Making It Happen
Newly revitalized Beverly Bridge 2022 dedication | Photo by Kevin Belle
Progress of the Great American Rail-Trail
Great American Rail-Trail Route Assessment 2026
The Great American Rail-Trail Route Assessment 2026 defined the preferred route of the Great American Rail- Trail as more than 3,700 miles—with 2,086 miles of existing trails and 1,674 miles of trail gaps.
The Great American Rail-Trail promises an all-new American experience, creating new access to the outdoors and America’s heritage, people and places for the millions of trail users who will visit. Across the nation—and the world—only the limits of imagination will limit how people chose to experience the Great American.
Route Assessment
Great American Rail-Trail Route Assessment 2026
The Great American Rail-Trail Route Assessment 2026 defined the preferred route of the Great American Rail- Trail as more than 3,700 miles—with 2,086 miles of existing trails and 1,674 miles of trail gaps.
Previous Route Assessments
RTC embarked on a 12-month assessment of route options using its GIS database of more than 34,000 miles of existing, multiuse trails nationwide, and analyzing more than 300 state and local trail plans to identify planned future trails. RTC also met and worked with more than 200 local trail partners and more than 50 state agencies representing the trails along the route, shaping criteria to ensure safe, non-motorized travel on a route that is entirely walkable and bikeable. These trail criteria specify that the Great American Rail-Trail be one contiguous route that is preliminarily more than 80%, and ultimately entirely, off-road and separated from vehicle traffic; comprise existing trails to the extent possible; be reasonably direct from Washington to Washington; be amenable to the state and local jurisdictions through which it will cross; and serve as a catalyst for local economic development, including providing services for long-distance travelers.
Through the assessment, RTC and its partners have defined the preferred route of the Great American Rail- Trail as more than 3,700 miles—with approximately 2,069 miles of existing trails (trails along the route that are built and maintained by dedicated teams of local staff and volunteers) and approximately 1,690 miles of identified trail gaps (sections of trail that still need to be developed).
While there are more than 1,600 miles of trails to complete along the route of the Great American Rail-Trail, each trail gap has one or more future trail options identified as possible trail connections. Many of these gaps and proposed future trails are already identified in public plans that have been adopted at the state and local levels. Insight from local trail partners and states has helped to identify the preferred alignment that best corresponds with their priorities, with the intention of maximizing existing trail momentum as the Great American Rail- Trail is connected across the country.
Economic Potential of the Great American Rail-Trail Report (2022)
Investments could generate more than $229.4 million in visitor spending, $104 million in labor income, and $22.8 million in new tax revenue.
Project Success Since Launch
There are many ways to measure the success of a transformative project of the scale of the Great American Rail-Trail. New mileage added to the route is an important factor to consider, but there are dozens of ways to tell the story of the hard work being undertaken by RTC and our hundreds of partners working on this project across the country.
MILEAGE
More than 124 miles of trails have been added to the route since the project was launched in May 2019. That is an incredible success for the first years of a project of this scale. Hundreds of partners across the route, from state and local governments to regional nonprofits and advocacy groups, are helping to bring this vision to reality. Since the project’s launch, some highlights include:
- A long-awaited connection was made to complete a seamless transition between Iowa’s iconic Raccoon River Valley Trail and High Trestle Trail.
- The Old Yellowstone Trail in Powell County, Montana, was completed, adding more than 10 miles of trail linking Deer Lodge to Garrison.
- A 10-miles-plus gap was filled in the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail between Marengo and Ralston in Washington on a single section of route provided by a local landowner.
There are an additional 161 miles of trails in the development pipeline that should be added to the route over the next few years. Highlights include:
- More than 23 miles are in development along the Iowa River’s Edge Trail in Iowa, connecting about 7 miles of existing trail on both sides.
- Nebraska’s Game and Parks Commission will also be adding more than 25 new miles of trail along the Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail, helping one of the longest rail-trail conversions in the country live up to its potential.
FUNDING WINS
Over $175 million in new funding has been contributed to projects along the Great American Rail-Trail since the project’s launch, including over $40 million in 2023, and another $40 million in 2024. This kind of funding success can be attributed to the value that people place on a project that can reach so many communities across the country and beyond. Highlights include:
- A U.S. Department of Transportation Bridge Reinvestment Program grant for $87.5 million to rebuild the Market Street Bridge over the Ohio River between West Virginia and Ohio, which will include an important bicycle and pedestrian element for trail users.
- A Next Level Trails grant—a statewide source of dedicated trail funding in Indiana—for over $2.9 million to complete a trail connection in northwest Indiana between the Veterans Memorial Trail and the Pennsy Greenway.
PLANNING EFFORTS
With over 1,600 miles of trail gaps across the Great American Rail-Trail, partners around the country are leading planning efforts to identify opportunities to fill these gaps. Montana and Washington State are two examples of states with creative, collaborative planning efforts underway.
Partners in Montana created the Parks to Passes project, an initiative of the various towns and four counties making up the Great American route across western Montana, to identify creative solutions to fill more than 157 miles of trail gaps between Butte and St. Regis.
A similar initiative is underway in western Washington State, where more than 20 partners are collaborating on the Puget Sound to Pacific (PS2P) project. The PS2P project aims to identify solutions to fill the remaining gaps in the trail network between Puget Sound and the western terminus of the Great American Rail-Trail in La Push, Washington.
These are only two examples of the large-scale regional efforts that would not be underway without the momentum of the Great American. There are countless other examples of localized planning efforts underway that are pushing the project forward. RTC hosts annual statewide stakeholder meetings, each attended by dozens of partners across the route, to help facilitate this collaboration.
RECONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE
When asked by the New York Times in 2024 when the Great American Rail-Trail will be finished, RTC’s Vice President of Communications Brandi Horton said, “The answer is never. It’s something that will always be evolving.” Trails require ongoing maintenance and reconstruction, and weather and climate-related surprises demand frequent attention.
As just one example, weeks before RTC officially launched the Great American effort in May 2019, the Lied Platte River Bridge in Nebraska was critically damaged due to flooding and debris, necessitating a major reconstruction effort. Thankfully, the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District quickly took up the effort, reopening the bridge in 2021.
While weather and climate-related events cannot always be planned for, RTC continues to work with its partners on ongoing maintenance plans to emphasize the importance of regular trail upkeep that can lower the need for major reconstruction efforts.
TRAIL USE AND TOURISM
The Great American Rail-Trail was established for people to enjoy, whether embarking on evening walks with their families or setting out on long-distance, cross-country endeavors. Already, people are taking up the challenge.
In 2020, Warrior Expeditions reached out to RTC about the nonprofit’s annual Warrior Bike Program. The program helps veterans transition from their wartime experiences through long-distance outdoor expeditions. Previously, Warrior Expeditions was following an entirely on-road route for cross-country journeys, but the organization wanted to give its veterans a safer, calmer experience on trails. In 2024, RTC and Warrior Expeditions launched the fourth annual Warrior Bike along the Great American.
Dozens of people have reached out to RTC about embarking on their own adventures along the route, and undoubtedly many more have gone about it on their own. Towns along the route have reported seeing long-distance trail users in greater numbers since the launch of the Great American. The resulting trail tourism can bring new life to many of these small towns, a fact demonstrated in an independent economic analysis of the Great American Rail-Trail conducted in May 2022.
Advocating for Public Funds to Connect the Trail—between Washington and Washington
Creating a trail that spans the nation will require a significant investment of time, expertise and resources. That is why the team at RTC waited until now to commit to the project’s development. It was important that a viable route was possible across the country and that it was well-aligned with the interests of the existing trails and state and local priorities. Now, with the preferred route of the Great American well defined, RTC is ready to lead the movement to complete the trail—including advocating for the local, state and federal funds necessary to close trail gaps and maintain existing trail segments.
Securing public funding for trails has long been a focus of RTC, and the organization will continue to be a leading advocate for this critical resource. Based on RTC’s experiences completing regional trail networks across the country, it is expected that a combination of federal funds dedicated to trail building, as well as state and local funds and private investment, will be critical to complete the trail gaps along the route. RTC actively advocates for federal and state programs used to support trail networks and spines, and walking and biking projects, across the country—and these public funds will be critical in our efforts to complete the Great American.
Frequently Asked Questions
Looking to learn more about the Great American Rail-Trail, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy or the trail movement?
Spurring Trail Completion: Catalyst Initiatives
In every state along the preferred route of the Great American, needs for completing the trail vary. To spur trail completion, RTC has identified initial catalyst initiatives—projects or challenges that would most benefit from RTC’s national breadth of resources. For example, along the preferred route of the Great American, RTC will provide trail planning assistance for completing trail gaps; generate public funding support for future trail development or open trail improvements; advocate for local and state trail priorities, and provide communications support and strategy to advance trail priorities along the route; and conduct research critical to advancing trail priorities. Through these initiatives, RTC will directly support local and state partners, investing time, expertise and organizational resources in specific projects that are critical to the ultimate completion of the Great American Rail-Trail.
