American Discovery Trail Explained

American Discovery Trail
Location:United States
Length Mi:6800
Trailheads:Cape Henlopen, Delaware;
Limantour Beach, California
Use:Hiking, Horseback Riding, Mountain Biking
Highest Name:Argentine Pass
Highest Ft:13,207
Lowest Name:California Delta between Isleton and Antioch
Lowest Ft:-17
Difficulty:Easy to Strenuous
Season:All year
Sights:National Parks, National Forests
Hazards:Severe Weather

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 most of this trail.[1] 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 and St. Louis respectively. The total length of the trail, including both the north and south routes, is 6800miles. The northern route covers 4834miles with the southern route covering 5057miles. It is the only non-motorized coast-to-coast trail.[2]

The trail passes through 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:

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.[3] [4]

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 5058miles by foot, averaging 22miles a day.[5] [6]

The first person to backpack the entire (including both Northern and Southern sections) 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.[7] [8] The first woman to backpack the entire 6,800 miles (10,944 km) solo in one continuous hike was Briana DeSanctis. She started on January 1, 2022, and ended her journey on February 10, 2024.[9]

The first person to cover the entire equestrian route on horseback was Matt Parker. He undertook the journey between May 2003 and November 2005.[10] [11]

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.[12]

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.

Affiliated trails

Forests

Parks

Points of interest

Affiliated trails

Parks

Affiliated trails

Forests

Parks

Affiliated trails

Forests

Parks

Indiana (Northern route)

Affiliated trails

Parks

Indiana (Southern route)

Affiliated trails

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

Parks

See also

Further reading

External links

39.6256°N -105.7822°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Frequently Asked Questions . News and Information . American Discovery Trail . 2001–2010 . March 21, 2014.
  2. Web site: American Discovery Trail Society - the only coast-to-coast, non-motorized recreational trail for hiking, biking, riding. www.discoverytrail.org. 2017-07-19.
  3. Web site: ADT: News: The Cottrells. www.discoverytrail.org. 2017-07-19.
  4. News: For This Pair, Road Less Traveled Is 'a Gift'. Barbassa. Juliana. 2003-08-24. Los Angeles Times. 2017-07-19. en-US. 0458-3035.
  5. Web site: ADT: News: The Powers. www.discoverytrail.org. 2017-07-19.
  6. News: Couple finishes 4,900-mile walk across U.S.. 2005-10-16. msnbc.com. 2017-07-19. en.
  7. News: Backpacker to finish 6,200 mile hike at Point Reyes. Bratton. Dick. Oct 31, 2008. American Discovery Trail Society. July 17, 2017.
  8. Web site: Walking with Freedom. www.walkingwithfreedom.com. 2017-07-19.
  9. Web site: Thomas . Garvin . 2024-02-14 . After over 2 years walking, hiker becomes first solo woman to finish 6,800-mile American Discovery Trail . 2024-02-21 . NBC Bay Area . en-US.
  10. Web site: ADT: News: Matt Parker. www.discoverytrail.org. 2017-07-19.
  11. Web site: Ride of Passage - About Matt. www.rideofpassage.com. 2017-07-19.
  12. Web site: New mural celebrates local and national trail - Artwork overlooks Greene Square in Cedar Rapids. Morelli. B.A.. 19 September 2019. The Gazette. 2020-02-11.
  13. Web site: Missouri . American Discovery Trail . 22 August 2018.

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