America's First Coast-To-Coast Hiking Trail Offers A Scenic 6,800-Mile-Long Journey

When you envision a cross-country trip spanning the contiguous United States, you may imagine a day trekking through airports or mapping out a road trip through small towns and major cities. However, there's another option for truly intrepid travelers to really get a feel for the country by crossing it on foot. Established by the American Hiking Society (later reformed as the American Discovery Trail Society) in the 1990s, the American Discovery Trail spans 6,800 miles in total, between California and Delaware, and is the first continuous hiking trail to cross the continental United States. It was envisioned as connecting Americans with each other and the outdoors, providing a sense of community across the country, as well as access to history and incredible scenery from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The trail winds past thousands of cultural sights, through state capitals, and even by the front doors to spectacular Arches National Park in Utah and 13 other national parks.

You're not alone if you think taking on a cross-country journey on foot sounds like too big of a challenge, or that it would take too much time — it would take over a year if you walked 15 miles a day with rest periods. Despite crossing through 15 different states and over 325 towns and cities, the American Discovery Trail Society notes that many of the trail's users live nearby and use the path for walking their dog, jogging, or just getting a breath of fresh air on the weekend. Users who tackle the whole trail often do so over a long period of time, hiking it section by section until it's complete. To paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson, this trek is more about the journey of connecting with America, and not about reaching a particular city or landmark.

While the official starting points for the trail are at Point Reyes National Seashore in California and Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware, nearly two dozen different ecosystems and several major cities, including Denver, Kansas City, and Cincinnati, are on the trail. If you're set on starting at the western or eastern ends, San Francisco and Philadelphia, historic destinations in their own right, are the nearest gateway cities with major airports. Both airports are approximately two hours from their respective starting point.

From east to west, the trail leads hikers down a route of American history and natural charm; in the eastern section, the trail meanders through historic Annapolis, Maryland; Civil War battlefields; and the site in West Virginia where Mother's Day was first celebrated. It forks outside of Cincinnati, with the northern fork crossing the rich farmlands of the Midwest in northern Indiana, northern Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska, then moving into northeastern Colorado. The southern fork traverses the rolling hills of southern Indiana and Illinois, and through St. Louis and railroad towns, before crossing Kansas' endless plains into southern Colorado. Both trails connect outside of Denver and head west. The trail crosses the Continental Divide three times in the Colorado Rockies, meanders through the red deserts of southern Utah, and passes some of the most barren stretches of Nevada. You'll have sights of shimmering Lake Tahoe, one of the deepest lakes in the U.S., after crossing the Sierras into California. Once you cross the Golden Gate Bridge, you're in the home stretch — just 40 miles to reach Limantour Beach.

Whether you're planning to cross a city, a state, or the country on the American Discovery Trail, you should be well prepared for your adventure. Before you purchase a new pair of boots or a backpack, map out your trek in advance. Until the end of 2026, GPX files of detailed turn-by-turn trail maps that can integrate with Google Maps and other mapping applications have been provided by Indiana Trails at no cost. In exchange, American Discovery Trails requests your contact information.

Like other major national trails, including the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Coast Trail, volunteers called "trail angels" are crucial to maintaining the ADT as well as helping thru-hikers in incredibly remote regions by providing food and water drops. Each state along the trail has a coordinator who can help you plan your trip across the state, as well as help arrange necessary resupply drops. Be prepared, and don't be afraid to think outside the box, especially when crossing Western states during heat waves. For example, one hiker left Delaware in February 2025 and reached scorching hot Moab, Utah, in August, according to Hiking America. But due to the weather, he traveled to California, then walked back to Moab, completing the trail in November, when it was far cooler. This flexibility can help you finish the route, without compromising your health and safety.

Are you planning your hike and looking for incredible sights throughout the U.S.? Browse our list of the country's most iconic attractions and destinations worth visiting at least once.