Appalachian Corridor Maps

Southeastern Traverse
It occurs to me that I could make a long hike in the southeast by linking parts of some well known trails. Some areas may be unfinished, have restricted camping, be too urban, etcetera. At Davenport Gap, on the East of the Smokies, is a ranger station where I might get permits for the Smokies. Except for the Pinhoti and bits of the Benton MacKaye, I have not hiked these:

Trail Name	Miles
Pinhoti	335
Benton MacKaye	300
Mountains to Sea	1,150
Foothills Trail	76
Bartram	115
Palmetto	425

Various starting points on the MST are attractive: Asheville, with transportation, further east to pick up Linville Gorge, or at the sea or even the north end of the Outer Banks if I used a bike through the heavily populated coastal area. I could visit Mother Nature's Son if I terminate on the Pinhoti in Alabmama. Or I could loop back east on the Palmetto to stay on trails I've never hiked.

Mount Rogers NRA, Jefferson NF, Virginia
786 shows the Appalachian Trail from south of Damacus to north of I81.

The New River Trail is a 57-mile Virginia State Park rail trail donated in 1986 by Norfolk Southern. 39 miles are on the New River. The park's Foster Falls area offers rentals and gift shops. There are two tunnels: 135 feet and 193 feet and three major bridges: Hiwassee - 951 feet, Ivanhoe - 670 feet, and Fries Junction - 1,089 feet. An historic shot tower is over 200 years old. Potable water is available at Galax, Cliffview Campground (Dannelly Park) and Foster Falls as well as at the horse trailer lots at Ivanhoe, Draper and Dora Junction. There are five pit toilets on the trail. There is one primitive, non-reservation campground at Double Shoals.

To jump from the Mountains to Sea Trail to the south end of the New River Trail at Galax would require a ~ 25 mile road walk on on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Stone Mountain State Park to the Cumberland Knob Recreation Area then north on Virginia Road 89.

The 68 mile Virginia Highlands Horse Trail travels west from the New River Trail to Damascus and Abingdon, on I81, via the Appalachian and 34 mile Virginia Creeper Trails.

North Country Trail to Adirondacks
One idea after reaching New York State would be to head northeast to the Adirondacks via the Finger Lakes / North Country Trail. Finger Lakes system paper maps would include Crystal Hills Branch CH3-1 to the Main Finger Lakes Trail M13-22 to the Onondaga Trail O1-2. PDF maps continue: Link Trail, Old Erie SP (Overview, 3, 4, 5), Herkimer and Oneida Counties (Overview, M, M1, J, J1, J2, F, E, E1). Then to the Adirondack Plan and NGTI maps...

In 1825 the Erie Canal was completed, connecting Lake Erie with the Hudson River. It was a great success, with freight traffic far exceeding predictions. Agriculture and industry all around the Great Lakes grew radically with easy transportation to eastern markets. The state funded the $7,000,000 construction costs of the canal, which were then paid off within three years by freight tolls. The canal was enlarged three times to carry the heavy traffic. A 36-mile (58 km) stretch of the oldest version of the canal from east of Syracuse to west of Rome, New York, is now the Old Erie Canal State Historic Park. Part of this stretch is part of the North Country Trail route to the Adirondacks.

Erie Canalway Bike Trail
A 360 mile, west to east, Buffalo to Albany, through Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Utica, and Schenectady bike path on Canal, Rail, and road routes. Mostly flat and off-road, a few steeper on-road grades and hills >400 feet, mostly in the Mohawk River Valley. Stone dust, paved, and natural soil surfaces. I have a few PDF maps, and a Parks and Trails New York Cycling the Erie Canal guidebook. Foot trail intersections include the northwest extension of the Finger Lakes System to Niagara Falls, in Erie Canal State Park or Rome the North Country Trail to the Adirondacks, and in the East, the New York Long Path can be hiked north to the Adirondacks, or south to the Finger Lakes Catskills Extension and the Appalachian Trail. Connecting Bike Paths include, in Rochester, a 6½ mile Genesee River Trail, and a 60 (eventually 90) mile Genesee Valley Greenway south towards Pennsylvania. A 19 mile multi use trail along the Cayuga-Seneca Canal will connect the Erie Canal with Seneca Lake / Geneva. At Cato, a 15 mile rail trail connects the canal with Lake Ontario.

The North Country Trail Plan for Adirondack Park contains maps and text descriptions of the proposed route, identifying existing trails the NCT will overlap, and suggesting corridors for unbuilt segments. About 80 miles of existing trails, 40 miles of existing roads, and 40 miles of as yet unbuilt new paths comprise the route. Some of the unbuilt sections would be walked cross country and some on parallel trails.

The western terminus is near North Lake Road and the Hamlet of Forestport (Maps 1, 745s). The route continues through West Canada Lake Wilderness (744n, 2) [intersection with 133 mile Northville - Placid Trail], Siamese Ponds Wilderness (3, 4), Hoffman Notch Wilderness (6, 743n) [I87]. The eastern terminus is at Crown Point State Historic Site on Lake Champlain (7, a bit in 742e).

The High Peaks Region is famous for its beauty, but bypassed by the NCT to avoid crowds and sensitive ecological zones.

Many of the incomplete segments of the North Country Trail are east of the 133 mile Northville - Placid Trail.

Many people have suggested I bike the developing East Coast Greenway, so I downloaded a bunch of maps and wrote this 2016 summary.

In the table, the % column refers to bike path completely separate from road. The bike paths are usually paved, but sometimes dirt. Some On Road sections have wide shoulders or bike only lanes, others are in vehicular traffic. The miles column is for the whole route, paths and roads. I downloaded state overview maps for the entire route and detail guides for some states. Many people have ridden the route and all required data is available.

The ECG seems to be in traffic too much for my tastes, and would probably require more hotels than I can afford. Still, I plan to keep an eye on its development.