Almost everyone who rides a bicycle loves rails to trails. Whether you want to go for a leisurely ride from your back door or you want to string together a few bike trails to make a great bicycle touring route, rail trails are a great way to ensure your ride is comfortable, scenic, and traffic-free. So for all those bicycle trail fans out there, I’ve put together this list of MY favorite trails in the U.S., and what makes them so great. Without a doubt, these rail trails belong on everybody’s bike-it list. Enjoy!
Resources:
Route of the Hiawatha
https://www.ridethehiawatha.com/the-trail
https://www.traillink.com/trail/route-of-the-hiawatha/
Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes
https://www.traillink.com/trail/trail-of-the-coeur-dalenes/
George S. Mickelson Trail
https://www.mickelsontrailaffiliates.com/trail-info
https://bikemickelson.com/
https://www.traillink.com/trail/george-s-mickelson-trail/
Olympic Discovery Trail
https://www.traillink.com/trail/olympic-discovery-trail/
Katy Trail
https://bikekatytrail.com/
https://mostateparks.com/park/katy-trail-state-park
https://www.traillink.com/trail/katy-trail-state-park/
Rock Island Trail
https://mostateparks.com/park/rock-island-trail-state-park
https://bikerockisland.com/
https://www.traillink.com/trail/rock-island-spur-of-katy-trail-state-park/
Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail
https://www.parks.wa.gov/521/Palouse-to-Cascades-Trail
https://www.palousetocascadestrail.org/
https://www.traillink.com/trail/palouse-to-cascades-state-park-trail/
Northern Rail Trail
https://www.fnrt.org/
https://www.bikethenorthernrailtrail.com/
https://www.traillink.com/trail/northern-rail-trail/
Erie Canalway Trail
https://eriecanalway.org/explore/cycling
https://www.ptny.org/cycle-the-erie-canal/trail-map
https://www.traillink.com/trail/erie-canalway-trail/
Ohio to Erie Trail
https://www.ohiotoerietrail.org/
https://www.traillink.com/trail/ohio-to-erie-trail/
Great Allegheny Passage
https://www.traillink.com/trail/great-allegheny-passage/
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Trail
https://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm
https://www.traillink.com/trail/chesapeake–ohio-canal-national-historical-park/
38 Comments
American River Trail in Sacramento? Not a rail trail, but still beautiful.
Thnx for sharing !
You will love the Virginia Creeper!
Fantastic review! The GAP & C&O are at the top of my bucket list and hope to knock them off next year! You had a few on your list that I've now added to my hopefully soon-to-be adventures. As an north AL resident, I did the Silver Comet & Chief Ladiga as an out-and-back a few years ago. Thanks for taking the time to share! Cheers!
They just opened the beautiful bike bridge in Piqua Ohio. My wife has some disability and I ride my bike with her on her electric scooter. We love the old Erie canal path through Tipp City, Troy and Piqua. Ohio.
How was the camping availability on theses trails
The entire USA is a shithole when it comes to bicycling.
notably no Ca contributions
Such an amazing video… thank you!! 💚💚💚
Bucket list just got longer but I’m not biking where there are cougars and bears roaming around😅
Excellent production
Thank you for opening a new world for me and my bike!
Great video
Congrats on the viral video!
I just now discovered you and subscribed. What an excellent commentator you are! I think I’m going to pull my bike out again! Thanks for the motivation!!!
Don’t know if it’s been mentioned, but there’s a new trail in progress which will run from Portland to the Pacific coast. It’s called the Salmonberry Trail, and the first rails at the Portland end are just now starting to be removed. It’s about 82 miles long and will end near Tillamook and the WWII blimp hanger which at 7acres, is (I read), the largest wood trussed building in the world.
Great list of trails that I'm planning to ride. I did ride the Empire State Trail from Buffalo to NYC this year. Ohio to Erie Canal Trail is on my list for a next year along with Katy Trail. Great list of trails. 👍
Question: Is there an updated publication on the rail-trails around America? If not, maybe you know some party who could get it together? (Hint, hint!….LOL) Thanks. 😎
Great video. Makes me want to get on my bike and just try all the trails mentioned. Very informative and inspirational.
My wife and I are getting close to retirement and love to cycle. We had planned to do a lot of European trips (Spain, France, Sweden, Italy, etc), but watching this video has shown me that while Europe might seem more "exotic" to an American, there are enough of these rail trails here in the good ol USA to keep us busy through out our retirement years. And, many of them could be done at a fraction of the cost of flying overseas. We still plan on doing some Europe stuff (Camino de Santiago in Spain, A Sweeden trip, Bordeaux region of France), but this video has caused my wife and I to re-assess our plan. There is just too much good riding we can be doing right here in the US. Just my opinion.
My sister Lois Moss was one of the founders of the idea of turning old railroad beds into bike trails.
Roland, beautiful job. I really appreciate the care and professionalism in your posts. Been following you two for a long time. I'm 81 and I ride an e bike and my ass hurts after 8 miles…but I love being on the trails. I live near the Olympic Discovery trail. Oh and I was a National Park Ranger on the C&O trail from Great Falls to George Town. I used to walk it with Justice Douglass of the Supreme Court.
This was a great video. It makes me want to get back out on my bike again. Coincidentally, I just calibrated my derailleurs this week. It's predicted to be 71 degrees in the Philadelphia area tomorrow, Nov 9th. I'll definitely get out and take a ride.
Great video. However the music is too loud.
I run on the Erie canal trail and most of the Mohawk Hudson Marathon is on that trail.
I live in the northwest. I have ridden the Hiawatha Trail and the trail of the Coeur d'Alene many times. One of my favorite things to do was to start at the bottom of the Hiawatha and ride to the top and then back down. Have you ridden any of the trails in minnesota? I hear there are some amazing ones there as well. Thank you for your video.👍
I'm going to try several of these rides. Love the narration, you are the Bob Ross of cycling!
Concord is all one word you annunciated as to
I love what you two are doing here. I have been in New England, but by car, and can affirm of the charming New England towns.
Now for your #1 trail, it is what got me to purchase a bike. I hiked three sections of of the C&O Canal Trail on three seperate occasions in 2022.
Point of Rocks to Brunswick MD.
Brunswick MD to Harpers Ferry WV
Point of Rocks to Monocacy River.
All out and back.
In October 2023 I purchased a bike, and proceeded to Meyersdale PA to ride the Great Alleghany Passage on both directions for perhaps 15-20 miles, but had a flat rear tire with no way of fixing it. Did something else on those planned days. Plan on going back better prepared.
I am 64, and just starting again to ride a bike after 50 years. I have hiked on many trails that can be ridden by bike.
The Delaware and Lackawanna Trail in PA North of Morrisville.
The Delaware and Raritan Trail in NJ north of Trenton.
Both follow on each side of the Delaware River
Thank you again for this video.
OMG, this is one of the best cycling YouTube videos I have seen. I'll use it often to help me plan future biking trips. Two of your top 10, are mine as well, the Katy Trail and the Ohio Erie Trail. I retired just a little over a year ago, and also a member of Rails to Trails Conservancy, your video is so in depth, with great detail. I wish RTC have video shorts like geo-referenced pictures to see what it's like before traveling out.
I too will only ride on bike trails and stay off the roads. Your video is a great example of just how to plan that. I will use and share your video to help others plan future cycling trips.
Again, thank you for sharing your video.
🚴♂💨
Roland how do you like the Butterfly handlebars? Tossing a coin between the butterfly and the Jones H loop bar.
Great video but was surprised the Virginia Creeper Trail did not make the list although did earn an honorable mention. This area in SW Virginia was home to many of the Overmountain Men who defeated the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain. In the words of the losing British Commander Sir Henry Clinton, when describing the surrender at Yorktown, "Kings Mountain was the first link in a chain of evils that led to the total loss of America." Had it not been for Kings Mountain, we would all be sipping British tea and paying British taxes unto this day since Washington's Continentals were nearly frozen in place as George would confess to is brother Samuel "I think the game is pretty near up." Be sure to visit the nearby Abingdon Muster Grounds to learn more about the Men who Won America where, arguably, without their sacrifice, none of the Rail Trails in your Top Ten List would have ever existed.including Lewis & Clark.
Thanks for a great video. Don't know if I'll ever get to lots of these, but when the kids lived in DC I rode the C&O a lot, and I ride parts of the Erie Canal weekly. Lovely!
I'm wondering what people think of the proliferation of e-bikes? How they'll affect safety on the trails! I've never ridden one, but aren't there types that still require peddling as well as others that self propel after you get going? The latter seems to me to transform beyond a bicycle and maybe sometimes banned from rail trail usage.
What kind, style and brand of bikes did you use
A wonderful list…the C&O and the Cape Cod have been on my list for a while. I will suggest three trails in New England, two of which are still in progess. The two are are the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in Connecticut, which is both a canal trail AND a rail trail. It is on the ancient New Haven and Northampton Railroad, which replaced a failed canal between those two early industrial cities. Vestiges of the canal are visible along the route including some sections still with water. The Massachusetts end near Northampton intersects the Mass Central rail trail, projected to provide a continuous ride from Boston. Still in process, the western sections are spectacular and around Worcester you can connect to the Blackstone Valley route down into Rhode Island.
The third route runs around eastern Lake Champlain and connects Vermont and upstate New York, particularly Burlington and Plattsburgh. It runs over the lake on causeways and islands, with a short ferry connection at one point.
A bonus: if you come up to Canada, the P'tit Train du Nord in Quebec is spectacular. Starting a bit north of Montreal it is an old rail line through the Laurentian Mountains, taking into the Great Canadian Shield and a change in topography. It runs along rivers and the train stations en route have been restored to various uses — including one with public showers for cyclists at the midpoint, not far from a camp site. Well worth a visit!
What great trails and beautiful little towns! Zero car routes are what i desire seems it’s getting worse with folk using phones whilst behind the wheel….well presented video!
I used to follow a guy called three wheel journey who still has videos up but mysteriously has gone missing 🧐🙂👍🏻
Great job!