I met a cyclist in my local club who completed a cross-US ride last summer. She mentioned she and her husband used part of the Great Allegheny Passage/C & O Canal Towpath to reach Washington DC and end their trip. That set me thinking, "Is it possible to plot a route that would utilize bike paths, rail trails, and the like as much as possible, so as to reduce the time I had to spend with annoying motorists and minimize the amount of hill climbing?"

One possible route, starting in DC, would take the C & O Towpath to Cumberland, MD, and the GAP to McKeesport, follow the Montour Trail until it connects with the Sheepskin Trail, which runs into WV. Continue to Missouri, pick up the Katy Trail, and .... then what?