A first look at the Great American Rail-Trail—and which section to cycle in 2025
It takes but a minute to put wheels in motion for one of the greatest adventures you can have in America, yet nearly three months to experience it in full. Running from Washington State to Washington, DC, the 3,700-mile Great American Rail-Trail moves from Pacific waves and old-growth forests at its western end to the White House and the Capitol in the east.
Its east-west spine is made up of abandoned rail corridors that morph into urban greenways. Along the way, riders will get to experience national parks, forested canyons and prairie lands. The last stretch will run past the Lincoln Memorial to the United States Capitol — a fitting end, considering this portion of the route is based on Abe's 1860s transcontinental railroad. Due for completion in 2028, the Rail-Trail is still a work in progress, with a little over half currently ready for cyclists. With its varied terrain, Washington — forecast to have around 400 miles of cyclable track completed in 2025 — offers an epic taster.
(This grand trail will one day connect Washington, D.C., to Washington State.)
Natural highs: Olympic Discovery Trail
The most memorable place to begin your adventure is on this 135-mile trail. From the get-go, the cycleway enters pine-shrouded Bigfoot territory, plunging into the temperate rainforests of Olympic National Park beneath the glacial caps of Mount Olympus. The trail then waltzes along the Strait of Juan de Fuca shoreline to Port Townsend, famed for its 19th-century buildings, with campground rest stops along the way. To travel this section is also a journey into the historic lands of the Klallam, Ho, Makah and other Native American tribes that put down roots long before the railroad came along.
Fishermen's Terminal port in Seattle guards boats known from the reality TV show Deadliest Catch.
Photograph by Don Wilson, Port Seattle
City life: Burke-Gilman Trail
The real Seattle can be found on this 20-mile path, which begins amid the shimmering wetlands of Golden Gardens Park before rolling to the north end of Lake Washington. In between, the neighbourhoods of Nordic-influenced Ballard, trendy Fremont and the University District pass by in a slow-mo blur. A salvo of coffee shops, bike fitters and craft breweries right on the cycleway will prompt the squeal of brakes, then you'll pass the Fishermen's Terminal dock, home to some of the crab boats featured in reality TV show Deadliest Catch. Finish up at Gas Works Park, watching seaplanes take off and land.
Snoqualmie Falls was made famous by David Lynch's Twin Peaks, as were the surrounding towns where the cult 1990s TV series was filmed. Cyclists can explore the area via the forested, 31-mile Snoqualmie Valley Trail, which takes in filming locations including Salish Lodge & Spa, in Sanoqualmie; The Roadhouse Restaurant & Inn, in Fall City; and North Bend's Twede's Cafe — stop for cherry pie. Further east, the relentless beauty of the Cascade Range takes over.
Some parts of the Great American Rail-Trail require a mountain bike.
Photograph by Silvrshootr, Getty Images
Into the wild: Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail
This epic 236-mile trail runs from electric-blue Rattlesnake Lake over Snoqualmie Pass (2,600ft) and all the way to the Idaho border. Currently, this stretch is one of the country's longest rail trail conversions — thanks to the well-maintained Milwaukee Road, a former railway line that closed in 1986. It crosses steel railroad trestles, bridges and dozens of canyons on gravel tracks, so a mountain bike is essential.
National Geographic Traveller (UK).
To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click
Published in the USA guide, available with the Jan/Feb 2025 issue of(UK).To subscribe to(UK) magazine click here . (Available in select countries only).
Inspiring exploration for over 130 years
Subscribe now a get a free tote
SUBSCRIBE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Geographic
10 hours ago
- National Geographic
Find a new reverence for Rome on a thousand-year-old pilgrimage to the capital
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). It's holy week and music is rising from the Chiesa di Santa Maria. First comes the slow sigh of baroque strings, then a wash of operatic harmony as a soprano and alto plunge into the opening lines of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. Outside, a blood-orange sun is slipping behind the sage hills surrounding Vetrella, throwing a square of sunlight onto the church's frescoed walls: a honeyed beam that writes life into the eyes of every painted saint and martyr. I'm coming to the end of my first day on the Via Francigena and already I'm getting a sense of the trail's strange power — though I'm 12 miles closer to Rome than I was this morning, I appear to have stepped further back in time. In many ways, it stands to reason. After all, I've spent the morning tracing one of Lazio's ancient holloways — the sunken roads etched by the Etruscans sometime between 800 and 300 BCE and deepened over the centuries by the footfall of Roman legions, Frankish knights and modern-day pilgrims. After the concert, the congregation spills onto the lawn, where I get talking to blue-eyed Tiziano, who's travelled from the nearby town of Bracciano to be here. 'The springs surrounding this place made it a site of pilgrimage long before the church was built,' he explains, 'and yet most people pass it by without even noticing. For me, it's an overlooked masterpiece.' The same could be said of the Via Francigena itself — a quiet backroad compared to the bustling pilgrim highway that's Spain's Camino de Santiago. The key difference is that the former didn't begin life as a pilgrimage trail, but rather evolved into one, its network of roads originally serving as arteries between the Roman Empire and northern territories like Britannia. The sunken roads etched by the Etruscans sometime between 800 and 300 BCE were deepened over the centuries by the footfall of Roman legions, Frankish knights and modern-day pilgrims. Photograph by Gilda Bruno By the Middle Ages, any pellegrino (pilgrim) worth their communion wafer could be found traipsing towards Rome, where the spirit of St Peter was said to suffuse every root and rock. For the next few days, I'll be following in the footsteps of one such wayfarer: 10th-century archbishop Sigeric the Serious, no doubt a notorious party animal. In 990 CE, he travelled some 1,200 miles from Canterbury Cathedral to St Peter's Basilica — by way of France and Switzerland — to collect his official garment from the Pope. Handily, he documented his return trip, providing a blueprint for today's official Via Francigena route. Tackled in full it's a mammoth 100-day trek, so many pilgrims choose to walk key stages. My own journey takes in the last 60 or so miles to Rome, a five-day hike through cavernous valleys, emerald forests and rarely visited hilltop towns. The route is liberating in its simplicity — so long as I make it to my B&B each night, I should reach the Eternal City just in time for Good Friday. The wandering monk Spring is a good time to be on the open road. Lazio is in the midst of a great transformation, the region's cobbled towns brimming with early artichokes, its boulder-strewn woodlands carpeted with anemone and pink cyclamen. Striking out towards the hilltop town of Sutri the following morning, I pass a gaunt, olive-wreathed farmhouse. The year's first swallows glide in and out, their long migration finally at an end. It's here I meet Brother Ambrose Okema, a Benedictine monk undertaking the Via Francigena by bike. For him, there's little difference between we pilgrims and the birds dancing above our heads, for we're all stirred to wander by the same invisible force. 'It's a call from within,' he says, beating a pulse on his chest. Dressed in Lycra and sat astride a gravel bike, he's a far cry from your stereotypical wandering monk: the solitary, staff-bearing pilgrim whose effigy graces every waymark along the Via Francigena. His companion Victor Hernandez, a stubbled Puerto Rican, shows me footage from morning Mass on his phone; a priest in Tyrian purple robes using a garden spray pump to douse the congregation with holy water. 'You've gotta love Italy,' Victor says, beaming. The last 60 or so miles to Rome are a five-day hike through cavernous valleys, emerald forests and rarely visited hilltop towns. Photograph by Gilda Bruno Tackled in full the Via Francigena is a mammoth 100-day trek, so many pilgrims choose to walk key stages. Photograph by Gilda Bruno We walk together for some time, descending into the Valle di Tinozza, where a jade stream guides us past rockfaces honeycombed with Etruscan tombs. Conversation flows easily on the road, and soon Ambrose is recounting his life story: the childhood in war-torn Uganda, his move to a monastery in America. I get the sense that this pair's pilgrimage is as much an act of friendship as it is of faith. 'I did the Camino de Santiago solo,' Victor tells me, 'so I knew I didn't want to do this trip alone. After meeting Ambrose at his monastery, it made sense to do it together.' That evening, with 14 miles under my belt, I drink a Campari in Sutri's main square, its baroque fountain trickling sapphire. Beside me, an elderly man with thick-framed spectacles is filling his pipe, eyes cast skyward as the rain clouds part. A passing friend berates him for staying out in such conditions. 'La pioggia lava tutto,' the smoker replies — rain cleans everything. His words are still with me two days later. They echo something Sigeric and his fellow medieval pilgrims must also have felt to be true — that in enduring the elements they were somehow cleansing themselves. Call it purification by suffering. From their howls of laughter, it's clear English pilgrims Maris Waterhouse and Sarah Thompson have no intention of suffering their way to Rome. 'We're not religious at all,' Maris tells me as we fall into step entering Insugherata Natural Reserve, a 1,800-acre patchwork of forest and farmland bordering Rome. 'Most of our lives are spent in the same routine — but this is something different.' With comically good timing, at that moment, a very large, very hairy wild boar emerges from the forest. I fleetingly wonder if he's here to enact revenge for last night's dinner, pappardelle pasta served with ragù di cinghiale, but he simply raises his snout, sniffs the air and trots off. Our friend's habitat slowly recedes, giving way to glimmering shopfronts and warm-lit cafes — every table adorned with some limp-limbed pilgrim unable to move another inch. Their reluctance is understandable, as the Via Francigena has one more challenge in store: Monte Mario, Rome's tallest hill. Praying for divine intervention, I crawl up its cobbled back; past silvery olives and flat-topped pines swaying in the afternoon breeze. I spot two peregrine falcons circling overhead, and then, quite without warning, catch sight of something I'd nearly forgotten: St Peter's Basilica, its gilded dome a second sun above the city's sweep of ancient spires. The final approach is like a dream, baroque avenues heavy with orange blossom giving way to the Renaissance splendour of St Peter's Square. Photograph by Gilda Bruno The final approach is like a dream, baroque avenues heavy with orange blossom giving way to the Renaissance splendour of St Peter's Square. At this point, Sigeric would likely have commenced the obligatory circuit of Rome's other holy places — a pilgrimage within a pilgrimage. But after a few moments of gazing at the basilica's gold-encrusted interior, Sarah's earlier words start ringing in my ears like a command: 'All I want from a trip like this is a long walk and a good meal at the end of it.' Within the hour I'm sat outside La Quercia, an osteria in Monteforte, stretching my legs beneath a table set with a bowl of smoky, parmesan-dusted pasta amatriciana. Dinner and a well-deserved rest. Some pleasures truly are eternal. UTracks' 10-day, self-guided Orvieto to Rome tour costs £950 per person, including B&B accommodation, meals and luggage transfers. This story was created with the support of UTracks. Published in the September 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
Travel Weekly
a day ago
- Travel Weekly
Atlas Ocean Voyages creates junior suite category
Atlas Ocean Voyages said it is rebranding several staterooms as junior suites and introducing new amenities to distinguish and elevate their value. The staterooms transitioning into junior suites are the former Horizon, Horizon Deluxe and Veranda Deluxe accommodations. Each will now have "junior" in its name and together they will be branded as the Concierge Collection. In addition to welcome canapes and laundry service, guests in Concierge Collection rooms can access 10% savings on spa services, premium WiFi and the onboard boutique; priority access to the behind-the-scenes galley tour; and enhanced in-suite amenities. Guests in higher-tier staterooms will also access the Concierge Collection amenities. The cruise line decided to rebrand the suites and add new amenities to enhance the distinction between the midsize Concierge Collection staterooms and those with the smallest interiors: the veranda stateroom and adventure oceanview, said Jason O'Keefe, Atlas' senior director of guest experience and corporate communications. Adding amenities with the junior suites clarifies that they are a more premium option, O'Keefe said.
National Geographic
a day ago
- National Geographic
Embracing Mother Nature's City: Seattle
Discover how urban green spaces, miles of waterfront, and wild wonders are part of everyday life in the Emerald City. Kubota Garden, located in the Rainer Beach neighborhood of Seattle, is just one of the city's many natural gems, offering visitors a peaceful escape within a bustling urban landscape. Most cities make you leave town to find nature, but in Seattle, the green space is built right in. With more than 6,000 acres of parks and 200 miles of shoreline, including the Puget Sound, this is a place where urban energy and stunning Pacific Northwest scenery can coexist in perfect harmony. Nearly 30 percent of the city is covered by trees, offering a year-round reminder why Seattle is nicknamed the Emerald City. Whether you're seeking beach days, kayaking adventures, mountain vistas, forest strolls, or garden jaunts, Seattle will help you get back to nature. In the city he calls home, National Geographic photographer Aaron Huey set out on assignment to reveal something extraordinary: Mother Nature isn't just present here—but alive—in the very heart of the city. In Seattle, where the urban skyline rises alongside the shimmering waters of the Pugent Sound, nature is always within reach. Seattle's robust urban forest ecosystem has over 4 million trees. Kubota Garden in the Rainier Beach neighborhood is a century-old, 20-acre Japanese garden that blends Pacific Northwest plants with traditional Japanese design. This poetic landscape has 140 varieties of maple trees, 11 ponds, and 30 varieties of hydrangeas. At Kubota Garden, you can wander the hidden Necklace of Ponds, where spring brings a kaleidoscope of flowers and offers moments of peaceful observation. The 560-acre Discovery Park is known for its landscape diversity and birdwatching. Hike miles of trails through forests, meadows, sea cliffs, and tidal beaches, and don't forget to look up—nearly 300 bird species can be spotted here, including bald eagles, woodpeckers, and spotted towhees. The 2.8-mile Loop Trail winds through towering tree canopies and wildflower meadows; at trail marker 12, the South Beach Trail, which includes five rustic staircases, branches off and descends 280 feet down to South Beach and the historic 1881 West Point Lighthouse. At Discovery Park, a historic lighthouse, sandy beaches, and beautiful driftwood frame stunning views where, on a clear day, you can see the Cascade Range and Olympic Mountains. Seward Park's 300 acres are home to nesting eagles, a native plant garden, a 2.4-mile paved loop path, and several hiking trails. The park's Magnificent Forest—home to the city's largest stand of old-growth trees—is an urban rarity. The Olmsted Brothers (whose late father's Olmsted firm designed New York's Central Park) designed both Seward Park and 48-acre Volunteer Park, nestled in the heart of Capitol Hill. Here you'll find the city's largest Norway maple and a rich variety of other plant life. From the forested trails of Seward Park (LEFT) to the diverse plant life seen in Volunteer Park (RIGHT), these iconic green spaces offer two distinct ways to experience Seattle's natural beauty. Did you know that there are more than 485 parks within Seattle's city limits? Each one offers a little escape and a chance to reconnect with the city's nature and wild beauty. Golden Gardens Park on Puget Sound features wetlands, beaches, picnic areas, and stunning views of the Olympic Mountains. Compact Myrtle Edwards Park is within walking distance of downtown hotels, and offers mountain and bay views along its 1.25-mile waterfront path. And 11-acre Centennial Park has 4,100 feet of shoreline, a rose garden, and views of Elliott Bay, the Olympic Mountains, and Mount Rainier. Golden hour at Golden Gardens Park is a perfect way to end the day, with soft light, salty air, and unbeatable views of the Puget Sound. With a prime waterfront setting and expansive open areas, Myrtle Edwards Park serves as a vibrant stage for local musicians and artists to show off their craft. The Ballard Locks blend engineering and nature while working as a marine elevator between Lake Washington and Puget Sound in one of the city's most unique natural attractions. Each year, thousands of salmon migrate right through the city at the Ballard Locks fish ladder, a phenomenon that can be viewed easily through underwater windows. Commodore Park, a 3.9-acre public park on the Magnolia side of the locks, is ideal for watching nesting herons and osprey—or simply relaxing on the lawn by the canal, surrounded by nature. LEFT: The Ballard Locks allow three species of Pacific salmon to safely migrate 40 to 50 miles upriver to spawn, making it a sight to see from mid-June through early October. RIGHT: Commodore Park, tucked along the Magnolia side of the Ballard Locks, invites visitors to reconnect with nature at every turn. Commodore Park's rolling hills overlook the canal, providing a serene space to watch Ballard Locks in action while surrounded by native flora and wildlife. In Seattle, you're never that far from the water, be it saltwater, lakefront, or tidal beaches. Hop the Water Taxi from downtown, and head to the 4.5-mile (one way) paved Alki Beach Trail. The trail passes the Alki beaches and ends near Duwamish Waterway and Harbor Island, offering views of the downtown skyline, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains along the way. Alki Beach (one of Seattle's most popular beaches) is perfect for paddleboarding, beachcombing, or kayaking. While you're in the area, don't miss the Alki Flower Houses. These two plant-adorned homes date back to 1914 and are officially registered wildlife habitats. In West Seattle, just off Alki Beach, you can kayak straight into a postcard of the skyline while watching the city reveal itself with every stroke of your paddle. Bursting with color and vibrancy, the Alki Flower Houses are a unique sight, and every detail—big and small—makes for a truly unforgettable experience. In Elliott Bay, you can kayak from Seacrest Boathouse to the active Alki Point Lighthouse. South of Alki Point, Constellation Park is perfect for strolls and tide pool explorations by day (watch for anemone colonies and ochre sea stars), then stargazing at night. Seattle's interior also has several lakes, like freshwater Lake Union (located entirely within the city limits), Lake Washington (the second largest natural lake in the state), and glacial Green Lake. At Alki Point Lighthouse, with its small-town feel, be sure to walk the beaches, where driftwood lines the shore and a lighthouse still keeps watch at the point. The tide pools at Constellation Park in West Seattle offer a fantastic opportunity to explore and observe a diverse array of marine life in its natural habitat. Soak in Seattle's sunset views around a beach bonfire, a beloved nighttime tradition at Alki Beach and Golden Gardens Park. Designated fire pits are available at select sites at these two parks on a first-come, first-served basis. In Seattle, water meets wilderness, and urban skyscrapers are surrounded by green space. Seascapes are framed by mountains, and trees―some older than the U.S.―watch over the city. Mother Nature is everywhere here, serving as a stunning reminder that urban areas and the great outdoors can coexist and flourish―even within city limits. Whether you seek flora or fauna, relaxation or recreation, you'll find it all in the Emerald City.
