You can hike or bike across America or just Kansas on this trail
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Summer is quickly approaching, and soon, millions will be hitting the road for summer vacations and outdoor recreation.
Kansas has plenty of places to enjoy the outdoors, from fishing and boating to camping, biking, and hiking. In fact, every June, roughly 800 people participate in Bike Across Kansas.
But did you know that there is a dedicated trail that traverses not only Kansas but also the entirety of the continental United States from coast to coast? The trail is called the American Discovery Trail.
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The American Discovery Trail travels over 6,800 miles and is the first coast-to-coast, non-motorized trail. It can be used on foot, bicycle, and, in some sections, horseback.
The trail joins existing trails with rural roads, public biking and hiking trails, creating a path across the United States. It passes through national parks, rural communities, and even large urban centers along the way.
The American Hiking Society and Backpacker Magazine first proposed the creation of the trail in 1989. Two years later, the American Discovery Trail Society was created, which helps manage and support the trail through private and public donations.
The trail begins on the Atlantic coast in Delaware’s Cape Henlopen State Park. From there, it passes through Maryland, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. It enters back into southern Ohio at Elizabethtown, where it splits in two.
One trail heads north through Chicago, then through Iowa, Nebraska, to Denver, Colorado. The other trail passes through Missouri and Kansas and joins back up with the northern trail in Denver.
The trail continues west through Utah, Nevada, and California. It ends at Limantour Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore, about 40 miles northwest of San Francisco.
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In Kansas, the trail begins in Leawood and travels through Overland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee, and eventually out to Lawrence. From Lawrence, it generally follows the old Santa Fe Trail, slowly making its way through southwest Kansas and on to Denver.
More than half of the American Discovery Trail through the United States is marked with signs. You can also download turn-by-turn directions that include mileage between each turn, landmarks, latitude and longitude coordinates for each waypoint, and general route information, as well as well as GPX data for GPS devices by clicking here. There is a $10.00 fee for the data, which helps support the trail.
For more about the American Discovery Trail, visit their website.
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