The Great American Rail-Trail is the most ambitious biking initiative the country has ever seen
Passing through Pennsylvania, Maryland and DC, Gardill’s trip may seem like a major undertaking. Yet it’s just a small fraction of an unprecedented new scenic pathway aiming to traverse the United States from coast to coast.
The Great American Rail-Trail is the most ambitious biking initiative the country has ever seen. Stretching an extraordinary 3,700 miles from the nation’s capital across 12 states to the Pacific Ocean, west of Seattle, it’s an idea that’s been ruminating for 50 years. The Rail-Trail will connect more than 125 existing multi-use paths, greenways, trails and towpaths. An official route was announced to the public in May 2019 by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), the Washington DC-based non-profit leading the effort, when the trail was already more than half completed.