New 36km Coast-to-Coast Trail stretches from Jurong Lake Gardens to Coney Island Park

East meets west.

Ashley Tan | March 31, 2019, 02:42 AM

The National Parks Board (NParks) is expanding the green corridor with brand new trails and park connectors.

On March 30, 2019, NParks launched a new Coast-to-Coast (C2C) Trail spanning 36km across Singapore.

The Trail connects Jurong Lake Gardens, which resides in the west, and Coney Island Park, found in the north-east.

Cuts through 18 parks

The C2C Trail cuts through 18 parks and nature areas including Bukit Batok Nature Park, Singapore Botanic Gardens, and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.

There will be a total of 10 checkpoints spaced out along the entire 36km stretch.

Here's a picture of the entire trail:

Photo from NParks

New park called Rower's Bay

A new park called Rower's Bay was launched alongside the C2C Trail.

The park, which is situated at Lower Seletar Reservoir, allows visitors to stroll along the boardwalk and enjoy the view of the nearby wetlands.

Shelters there are equipped with solar-powered USB charging points and a self-help bicycle repair station.

Rower's Bay is just one stop in the 150km Round Island Route (RIR) green corridor, which will stretch around Singapore, connecting various heritage and cultural sites.

As part of the RIR, a 50km trail already exists linking Sengkang Riverside Park and Gardens by the Bay.

There is also a 3km route between Rower’s Bay and Seletar Aerospace Park.

By 2020, Rower's Bay will be connected to Gardens by the Bay through a 60km route that runs through Sengkang, Punggol, Pasir Ris, Changi and East Coast Park.

The entire RIR is set to be completed by 2035.

C2C mobile app

A mobile app intended to elevate park-goers' experience of the C2C Trail was launched as well.

It provides information on native biodiversity, and utilises augmented reality (AR) to allow users to indirectly interact with nature and their surroundings.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvnNkRGhnR3/

The app is also supported by OneMap, and users can receive directions, and locate and find their way to areas of interests and amenities.

Rack up enough points in the app and users can even win rewards such as F&B vouchers.

Stand a chance to win an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy

To mark the launch of the trail, a 36-hour challenge was launched, lasting from 12pm on March 30 till 11:59pm on March 31.

Participants can explore the C2C Trail to collect points.

Those who accumulate enough points and visit all 10 checkpoints along the trail within the stipulated time frame can join in a lucky draw.

The winner gets an iPhone XS 64Gb or a Samsung Galaxy S10+ 128Gb.

Find more information on the challenge here.

Time to break in those running shoes.

Top photo from NParks