Al Andalus train. 

Usually it tours in the south of the country, now it's an alternative for blisters, stuffed summer albergues, strenuous backpack walks.

Book a six-day trip on the 'palace on wheels' at €3,740 per person.

Read on

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