Originally Posted by
Presser
No I’m not talking about local city trails that rin a dozen miles tops, I’m here to hear what trails you know of or have ridden that span more miles, rural, no motorized traffic, scenic, etc. I’ve heard of a few but have only gotten to experience one known as the Wabash Trace (65 miles from Council Bluffs/Omaha to Shenandoah). I’ve ridden it multiple times, makes for good day tripping, camping, and foraging, with its finely crushed limestone path, very few shallow hills to climb and bomb, and lined with streams and canopied tree lines to provide shade through rural farmland and rural woodland, ample wildlife (encountered a rogue mountain lion along it myself it was up in a tree but I startled it as I whizzed past), with small town treasures along the way and plenty of spots to have good robust fun an relax. It connects down to a highway that’ll go straight to KCMO. Anyone know of any trails like this? Long ones that would make interstate cycling a real pleasure?
Since you appear to be in Omaha, NE, you should check your own back yard first. There the Cowboy Trail from Norfolk to Valentine (and you can realistically, but not officially, ride it to Crawford). There is also the Mo-Pac and Homestead Corridor to the southwest of you. There's also the Steamboat Trace running from Nebraska City south to just south of Brownsville.
Further afield, there's the Katy/Rock Island over in Missouri and the Michelson Trail in South Dakota. There's also the Flint Hills, Kanza and Landon Trail in Kansas.
And, although not "rail trails", there's a rather extensive network here in Colorado. You can ride trail from Denver to Loveland Pass and then ride trails from Keystone to almost Grand Junction going west. South of Denver, there are trails that stretch almost to Colorado Springs and trails north along the Poudre and Platte River. You can also ride trail from Denver to Boulder.
And that just scratches the surface.