The following is a list of long-distance trails in the United States:
Name | Length | Region | Endpoint 1 | Endpoint 2 | Description | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Allegheny Trail | 7002330000000000000330 mi (530 km) | West Virginia | Appalachian Trail | Mason-Dixon line | mostly in West Virginia through the Appalachians and Allegheny Mountains | |
American Discovery Trail | 70036800000000000006,800 mi (10,900 km) | Coast-to-coast | Delmarva Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean | northern California coast on the Pacific Ocean | ||
Appalachian Trail | 70032178000000000002,178 mi (3,505 km) | Appalachian Mountains | Georgia | Maine | passes through North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire | |
Arizona Trail | 7002790000000000000790 mi (1,270 km) | Arizona mountains and canyons | Mexico | Utah | Designated a National Scenic Trail in 2009. | |
Art Loeb Trail | 700130100000000000030.1 mi (48.4 km) | Pisgah National Forest | Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp | Davidson River Campground | Transverses the Pisgah Ranger District from North to South, and passes through the Shining Rock Wilderness. | |
Backbone Trail | 700168000000000000068 mi (109 km) | Santa Monica Mountains NW of Los Angeles, California | Point Mugu State Park | Will Rogers State Historic Park | traverses Santa Monica Mountains, limited overnight capacity | |
Bartram Trail | 7002153000000000000153 mi (246 km) | southeast mountains | Chattooga River | Cheoah Bald | connects to the Appalachian and Foothills Trails; traverses Georgia and North Carolina | |
Bay Area Ridge Trail | 7002500000000000000500 mi (800 km) | San Francisco Bay Area | circles San Francisco Bay; under development | |||
Benton MacKaye Trail | 7002300000000000000300 mi (480 km) | southeast mountains | Springer Mountain in Georgia | Davenport Gap in Tennessee | connects from the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail; traverses Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina | |
Bigfoot Trail | 7002400000000000000400 mi (640 km) | northwest California | Klamath Mountains of northwest California | Redwood National Park | traverses Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness; under development | |
Bay Circuit Trail | 7002200000000000000200 mi (320 km) | Massachusetts | Newbury | Kingston | under construction; will circumnavigate Massachusetts Bay | |
Bonneville Shoreline Trail | 700190000000000000090 mi (140 km) | Utah | circles ancient Lake Bonneville | |||
Buckeye Trail | 70031444000000000001,444 mi (2,324 km) | Ohio | Lake Erie at Headlands Beach State Park | Eden Park in Cincinnati | circles Ohio; many scenic locations, such as the Hocking Hills region and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park; passes through many small historical towns | |
California Coastal Trail | 70031200000000000001,200 mi (1,900 km) | California | Oregon | Mexico | more than half complete as of June 2012; within sight, sound, or at least the scent of the sea | |
Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway | 700168000000000000068 mi (109 km) | Texas | South Plains Terminal MM | Estelline Terminal MM | A rail trail 100 miles southest of Amarillo, Texas. | |
Chief Ladiga Trail | 700133000000000000033 mi (53 km) | Alabama | Georgia state line | Weaver | Alabama's longest rails-to-trails project, at the state line it turns into Georgia's Silver Comet Trail | |
Chilkoot Trail | 700133000000000000033 mi (53 km) | Yukon | Dyea, Alaska | Bennett, British Columbia | international historical trail; late 1890s major access route between the coast and Yukon goldfields | |
C&O Canal Trail | 7002184500000000000184.5 mi (296.9 km) | Maryland | Cumberland | Washington, DC | trail is the old towpath for the abandoned Chesapeake and Ohio Canal along the Potomac River | |
Cohos Trail | 7002162000000000000162 mi (261 km) | northeastern New Hampshire | Notchland, near Crawford Notch State Park | Canadian border at the southern edge of Quebec | ||
Colorado Trail | 7002483000000000000483 mi (777 km) | central Colorado | Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver | Durango | completed in 1987; highest point 13,334 ft (4,064 m); most above 10,000 ft (3,000 m); often dips below the alpine timberline | |
Cowboy Trail | 7002195000000000000195 mi (314 km) | northern Nebraska | Norfolk, Nebraska | Valentine, Nebraska | started in 1996, a multi-use rail trail. 321 miles (517 km) of former rail right-of-way, if completed may create the longest rail trail. | |
Continental Divide Trail | 70033100000000000003,100 mi (5,000 km) | Rocky Mountains | Mexico | Canada | along highest ridge; 70% complete as of 2007; crosses Triple Divide Peak | |
Cranberry Lake 50 | 700150000000000000050 mi (80 km) | New York | circles the shores of Cranberry Lake in the northwestern region of the Adirondack Park | |||
Cumberland Trail | 7002175000000000000175 mi (282 km) | Tennessee | trail along the Cumberland Plateau | |||
Des Plaines River Trail | 700155000000000000055 mi (89 km) | Northern Illinois | Wisconsin state line | North Avenue in Melrose Park, Chicago | short stretches incomplete | |
Duncan Ridge Trail | 700135500000000000035.5 mi (57.1 km) | Chattahoochee National Forest | Appalachian & Benton MacKaye Trails at Three Forks | Appalachian Trail at Slaughter Mountain | A National Recreation Trail which forms a 700160000000000000060 mi (97 km) loop in combination with the Appalachian Trail. | |
East Coast Greenway | 70033000000000000003,000 mi (4,800 km) | eastern U.S. | Calais, Maine | Key West, Florida | 25% complete as of 2011 | |
Eastern Continental Trail | 70035400000000000005,400 mi (8,700 km) | eastern U.S. | Key West, Florida | Belle Isle, Newfoundland | mountain route to Labrador, Canada | |
Finger Lakes Trail | 7002557700000000000557.7 mi (897.5 km) | New York | Catskills | Western New York | ||
Florida Trail | 70031400000000000001,400 mi (2,300 km) | Florida | Gulf Islands National Seashore | Big Cypress National Preserve | ||
Foothills Trail | 700176000000000000076 mi (122 km) | Appalachian foothills | Table Rock State Park | Oconee State Park | Follows the Blue Ridge Escarpment in South Carolina, and partly in North Carolina. | |
Fox River Trail (Illinois) | 700144000000000000044 mi (71 km) | Northern Illinois | Algonquin, Illinois | Oswego, Illinois | ||
Fox River State Recreational Trail | 700126300000000000026.3 mi (42.3 km) | NE Wisconsin | downtown Green Bay | Hilbert | northern 12 miles (19 km) paved, southern 14 miles (23 km) gravel | |
George S. Mickelson Trail | 7002108800000000000108.8 mi (175.1 km) | South Dakota | within the Black Hills | |||
Grand Enchantment Trail | 7002730000000000000730 mi (1,170 km) | southwest desert | Phoenix, Arizona | Albuquerque, New Mexico | east-west mostly wilderness trail | |
Great Allegheny Passage | 7002150000000000000150 mi (240 km) | northeast | A rail trail in Maryland and Pennsylvania. | |||
Great Eastern Trail | 70031600000000000001,600 mi (2,600 km) approx. | eastern U.S. | New York | Alabama | in development with portions open | |
Great River Trail | 700160000000000000060 mi (97 km) | Northern Illinois | Rock Island, Illinois | Savanna, Illinois | in development with most open | |
Great Western Trail | 70034455000000000004,455 mi (7,170 km) | western Rockies | Canada | Mexico | passes through Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming | |
Great Western Trail (Illinois) | 700192000000000000092 mi (148 km) | Illinois, Iowa | mostly rails to trails conversion | |||
Great Western Loop | 70036800000000000006,800 mi (10,900 km) | Western United States | Grand Canyon | Grand Canyon | loop of the American west combining the Pacific Crest Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and other trails. | |
Green Bay Trail-Robert McClory Trail-Kenosha County Bike Path | 700136000000000000036 mi (58 km) | Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois | Wilmette, Illinois | Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin | ||
Hayduke Trail | 7002800000000000000800 mi (1,300 km) | route in Utah and Arizona, linking Zion, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches National Parks | ||||
Hennepin Canal Parkway | 7002105000000000000105 mi (169 km) | Northern Illinois | Bureau Junction, Illinois | Colona, Illinois | ||
High Line Canal | 700158000000000000058 mi (93 km) | trail along the High Line Canal waterway from Waterton Canyon through metropolitan Denver, Colorado | ||||
Highlands Trail | 7002162690000000000162.7 mi (261.8 km) | New York + New Jersey | Storm King Mountain | Delaware Water Gap | ||
High Sierra Trail | 700161500000000000061.5 mi (99.0 km) | California | Crescent Meadow in Sequoia National Park | Mount Whitney | ||
Horse Shoe Trail | 7002140000000000000140 mi (230 km) | southeastern Pennsylvania | Valley Forge | Appalachian Trail near Harrisburg | ||
Ice Age Trail | 70031200000000000001,200 mi (1,900 km) approx. | Wisconsin | incomplete; follows terminal moraine of the last ice age | |||
Idaho Centennial Trail | 7002900000000000000900 mi (1,400 km) approx | Idaho | north-south | |||
Iditarod Trail | 70031025000000000001,025 mi (1,650 km) | Alaskan wilderness | Seward | Nome | famous dog sledding race; route alternates each year | |
Illinois & Michigan Canal Trail | 700169000000000000069 mi (111 km) | Northern Illinois | Peru, Illinois | Romeoville, Illinois | ||
Illinois Prairie Path | 700161000000000000061 mi (98 km) | SE of Chicago | Wheaton | second of 27 new National Trails, consists of three radials | ||
International Appalachian Trail | 70031900000000000001,900 mi (3,100 km) approx. | northeastern North America | Mount Katahdin, Maine | Newfoundland | from the northern terminus of Appalachian Trail; proposals pending to extend to Europe and North Africa | |
John Muir Trail | 7002211000000000000211 mi (340 km) | California Sierra Nevadas | Yosemite Valley | Mount Whitney | ||
Jordan River Trail | 700140000000000000040 mi (64 km) | Utah | Great Salt Lake (U.S.) | Utah Lake | winds through city parks and residential areas, mostly paved; an unpaved extension continues another ~26 miles north | |
Katy Trail | 7002240000000000000240 mi (390 km) | Missouri | crosses the state | |||
Knobstone Trail | 700158000000000000058 mi (93 km) | southern Indiana | ||||
Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail | 700170000000000000070 mi (110 km) | southwestern Pennsylvania | trail in the Laurel Highlands area | |||
Lone Star Hiking Trail | 7002120000000000000120 mi (190 km) | Texas | Sam Houston National Forest north of Houston | |||
Long Path | 7002347400000000000347.4 mi (559.1 km) | New York + New Jersey | George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey | Altamont, New York (Albany) | ||
Long Trail | 7002272000000000000272 mi (438 km) | Vermont | Massachusetts | Canada | ||
Maah Daah Hey Trail | 700196000000000000096 mi (154 km) | North Dakota | Theodore Roosevelt National Park | the longest continuous single track mountain biking trail in America | ||
Mason-Dixon Trail | 7002190000000000000190 mi (310 km) | Pennsylvania | Appalachian Trail at Whiskey Springs, Pennsylvania | Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania | ||
Massanutten Trail | 700171000000000000071 mi (114 km) | George Washington National Forest | Large loop trail; National Recreation Trail. | |||
Mattabesett Trail | 700157000000000000057 mi (92 km) | south-central Connecticut | ||||
Metacomet-Monadnock Trail | 7002114000000000000114 mi (183 km) | New Hampshire | Metacomet Trail on the Massachusetts-Connecticut state line | Mount Monadnock | ||
Michigan Shore-to-Shore Trail | 7002220000000000000220 mi (350 km) | Michigan | Lake Michigan | Lake Huron | ||
Midstate Trail (Massachusetts) | 700192000000000000092 mi (148 km) | Massachusetts | Worcester County, central Massachusetts | |||
Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway | 700150000000000000050 mi (80 km) | southwest New Hampshire | Mount Monadnock | Mount Sunapee | ||
Mountains-to-Sea Trail | 70031000000000000001,000 mi (1,600 km) approx. | North Carolina | Clingman's Dome, Great Smoky Mountains | Jockey's Ridge, Outer Banks | about 530 miles (850 km) complete as of 2011; follows the Appalachian Trail for 3.4 miles (5.5 km) | |
Natchez Trace Trail | 7002440000000000000440 mi (710 km) | southeastern U.S. | Tennessee | Mississippi | disjoint trail; 700162000000000000062 mi (100 km) complete; not planned to be connected | |
New River Trail State Park | 700157000000000000057 mi (92 km) | Southern Virginia | Pulaski, Virginia | Fries, Virginia & Galax, Virginia | A rail trail, with three end points, following the New River and one of its tributaries. | |
North Country Trail | 70034600000000000004,600 mi (7,400 km) | northern United States | New York | North Dakota | ||
Northville-Placid Trail | 7002125000000000000125 mi (201 km) | New York | Northville | Lake Placid | north-south valley trail through the Adirondack State Preserve | |
OC&E Woods Line State Trail | 7002105000000000000105 mi (169 km) | Oregon | Klamath Falls | Thompson Reservoir | a rail trail and Oregon State Park | |
Old Croton Trail | 700126200000000000026.2 mi (42.2 km) | New York | follows Old Croton Aqueduct | |||
Oregon Coast Trail | 7002362000000000000362 mi (583 km) | Oregon | north Oregon coast at South Jetty | Brookings | entire Pacific coast of Oregon | |
Ouachita National Recreation Trail | 7002223000000000000223 mi (359 km) | Oklahoma and Arkansas | longest trail in Ouachita National Forest | |||
Ozark Highlands Trail | 7002180000000000000180 mi (290 km) | Arkansas | through the Ozark National Forest | |||
Ozark Trail | 7002350000000000000350 mi (560 km) approx. | Missouri | ||||
Pacific Crest Trail | 70032654000000000002,654 mi (4,271 km) | west coast | Mexico | Canada | traverses Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range paralleling the Pacific Ocean in California, Oregon and Washington | |
Pacific Northwest Trail | 70031200000000000001,200 mi (1,900 km) | Pacific Northwest | Glacier National Park (U.S.) | Cape Alava, Olympic National Park, Washington | Designated a National Scenic Trail in 2009. | |
Palmetto Trail | 7002425000000000000425 mi (684 km) | South Carolina | Charleston | southern Appalachians | 7002225000000000000225 mi (362 km) contiguous miles complete | |
Pennsylvania Mid State Trail | 7002327000000000000327 mi (526 km) | Pennsylvania | Maryland | New York | traverses width of state | |
Pinhoti Trail | 7002335000000000000335 mi (539 km) | Alabama and Georgia | Benton MacKaye Trail | Flagg Mountain near Weogulfa, Alabama | Connects the Appalachian Trail to the southernmost mountain of the Appalachian Mountain chain that is over 70031000000000000001,000 ft (300 m) in elevation. | |
Potomac Heritage Trail | 7002830000000000000830 mi (1,340 km) | mid-northeastern U.S. | incomplete; within Potomac River basin | |||
River to River Trail | 7002126000000000000126 mi (203 km) | Southern Illinois | Ohio River | Mississippi River | Stretches through Shawnee National Forest. It forms part of the Southern Section of the American Discovery Trail. | |
Robert Frost Trail | 700147000000000000047 mi (76 km) | Massachusetts | Connecticut River Valley | |||
Rock Island Trail | 700132000000000000032 mi (51 km) | Central Illinois | Peoria, Illinois | Toulon, Illinois | ||
San Francisco Bay Trail | 7002500000000000000500 mi (800 km) | San Francisco Bay Area | encircles shoreline of San Francisco Bay; under development | |||
Sheltowee Trace Trail | 7002282000000000000282 mi (454 km) | Kentucky | Daniel Boone National Forest | |||
Sierra High Route | 7002195000000000000195 mi (314 km) | California | within Kings Canyon National Park, Inyo National Forest, and Yosemite National Park | |||
Silver Comet Trail | 700161500000000000061.5 mi (99.0 km) | western Georgia | a rails-to-trails project, at the state line it turns into Alabama's Chief Ladiga Trail | |||
Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail | 700129500000000000029.5 mi (47.5 km) | California | coastal mountains | Pacific Ocean | ||
Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway | 700175000000000000075 mi (121 km) | west central New Hampshire | loop trail encircling the Kearsarge-Lake Sunapee region | |||
Superior Hiking Trail | 7002275000000000000275 mi (443 km) | Minnesota | follows north shore of Lake Superior | |||
Susquehannock Trail System | 700185000000000000085 mi (137 km) | north central Pennsylvania | trail loop in the Susquehannock State Forest | |||
Tahoe Rim Trail | 7002165000000000000165 mi (266 km) | California + Nevada | loop trail surrounding Lake Tahoe | |||
Tahoe-Yosemite Trail | 7002180000000000000180 mi (290 km) | California | Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite | Lake Tahoe | ||
Theodore Solomons Trail | 7002271000000000000271 mi (436 km) | California | parallel alternate to the John Muir Trail, laying lower and further west | |||
Tuscarora Trail | 7002252000000000000252 mi (406 km) | Appalachians | parallels Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia | |||
Timberline Trail | 700140700000000000040.7 mi (65.5 km) | Oregon | loops around Mount Hood, almost completely in wilderness | |||
Tunnel Hill State Trail | 700148000000000000048 mi (77 km) | Southern Illinois | Harrisburg, Illinois | Karnak, Illinois | ||
North Umpqua Trail | 700179000000000000079 mi (127 km) | southern Oregon | follows the Umpqua River; 11 segments mostly in undeveloped forest | |||
Virginia Creeper Trail | 700135000000000000035 mi (56 km) | Virginia | near the Appalachian Trail; multi use rail trail | |||
Warrior Trail | 700167000000000000067 mi (108 km) | Pennsylvania and West Virginia | Monongahela River at Greensboro, Pennsylvania | Ohio River south of Moundsville, West Virginia | A hiking trail entirely on private property | |
Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail | 700144700000000000044.7 mi (71.9 km) | Northern Virginia | Shirlington, Virginia | Purcellville, Virginia | A rail trail in Northern Virginia. | |
Wonderland Trail | 700193000000000000093 mi (150 km) | Washington | loop around Mount Rainier in Washington |
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“A sincere and steadfast co-operation in promoting such a reconstruction of our political system as would provide for the permanent liberty and happiness of the United States.”
—James Madison (17511836)
“Life ... is not simply a series of exciting new ventures. The future is not always a whole new ball game. There tends to be unfinished business. One trails all sorts of things around with one, things that simply wont be got rid of.”
—Anita Brookner (b. 1928)
“United Fruit... United Thieves Company... its a monopoly ... if you wont take their prices they let your limes rot on the wharf; its a monopoly. You boys are working for a bunch of thieves, but I know it aint your fault.”
—John Dos Passos (18961970)
“In the case of a deliberate, palpable, and dangerous exercise of ... powers not granted by the compact, the States ... are in duty bound to interpose for arresting the progress of the evil, and for maintaining within their respective limits the authorities, rights, and liberties appertaining to them.”
—James Madison (17511836)