American Discovery Trail


The American Discovery Trail is a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on much of this trail. The coastal trailheads are the Delmarva Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean and the northern California coast on the Pacific Ocean. The trail has northern and southern alternates for part of its distance, passing through Chicago or St. Louis respectively. The total length of the trail, including both the north and south routes, is. The northern route covers with the southern route being. It is the only non-motorized coast-to-coast trail.
The trail passes through at least 14 national parks and 16 national forests and uses sections of or connects to five National Scenic Trails, 10 National Historic Trails, and 23 National Recreation Trails. For part of its distance, it is coincident with the North Country Trail, the Buckeye Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Colorado Trail.
The trail passes through the District of Columbia and the following 15 states:
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Hiking records

Joyce and Pete Cottrell, of Whitefield, New Hampshire, were the first to backpack the entire official route of the American Discovery Trail. They hiked the segments out of sequence over two calendar years, finishing in 2003.
The first hikers to complete the trail in one continuous walk were Marcia and Ken Powers, a wife and husband team from Pleasanton, California. Their trail walk lasted from February 27 to October 15, 2005. They started out from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware and ended at Point Reyes, California. They traveled by foot, averaging a day.
The first person to backpack the entire in one continuous hike was Mike "Lion King" Daniel. He started from Cape Henlopen State Park on June 17, 2007, and ended at Point Reyes, California, on November 5, 2008. The first woman to backpack the entire 6,800 miles solo in one continuous hike was Briana DeSanctis. She started on January 1, 2022, and ended her journey on February 10, 2024.
The first person to cover the entire equestrian route on horseback was Matt Parker. He undertook the journey between May 2003 and November 2005.

Notable locations

At Cedar Rapids, a mural was posted on Greene Square in 2019 to mark both the American Discovery Trail, which passes through downtown, and the Cedar Lake-Smokestack Bridge project.
The following notable locations are found along or adjacent to the route of the American Discovery Trail. They are listed from east to west to correspond with the itinerary typically followed by thru-hikers to take advantage of the best seasonal weather conditions.

Other affiliated locations

The following locations are found along or adjacent to the route of the American Discovery Trail. They are divided into categories within each state, organized by state from east to west.

[Delaware]

Affiliated trails

  • Cape Henlopen Bike Trail
  • Georgetown-Lewes Trail

Forests

Parks

Points of interest

[Maryland]

Affiliated trails

Parks

[West Virginia]

Affiliated trails

Forests

Parks

[Ohio]

Affiliated trails

Forests

Parks

[Indiana] (Northern route)

Affiliated trails

Parks

Indiana (Southern route)

Affiliated trails

  • Pigeon Creek Greenway
  • Knobstone Trail
  • Two Lakes Trail
  • Adventure Trail
  • Burdette Park/University of Southern Indiana Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Nature Trail
  • Heritage Trail of Madison

Forests

Parks

Illinois (Northern route)

Affiliated trails

Parks

Illinois (Southern route)

Affiliated trails

Forests

Parks

Iowa (Northern route)

Affiliated trails

Parks

Missouri (Southern route)

Affiliated trails

Forests

Parks

Nebraska (Northern route)

Affiliated trails

Parks

Kansas (Southern route)

Affiliated trails

Parks

Colorado

Affiliated trails

Forests

Parks

Utah

Affiliated trails

Forests

Parks

Nevada

Affiliated trails

Forests

Parks

California

Affiliated trails

  • Tahoe Rim Trail
  • Western States Trail
  • Pacific Crest Trail
  • Foresthill Loop Trail
  • Confluence Trail
  • Pioneer Express Trail
  • American River Bike Trail
  • Jedediah Smith National Recreation Trail
  • Delta de Anza Regional Trail
  • Stewartville Trail
  • Ridge Trail
  • Black Diamond Trail
  • Cumberland Trail
  • Black Diamond to Mt. Diablo Trail
  • Bruce Lee Trail
  • Mitchell Canyon Trail
  • Deer Flat Creek Trail
  • Prospectors Gap Trail
  • North Peak Trail
  • Summit Trail
  • Wall Point Trail
  • Briones-Mount Diablo Trail
  • Lafayette Ridge Trail
  • Homestead Valley Trail
  • Oursan Trail
  • Bear Creek Trail
  • Inspiration Trail
  • Bay Area Ridge Trail
  • Sea View Trail
  • Vollmer Peak Trail
  • Grizzly Peak Trail
  • San Francisco Bay Trail
  • SCA Trail
  • Bobcat Trail
  • Miwok Trail
  • Redwood Creek Trail
  • Deer Creek Park Fire Trail
  • Hillside Trail
  • Ben Johnson Trail
  • Stapleveldt Trail
  • Matt Davis Trail
  • Coastal Trail
  • Bolinas Ridge Trail
  • Randall Trail
  • Olema Valley Trail
  • Stewart Trail
  • Glen Trail
  • Bear Valley Trail
  • Coast Trail
  • Mokelumne Coast to Crest Trail

Parks