Touring - Coast to Coast via Bike Paths

I was wondering if anyone has yet tried to make a coast to coast route linking as many rail trails and bike paths as possible?

I know that you can get from Mount Vernon Virginia to Colliers, WV via various trails (C&O, GAP, Panhandle). Then there is the Katy Trail and other longish bike paths here and there.

If it hasn't been done, let's use our collective knowledge of the local areas to select good roads to link the various bike paths. We can work up some maps on Google Maps and I'll volunteer my website to host it all if necessary (at no charge to anyone).

New trails pop up every year so even if it's been done it seems like something that the community here could constantly update. Input?

I don't have much input on the issue, just curious if it could help me on my trip. I know a good string of bike paths near the southside of richmond that can get you into the city from about 20 miles SW of the city if anyone is interested

Well, the object for now would be to link up the longest east/west links. Late we can work on various North/South routes. East of DC is a problem but the C&O/GAP route really takes the sting out of crossing the Appalachians and the rail trails are great for tourers that like to camp so linking them seems worthwhile.

Do you have a general route in mind? North? South? Mid?

Is the already existing American Discovery Trail close to what you have in mind?
http://www.discoverytrail.org/index.html

I am interested in it in concept, but in practice I will probably choose the TransAmerica, Northern Tier, Southern Tier or some other road route when I decide to ride across the country again.

Do you have a general route in mind? North? South? Mid?

Is the already existing American Discovery Trail close to what you have in mind?
http://www.discoverytrail.org/index.html

I am interested in it in concept, but in practice I will probably choose the TransAmerica, Northern Tier, Southern Tier or some other road route when I decide to ride across the country again.

Is there anything like this running to the extreme south at first (Alabama and Louisiana, etc.) and then going back up to Utah and New Mexico eventually ending in San Fran?

Kind of a far shot but I am ready to get my route recorded and researched so a big cheat sheet would help out.

Yeah, since the ADT links the Katy trail that route would be a big part of it. But I'd go from DC to Pittsburgh to Colliers, WV. From there you'll find there are a few trails in Ohio but it seems sparser for rail trails the farther west you go. Guess they still use their railroads out west.

Anyway, it seems like we could probably link a lot of trails with more and more popping up. There was a purchase of 150 miles in Indiana recently for instance.

The ADT isn't open to bikes for about 850 miles so we can't use that route as it exists so much. Maybe someone has worked a lot of this out already. I didn't find anything in my searches here or on CGOAB.

Is there anything like this running to the extreme south at first (Alabama and Louisiana, etc.) and then going back up to Utah and New Mexico eventually ending in San Fran?

Kind of a far shot but I am ready to get my route recorded and researched so a big cheat sheet would help out.
Off road? Not that I know of.

On road you can probably string together some of the various AC route segments. Maybe Southern Tier, to Underground Railroad, to TransAmerica, to Western Express would be close enough. It might be hard to pick a time of year where that works real well though.

The ADT isn't open to bikes for about 850 miles so we can't use that route as it exists so much. Maybe someone has worked a lot of this out already. I didn't find anything in my searches here or on CGOAB.
It has been a while since I looked at it, but I think they had proposed detours for that portion. You will not find a way to cross the US with no roads unless you go via mountain bike now or probably ever.

If you open it up to MTB riding then there is another option. The motorcycle folks off road trail that they also call the Trans-America trail. It doesn't go all the way to the east coast but maybe that part could be improvised.
http://www.transamtrail.com/

Neat resource. Didn't know about any motorcycle route like that.

Anyway, of course you can't do it without touching roads but linking the longer east/west trails seems doable. What I'm looking for is local advice about linking trails. For instance, I know how to link the C&O to the W&OD trails near Leesburg, Va except for about 2 miles. There are a lot of city bike paths that aren't on other trail maps. Maybe people in the local areas can help link say Colliers, WV (the end of the Panhandle Trail) to another trail in Western Ohio. Then someone in Mid-Ohio could help find good roads and trails to link up to the West.... etc.

We could point out the major east/west trails we'd like to link and then the BF community can help find road links between those points. Just an idea... I think it would be interesting and worthwhile.

I don't have much input on the issue, just curious if it could help me on my trip. I know a good string of bike paths near the southside of richmond that can get you into the city from about 20 miles SW of the city if anyone is interested

Yes, I'm quite interested - probably know a few of them, but don't spend enough time in the city to figure them all out.

I can add the newly forming VA Route 5 path system starting at Jamestown and heading west. Not absolutely sure how long it runs (I drove past it last year while it was under construction), but I'll know more by late March/early April when I do my first weekend trip for the year, Montpelier/Jamestown and return.

I'm opposed to bike paths on principle. I think cyclists belong on the road. I rode for a twenty or thirty mile stretch on a rail trail near Milwaukee on my last tour, and it slowed me down big time. Having to stop and yield for cross streets, avoiding small kids, joggers, dog walkers, and casual cyclists all contribute to considerably slower speeds than can be achieved on any country road.

Cyclists have a right to use surface streets, just like other forms of traffic, and they should use them, because they are far more efficient means of travel in most circumstances. If we, as cyclists, choose to self segregate ourselves on multi use pathways, we'll only be encouraging those motorists that think they own the road, and who try to intimidate cyclists, or who treat us with no respect. We need to increase our visibility and preserve our right to travel on the roads.

I'll get off my high horse now. Sorry for the thread hijack.

Here's one that goes through the northern part of Idaho. Paved all the way.

http://friendsofcdatrails.org/

I'm opposed to bike paths on principle. I think cyclists belong on the road. I rode for a twenty or thirty mile stretch on a rail trail near Milwaukee on my last tour, and it slowed me down big time. Having to stop and yield for cross streets, avoiding small kids, joggers, dog walkers, and casual cyclists all contribute to considerably slower speeds than can be achieved on any country road.

Cyclists have a right to use surface streets, just like other forms of traffic, and they should use them, because they are far more efficient means of travel in most circumstances. If we, as cyclists, choose to self segregate ourselves on multi use pathways, we'll only be encouraging those motorists that think they own the road, and who try to intimidate cyclists, or who treat us with no respect. We need to increase our visibility and preserve our right to travel on the roads.

I'll get off my high horse now. Sorry for the thread hijack.


I agree with this post, not really for ethical reasons, but because it does take longer.
It's nice to jump on trails every once in a while just to escape some of the ****tier roads and not have to worry about traffic, but it definitely does slow you down considerably. I do like trails and will usually use them if they're available and they go the direction I need to, but I wouldnt want to ride completely across the country on one of them. There doesnt sound like there is as much adventure in that.

I'm opposed to bike paths on principle. I think cyclists belong on the road. I rode for a twenty or thirty mile stretch on a rail trail near Milwaukee on my last tour, and it slowed me down big time. Having to stop and yield for cross streets, avoiding small kids, joggers, dog walkers, and casual cyclists all contribute to considerably slower speeds than can be achieved on any country road.

Cyclists have a right to use surface streets, just like other forms of traffic, and they should use them, because they are far more efficient means of travel in most circumstances. If we, as cyclists, choose to self segregate ourselves on multi use pathways, we'll only be encouraging those motorists that think they own the road, and who try to intimidate cyclists, or who treat us with no respect. We need to increase our visibility and preserve our right to travel on the roads.

I'll get off my high horse now. Sorry for the thread hijack.
I partially agree, but MUPs have a place. They are a great place to ride with small kids and they are a nice place for those unable or unwilling to deal with the public roads to go for a "bike stroll". I found that connecting them to make a coast to coast path an interesting idea, but I can't imagine wanting to ride coast to coast on them myself.

We rode a few sections of bike path on the TA with mixed results, the one in Eugene was nice on the day and time of day that we were there and was a change of pace for that short ways. There were at least a couple places where they were a welcome respite from a nasty section of highway. Other places there were a complete PITA and we often elected to not use them.

In Canada, we have the Trans-Canada Trail. The portion in B.C. (and other parts of the country) is mostly abandoned railway beds. It's loose surface but the grades are not more than 2.2 per cent. It also is much more scenic and much more relaxing than the highways. There are people who have used this trail to cycle across the country.

Check this out. www.greenway.org (http://www.greenway.org) It's not east to west but it's a start.

Mike

This is a littler north of where you're riding , but you can ride MUP, rail trail or canal tow path for 230 mi from Chesterton IN on the southern shore of Lake Michigan to East Moline, IL on the Mississippi River. There are about 40 mi on secondary roads transitioning between paths.

The parts that cross IL are pretty much on the American Discovery Trail/Grand Illinois Trail, including the Old Plank Road Trail, I&M Canal, Hennepin Canal. The route is online, and I can post the URLs here if any one is interested.

What I'm looking for is local advice about linking trails. For instance, I know how to link the C&O to the W&OD trails near Leesburg, Va except for about 2 miles. There are a lot of city bike paths that aren't on other trail maps. Maybe people in the local areas can help link say Colliers, WV (the end of the Panhandle Trail) to another trail in Western Ohio. Then someone in Mid-Ohio could help find good roads and trails to link up to the West.... etc.

We could point out the major east/west trails we'd like to link and then the BF community can help find road links between those points. Just an idea... I think it would be interesting and worthwhile.

Possibly what you would need to to do is figure out where your gaps are and post in the appropriate regional forum. That way you might be able to piece together your whole route.

Possibly what you would need to to do is figure out where your gaps are and post in the appropriate regional forum. That way you might be able to piece together your whole route.

+1

I've gotten help over on the Northeast and Great Lakes sub forums from local riders who have helped me connect the C&O/GAP (http://www.atatrail.org/) and our bike route across Ohio (http://www.outdoor-pursuits.org/main/forsale/routes.htm) (route B).

I've modified the eastern portion of our East to West TransAm trip this summer to include the C&O/GAP and the Katy Trail. We're linking them together using ADT maps (http://www.discoverytrail.org/states/delaware/index.html) thru DE and MD, COP maps (http://www.outdoor-pursuits.org/main/forsale/routes.htm), Dept. of Transportation maps from IN and IL, and the advice of BikeForum people.

Connecting the West end of the Katy to the TransAm looks pretty simple, should merge together near Cassoday KS.

I'm looking forward to the trails but I think after 4 or 5 straight days of riding them, I'd like to see some open roads.

Many sections of the Trans Canada trail are crap. I broke a wheel on it in NB and in other sections barely got above 6 mph. It has been heavily taken over by 4 wheelers and the damage that does depends on the road bed. There are also places where it is very much better than taking the road.

The more options the better though. The argument about having the right to take the road is bogus, right about the point it crosses over into a requirement in order to fulfill an agenda.

Here's a couple of more links. One is for the rails to trails site. The link to the Geocommunicator site is a BLM database showing land usage, mining claims, forest lands, et cetera. This particular link was set up a few years ago when Bush and his boys had the idea of selling off forest lands to finance rural schools. It's a bit tedious to use, but has online access to topo maps of the US. The legend tab on the right allows users to turn on or off layers like roads, urban areas, land ownership, survey data, and quite a few more. Keep in mind most of "improvements" shown on the topo maps are probably outdated. It may help with route planning, the terrian, and finding public lands for camping.

There are some great long distance paths like this in Europe. I could envsion something similar. The comment about the route being longer is true. And there's no way most people would want to ride gravel for more than a few days at a time. But overall, I think developing a route like this connecting paths/trails and roads with some other connections to existing routes like the TramsAm, Northern Tier, whatever, is a cool idea. Peterpan1 is right, it's great to have options.

The thread hyjack, well, the more infrastructure there is for bikes like dedicated paths the more people will be using them. Alot of people won't ride on roads due to safety issues. As the saying goes "build it and they will come".



http://www.traillink.com/ (http://http://www.traillink.com/)

http://http://www.geocommunicator.gov/NILS-PARCEL2/map.jsp?MAP=USFS

The argument about having the right to take the road is bogus, right about the point it crosses over into a requirement in order to fulfill an agenda.
It is not clear (to me at least) what you are saying. Care to clarify?

What requirement and agenda are you referring to? I am missing something here.

The anti-bikepath crap needs to be up in Advocacy where you guys can beotch about other people's choices until your hearts are content. I personally get sick of hearing it ! (Rant de'jour concluded)


Here is a list of railtrails and paths in Ohio. http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/trails.htm

From the end on the Panhandle trail. You can go northwest towards Akron OH. and pick up a few railtrails along the way. From Colliers WV to the nearest railtrail at Jewett OH is about a 35 mile rollercoaster ride through Ohio coal country.
Going west along the Ohio river you have a 10 mile road ride along the river to Wellsburg WV where you can pick up a short path there that connects to another trail that takes you through Wheeling WV. RT2 is pretty busy with trucks on weekdays. I rode it on a Sunday and had the highway pretty much to myself.

Don't over the look the possibility of using abandoned railroad ROW's either,

After crossing the U.S. twice I have found only a couple of stretches of bike paths that lent themselves to the route. If they are available I use them, but I don't go miles out of my way to go in the wrong direction. I am not going to hold my breath for a cross country bike path.

Just within 50 miles of me their are 2 smooth paved bike paths that are paved and you can go as fast as you can on the road and in much more safety.

Yeah please don't divert this thread away from it's purpose. Some people prefer the slower pace and safety that bike paths offer.

Yeah please don't divert this thread away from it's purpose. Some people prefer the slower pace and safety that bike paths offer.
I doubt that many coast to coast riders "prefer the slower pace and safety that bike paths offer". Also I don't think it is all that clear that they are safer, so I wouldn't bang that drum unless you want to provoke an Advocacy and Safety type argument here.

IMO no one has gone all that far off topic with their anti bike path post.

Sorry to be kind of negative, but...
The purpose of this thread is apparently "to make a coast to coast route linking as many rail trails and bike paths as possible". I would be willing to bet that the ADT is as close as you will get to that goal and it already exists. In addition a thread is a pretty ineffective way to accomplish that goal and I suspect that there are very few who would actually ride coast to coast on such a route anyway.

For the record I am not anti bike path, but do not usually tend to seek them out especially when on tour.

Anyone who has ridden for long on Germany's Radweg greenway system would know that "many ... riders DO "prefer the slower pace and safety that bike paths offer".
Along the 1000 plus mile Rhein greenway, my family frequently met hundreds of riders each day. I have read that more than 200,000 riders a year ride the Rhine alone, not to mention the other Radwegs. For touring with my 10 year-old and 13 year old the Radweg system was perfect, no worries about them getting squished by a car when they spaced out, as children are wont to do.
I do not understand all the anti-bike path ire, if you don't like them, don't ride them, but millions of other people will choose to ride them and will enjoy them. I think a coast-to-coast greenway is a great idea and will someday happen.
The National Bicycle Greenway http://www.nationalbicyclegreenway.com/ is another attempt to do this, like the East Coast Greenway.
When I tour, sometimes I am in the mood to put my head down and grind out the miles and those days I would not choose a greenway, but a highway instead. But other days I am happy to pedal along a creek or river, which Greenways often follow, and trade less miles for bird song and clean air. The canal paths in Europe were great for the peace and mellow sounds and smells.

Anyone who has ridden for long on Germany's Radweg greenway system would know that "many ... riders DO "prefer the slower pace and safety that bike paths offer".
I believe that what I said was "I doubt that many coast to coast riders prefer the slower pace and safety that bike paths offer". I stand by that. The American Discovery trail and the East Coast Greenway both exist but I don't think they attract large numbers of riders doing them end to end.

I do not doubt that lots of folks have great rides along the Rhine or the Danube. Does the 200,000 riders a year figure mean that many ride it end to end or just that many ride some portion of it. If the former that would be a VERY impressive figure. If the latter somewhat less so, and not necessarily all that relevant to long distance touring.

I know that some paths in the US are very heavily used but most are not long distance tours. The KATY and GAP C&O are each a few days worth and are done a good bit.

I think these trails are a nice resource and know that lots of folks enjoy them. I just doubt that a coast to coast bike path would attract all that many coast to coast riders. If it would we would hear about more folks riding the ADT or the ECG.

I believe that what I said was "I doubt that many coast to coast riders prefer the slower pace and safety that bike paths offer". I stand by that. The American Discovery trail and the East Coast Greenway both exist but I don't think they attract large numbers of riders doing them end to end.

Seventy-nine percent of the East Coast Greenway are on-road connections of the twenty-one percent of the route that is complete as of the summary on their web page (http://www.greenway.org/closethegaps.htm), so the interest in riding end to end there cannot be assessed conclusively yet. The ECGA is not a bike path, at least not yet.

"The East Coast Greenway was first conceived in 1991 as a publicly owned, 2600-mile, off-road trail system linking cities along the Eastern Seaboard. Over the past 14 years, the ECGA has made enormous progress in transforming the Greenway from dream to reality. It has built a solid organization, mapped out most of a safe continuous route (on and off road), completed 21 percent of the route as off-road trail, and moved 25 percent more trail into the development pipeline. The Alliance has also gained national recognition and, most importantly, generated unstoppable momentum that is propelling this project toward completion."

As a guy who's rode along the Rhine, I can tell you that there is a lot of cyclists-- lots of super slow cyclists. It's not a way to get anywhere fast, but it's fun.....and a very good way to learn about Germany.

I think the question is really....why the heck bicycle tour anyway? It's not the easiest or fastest way to get to point A to point B. Personally, I rate the Katy trail, Highway 101 down the Pacific Coast and the Idaho Panhandle trails as the best rides, I've done in the USA. I'd love to ride the C&O trail and loop around Vermont.

At this time in my life, I wouldn't do a classic coast to coast tour--- too many ugly miles of endless strip malls, too much pastic American culture, too much distance between the good parts . If I had a couple of months to do a big ride in the USA, I'd start with Vermont, ride the C&O trail, cut across Penn. and Ohio (states I want to see more of) and then to the Katy trail. I'd love to ride in the Black Hills and Idaho and finish with a tour of Oregon. I'd take Greyhound over the dull parts.

The point is, everybody's ride is different. I personally love classic bike paths.

At this time in my life, I wouldn't do a classic coast to coast tour--- too many ugly miles of endless strip malls, too much pastic American culture, too much distance between the good parts .
I respect that your preferences are your choice. I also agree that the rides you mention are great rides and have broad appeal, but I feel the need to comment on one part of your post. I don't think it paints an accurate picture. On our TA we saw the strip malls and plastic America culture you refer to only a tiny portion of the time. On this trip, big towns are the ones with a comma in the population so not much of that.

What we found on the TA was pretty much the opposite of what you describe. What you mostly see is rural and small town America. It is a culture that most folks don't know exists any more. Kind generous people in small towns where they don't even need to lock doors when they are away are the rule rather than the exception.

The too much distance between the good parts, depends on what you consider the good parts. I agree that Eastern Colorado and Kansas were mind numbingly boring terrain wise so I can see that being an issue. OTOH the people there were the greatest.

As you say everyone has their own preferences, but describing a coast to coast US trip like the TransAmerica as "too many ugly miles of endless strip malls, too much pastic American culture" is neither fair nor accurate and I don't think anyone who had ridden it could possibly describe it that way.

Adventure cycling (the folks who put out the TA maps and many, many more) are the real deal of bike touring. More than once I've had prospective coast to coast riders tell me they thought those map sets cost too much money-- and I tell them how those routes have been carefully put together the best roads in the country for riding.

But I have to stand by my statement about too much ugly plastic culture to ride though in most of the USA-- it's hard to avoid. I'm pretty much surrounded by it here. It's very sad how much of the pretty country I rolled though in highschool is now McManions and strip malls.

I've also ridden across Montana and N. Dakota a couple of times-- yikes! it's a long, long haul. (Although both States are very nice) I wouldn't think twice about riding the bus across all or part of either of these two States, or Colorado, Nevada, Texas, ect. in a modified coast to coast tour. It isn't that I hate the Dakotas-- I'd be real possible to ride a great long tour and never leave them-- it's more a question of time and distance.

In my way of thinking, there's nothing wrong with hitting all the easy rail trails and bon bon rides across the US and calling it a Coast to Coast ride. Even if you rent a car or take the bus. That shouldn't stop some collage kid from slogging every inch of the nation either, BTW. Afterall, it's your ride and nobody elses.

But I have to stand by my statement about too much ugly plastic culture to ride though in most of the USA-- it's hard to avoid. I'm pretty much surrounded by it here. It's very sad how much of the pretty country I rolled though in highschool is now McManions and strip malls.
I agree that is the case in a lot of the US, but that is definitely not the impression I got on the TA. 99% of the time the surroundings were rural and the majority of the towns were small, often with not much more than a wood framed general store. I felt like I had been transported to the a time before I was born.


In my way of thinking, there's nothing wrong with hitting all the easy rail trails and bon bon rides across the US and calling it a Coast to Coast ride. Even if you rent a car or take the bus. That shouldn't stop some collage kid from slogging every inch of the nation either, BTW. Afterall, it's your ride and nobody elses.
Yes nothing wrong with doing that kind of ride, but saying you rode coast to coast to me means riding it all with no cars or buses to skip over parts you don't like. Also I am not sure why you particularly associate doing the whole thing with college kids. Yes there were a lot of college kids (or more commonly recent grads) we met on the ride. OTOH: I am 56 and there were lots of folks older than me some over 70. I didn't meet any, but I am sure some over 80 have done it.

Oh BTW yes I agree that the AC maps are well worth the cost.

Sorry for taking this so far off of the original topic.

I've also ridden across Montana and N. Dakota a couple of times-- yikes! it's a long, long haul. (Although both States are very nice) I wouldn't think twice about riding the bus across all or part of either of these two States, or Colorado, Nevada, Texas, ect. in a modified coast to coast tour. It isn't that I hate the Dakotas-- I'd be real possible to ride a great long tour and never leave them-- it's more a question of time and distance.


I loved riding through Montana and North Dakota. I would never want to skip over these states on a bus, even though the miles are really long.

These are the states where adventure cycling maps really come in handy, though, as you can go for 500 miles without coming across a commercial campground, and it's often next to impossible to figure out which parks are legal places to pitch tents unless you read about them in the AC maps.

Let me first say that I enjoy the car-free nature of MUPs and usually search them out when planning tours. But some (esp. rail-trails) can be monotonous and IMO might not be much fun for a cross-country tour. Not that it's even possible. Someting to think about.
From my CGOAB journal:
On rail-trails, your only concerns are the EPO-addled triathlete behind you and the earbudded rollerblader in front. On the road, you get all that and a whole lot more. Still, one can't be too careful with the proliferation of Blackberry-laden drivers. I'm probably a little paranoid being from Florida where cyclists are just one notch above roadkilled armadillos on the highway foodchain, but that doesn't mean there isn't a text-messaging teen driver out there who's got ur #. When you ride on rail-trails, vistas are often obscured by the treelines and underbrush growing adjacent to the railbed. There's usually a fence or swale which precludes the easy trimming of the vegetation which, by the way, is hardly native natural flora. (Think of the omnipresent and omnipotent kudzu vine, which was imported from China by one of those otherwise hardworking railroad surveyors who thought it would be effective for controlling erosion in the railway grades cut through southern hilltops.) Furthermore, when you are able to see beyond the erstwhile railroad's right-of-way, you're often looking at someone's backyard, where they hide the wheelbarrow, compost pile, and the one and a half snowmobiles up on blocks. On the other hand, from the road you get wide-open viewsheds and the front yard perspective of garden gnomes, windmill whirligigs, and that curious northern lawn decoration, the gazing ball. (Note: Down South, you might still get the backyard perspective even from the front, with various decaying vehicles making you wonder just what they keep in the backyard.)

I was wondering if anyone has yet tried to make a coast to coast route linking as many rail trails and bike paths as possible?
Here's a possible place to research for the OP:

There is a gentleman from RTC here on BF, doing mapping research, so perhaps the two of you can put your heads together! Here's his intro thread:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=375924&highlight=trails+rails

(Note: Down South, you might still get the backyard perspective even from the front, with various decaying vehicles making you wonder just what they keep in the backyard.)

That's easy - the graves of smarta** Yankees who comment about the dead cars in the front yard and start wondering what's in the back yard. :D