Map of proposed first coast-to-coast bike trail is revealed; group raising money to secure remaining 48% of route

Proposed route for the Great American Rail-Trail. (Map by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy)

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the nation's largest trails organization, has been planning an uninterrupted cross-country bicycle trail for the past year, and recently published the first map of it.

"The Great American Rail-Trail will stretch 3,700 miles across 12 states, from Washington, D.C., to Washington state. Collectively, the trail will connect more than 125 currently existing trails and 90 trail gaps," McKinley Corbley reports for the Good News Network.

About 52 percent of the trail is already open for public use; RTC has announced a funding campaign to help open the other 48%. The trail could be a popular trek for serious cyclists and bring tourist dollars to rural areas and small towns along the path. But history has shown that securing the best property for trails can be difficult.

"We have the chance to create from that vision a national treasure that unites millions of people over thousands of miles of trail," said Ryan Chao, president of RTC. "This trail is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide—together—an enduring gift to the nation that will bring joy for generations to come."