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American Discovery Trail
The American Discovery Trail, including its northern and southern routes
Length	6,800 mi (10,900 km)
Location	United States
Trailheads	Cape Henlopen, Delaware; Limantour Beach, California
Use	Hiking, Horseback Riding, Mountain Biking
Highest point	Argentine Pass, 13,207 ft (4,025 m)
Lowest point	California Delta between Isleton and Antioch, −17 ft (−5.2 m)
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 6,800 miles (10,900 km). The northern route covers 4,834 miles (7,780 km) with the southern route covering 5,057 miles (8,138 km). 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:

• Delaware (45 miles (72 km))
• Maryland (270 miles (430 km))
• West Virginia (288 miles (463 km))
• Ohio (524 miles (843 km))
• Indiana (250 miles (400 km))
• Illinois (219 miles (352 km))
• Kentucky (8.7 miles (14.0 km))
• Iowa (512 miles (824 km))
• Missouri (343 miles (552 km))
• Nebraska (523 miles (842 km))
• Kansas (570 miles (920 km))
• Colorado (1,153 miles (1,856 km))
• Utah (593 miles (954 km))
• Nevada (496 miles (798 km))
• California (276 miles (444 km))

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 5,058 miles (8,140 km) by foot, averaging 22 miles (35 km) a day.^[5][6]

The first person to backpack the entire 6,800 miles (10,944 km) (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 solo woman to backpack the entire 6,800 miles (10,944 km) 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.^[2]

• Cape Henlopen State Park, the eastern terminus of the trail in Delaware.
• Argentine Pass, Colorado, the highest point in the trail where it crosses the Rockies.
• Limantour Beach, Point Reyes, the western terminus of the trail in California.

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.^[2]

Delaware

Affiliated trails

• Cape Henlopen Bike Trail
• Georgetown-Lewes Trail

Forests

• Redden State Forest

Parks

• Cape Henlopen State Park

Points of interest

• Historic towns of Lewes and Milton

Maryland

Affiliated trails

• Love Point to Lewes, DE "Smuggler's Trail" formerly Queen Anne's Railroad
• Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis (WB&A) Rail Trail
• Baltimore and Annapolis (B&A) Trail
• East Coast Greenway
• Anacostia Tributary Trails
• Fort Circle Trail
• Capital Crescent Trail
• Rock Creek Park Trail
• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail
• Allegheny Highlands Trail
• Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
• Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail