East Coast Greenway: 3,000 Mile Bike Ride from Canada to Key West

Maybe you’ve always dreamt of trekking across the U.S., but didn’t have the time, money, or know-how to make the full trip from east to west. Or maybe hiking the Appalachian Trail has been a secret goal, but you’re terrified of sleeping in tents. Luckily, there’s another option.

It’s called the East Coast Greenway—3,000 miles of marked trails and roads from Key West, Florida all the way up to Canada. Whether you hike it or bike it, you’re sure to be challenged, but always close enough to civilization to calm your fears of being lost in the great outdoors. If you’re looking for a new goal to tackle or just a place to spend a day or a weekend on your bike, try the East Coast Greenway.

How It All Started

The plan for the East Coast Greenway started in the mid-nineties in downtown SoHo in New York City, when a few of the founding members—outdoorsy, activist types with big dreams—decided it would be a life-changing project to tackle.

Conceptually, the greenway wasn’t designed to appeal to thru-hikers, though that’s certainly a side benefit. More than that, the plan was to link major cities on the Eastern Seaboard together to create safe, accessible routes, and to help promote healthy, outdoor-friendly lifestyles.

Dennis Markatos-Soriano, Executive Director of East Coast Greenway Alliance, spends some of his time at the headquarters in Durham, North Carolina (near the trail, of course) but finds himself in the field more often than not, working to help communities develop the traffic-free bike and hike lanes that he sees expanding to 100 percent of the Greenway. If the past 25 years are any indication, they’re already a third of the way there, and show no signs of slowing down.

"We wanted it to run in each big city, but also between the cities," he says. And there are some hidden gems: right outside of New Brunswick, New Jersey, the Delaware River is flanked by a rail trail that makes up part of the greenway. And the hostel in Richmond, Virginia, that’s right off the path, is “way more luxurious than a tent.”

"This really started in a grassroots way—not because of connections, just because it was a good, healthy idea," Markatos-Soriano explains. “Over time, 900 miles have been built out, and it includes some really long stretches of trail.” Most of those miles were new trail systems that were established by the Greenway Alliance in conjunction with local and national groups in each area. The route was fully established 12 years ago, and every year, it’s improved as more trails are added and road sections are taken out.

Almost 30 percent of the Greenway is on traffic-free trails, with more added yearly. The rest of the trail is on roads, but well-marked ones chosen for the ease of hiking or biking on them. By 2020, the entire route will have signage, but even now, more than half is signed. Even without signage in some areas, it’s simple to follow. The scariest section is just the few miles from the tip of Florida onto Key West, where a narrow bridge (that’s also open to traffic) connects the islands to the mainland.

Tackling the East Coast Greenway

One of the coolest ways to experience the entirety of the greenway is to get in on the yearly week-long tour. It’s designed for people who don’t have months to take off of work and ride across the U.S., but want to make a long journey happen. Every year, people get together and ride a seven-day chunk of the route. Join up any year, stick around for nine, and you’ll have ridden the full 3,000 miles. You’ll also have the benefit of starting with a group of fellow adventure-loving cyclists, and meeting up with them every year for nearly a decade to catch up and put in more miles.

"We’ve had a lot of people ride the whole route, to do things like celebrate an anniversary or raise money for charity," Markatos-Soriano explains.

But the Alliance is most proud of the fact that the more than 10 million people hop on the route every year to walk or ride just for a few miles. It’s not all about getting from one end of the country to the other, it’s simply about getting outside and getting healthy while breathing in some fresh air.

To get a taste of what the greenway has to offer, a shorter section might be a good place to start. You can find the full list of all the greenway sections along the entire path here, but the Northern Delaware Greenway Trail, the National Mall Path, or the Myrtle Beach sections in South Carolina are all great options.

Not many people travel through the tiny state of Delaware, and the Northern Delaware Greenway Trail showcases some of the most beautiful parts of the state. At 10.4 miles point-to-point, the paved path winds through three state parks, along the Brandywine and Delaware Rivers, and past two historic mansions, rock faces, and waterfalls.

The National Mall Path is a short, two-mile section that travels through Washington, D.C., and is the official midpoint of the East Coast Greenway. Take some time to explore the monuments in our nation’s capital, but dismount and walk your bike through the World War II and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorials. The trail continues on along the Potomac River for 16 miles through parks, woods, and wetlands to the Mount Vernon estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia.

If you prefer a little more sun and sand, check out the Myrtle Beach sections. They range from 1.7 to 6.4 miles—perfect for a leisurely ride during a family vacation.

If you do want to tackle the whole route, though, there’s one question you have to ask yourself: north to south, or south to north? "It depends on if you want to end with the best key lime pie you’ve ever had, or the best blueberry pie you’ve ever had," Markatos-Soriano laughs. Either way, it’s a win.

You can view maps, donate to the cause, and get more info at the East Coast Greenway Alliance’s website—and be sure to pay the trail a visit if you find yourself on the East Coast!

Originally written by RootsRated for Craghoppers.

Featured image provided by miamibrickell