User:Gogolplex/Carian Trail

The Carian Trail (Karia Yolu) is the longest long-distance footpath in Turkey, located in the ancient Caria region. It is approximately 850 km long with 46 stages and begins from Çine, Aydın, stretching through all the peninsulas of Muğla Province. It is waymarked with red and white stripes, the Grande Randonnee convention. Trail passes various villages and towns, ancient sites, mountains and bays, making it popular among hikers both from and outside of Turkey.

850 km long trail has 4 main sections, Bozburun, Datça Peninsula, Gulf of Gökova and Inner Caria, with an additional section that encompass Muğla and surrounding regions.

History
Even though it's known that local hikers have used the trail for outdoor sports before the establishment of the Carian trail, foundation of a continuous trail can be attributed to the premise expedition trips of Yunus Özdemir, Altay Özcan, Volkan Demir and Dean Livesley starting in 2009, which lasted 4 winters. The idea behind the expedition was to establish a long-distance hiking trail around the historical Carian regions. After the initial expeditions a route made of historic roads, village paths, ridgeways and forest alleys was established.

Under the leadership of Muğla Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Muğla Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası) the Carian Trail project has been launched. In 2012 South Aegean Development Agency (Güney Ege Kalkınma Ajansı) supported the project with additional monetary backing. The Carian Trail has officially opened in February 2013.