US Travel-
Spanning an incredible 3,700 miles from Washington DC all the way to the Pacific Ocean, an ambitious new bike trail is aiming to be “America’s Main Street”.
“The Great American Rail-Trail is the most ambitious biking initiative the country has ever seen“
The following written content by Stephen Starr
Ryan Gardill used to love backpacking. Getting into the outdoors and covering ground was one of the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, native’s favourite things to do. But as the 29-year-old former US Marine’s joints and back began struggling to carry the weight of a backpack, he decided it was time to get on a bike.
That opened up a whole new world.
“I’d always dreamed of doing a thru-hike or bike,” he said. “A guy from work talked about a trail going from Pittsburgh to DC. I said: ‘That sounds awesome!’.”
So, in August, Gardill and his colleague embarked on a 350-mile journey, pedalling across converted railroad trails from western Pennsylvania to Washington DC.
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.
“Determining the route was a 30-year journey,” said Brandi Horton, vice-president of communications at the RTC.
The trail is largely built atop or next to abandoned railway lines (hence the name) with surfaces ranging from crushed stone to smooth asphalt. These railbanks – abandoned railway corridors converted into trails – account for more than 24,000 miles of multi-use trails crisscrossing the US. Read more from BBC.
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