Prentiss Riddle
Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Português and/or Francés in 2023
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I live in eastern PA and have considered the Great Allegheny Passage rail-trail that goes from Pittsburgh to Cumberland and then canal towpath on to DC. Looks like it is more setup for cyclists but also looks walkable. See http://www.atatrail.org/. See also http://www.thegreatalleghenypassage.com/trail-towns.html. That site lists distances and places with accommodations along the way which seems doable for walking.
Surprised nobody has mentioned the East Coast Greenway:
http://www.greenway.org
not complete all the way yet, but big chunks of it are.
Lendog -- I had no idea the Greenway existed -- THANKS!Surprised nobody has mentioned the East Coast Greenway:
http://www.greenway.org
not complete all the way yet, but big chunks of it are.
Hi Kelly - I forgot about the Great Allegheny Passage. We have done big chunks on our bikes, but walking would be very doable! LizI live in eastern PA and have considered the Great Allegheny Passage rail-trail that goes from Pittsburgh to Cumberland and then canal towpath on to DC. Looks like it is more setup for cyclists but also looks walkable. See http://www.atatrail.org/. See also http://www.thegreatalleghenypassage.com/trail-towns.html. That site lists distances and places with accommodations along the way which seems doable for walking.
Well, the box(es) of wine isn't(aren't) as heavy as the bottle(s)...Carry my own wine? I'm out.
But it's not hard to imagine a thriving seasonal through-hiking/cycling scene once it catches on.
I guess I totally agree with Scott! For our walk on the Cal Mission Trail we were/are planning to stay in budget hotels but they are still $50/night minimum mostly more. I do think the Western US is more friendly for walking. Not sure why I think that but.... LizWe have found very few trails that support walkers without needing tents and gear or using expensive rooming. I am on the east coast and have walked much of the AT in sections, many many miles of the Arizona desert and also the C& O canal trail sections. People here just don't walk like what we find in Europe. People in smaller towns don't understand hikers and really don't want you passing through town. In order to make it anywhere near possible you would have to use roadways and in the eastern US that's risky. I am sure there are trails out there, its just a matter of some serious logistics.
I live in eastern PA and have considered the Great Allegheny Passage rail-trail that goes from Pittsburgh to Cumberland and then canal towpath on to DC. Looks like it is more setup for cyclists but also looks walkable. See http://www.atatrail.org/. See also http://www.thegreatalleghenypassage.com/trail-towns.html. That site lists distances and places with accommodations along the way which seems doable for walking.
I have Camino internet friends who live in Omaha, Nebraska. Last year they walked the Cowboy trail and had a great adventure. They carried a small tent which they used a few times when accomodation was not available. Very different from their Camino experience, but great in its own way. They are in their mid-60s. Info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy_TrailNot exactly a pilgrimage, but maybe this is the right forum...
My question: are there any long (multi-day) trails in the US which support inn-to-inn hiking with a light pack?
When we think of long-distance hiking in the US, we usually think of systems like the Appalachian Trail and and the Pacific Crest Trail which offer a wilderness experience and require hikers to carry a pack full of camping gear. However, there are some trail systems in the US which follow old rail lines or canal towpaths through somewhat more populated areas.
I've been browsing the Wikipedia article on long-distance trails in the US, as well as the site of the US Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, but I haven't found any yet with accommodations at intervals of a day's hike.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-distance_trails_in_the_United_States
http://www.railstotrails.org/experience-trails/
Any suggestions?
Prentiss
Good grief. It's easier and cheaper to get to Europe than to Newfoundland. I agree that it is a wonderful trail, just disagree about it being "close".This one isn't in the US but close. It's a trail on the coast of Newfoundland and some B&B's have joined up to support hikers. The information is on this website and if you click on the accommodations link, you'll see. I haven't done it but it is on my list of amazing hikes and places to go.
http://www.eastcoasttrail.ca/
. People here just don't walk like what we find in Europe. .
Europe was built before trains ,planes or automobiles.
Charles, I'm guessing that maybe what Nico meant is that US towns are further apart because they were settled after the coming of the railroad, or at least after roads and wheeled transport.
I was thinking of the East Coast Trail as I was reading this thread, and was surprised and delighted to see your post. I walked a bit of this trail a few years ago. We hit the weather just right (mid-September) and the scenery is spectacular - had a taxi come and pick us up at the end of our hike. Would love to go back and walk more of it and make use of the B&Bs. Hope you manage to check it off your list soon.This one isn't in the US but close. It's a trail on the coast of Newfoundland and some B&B's have joined up to support hikers. The information is on this website and if you click on the accommodations link, you'll see. I haven't done it but it is on my list of amazing hikes and places to go.
http://www.eastcoasttrail.ca/
It's great to hear from someone who has done it. I think it looks wonderful. I guess I have to focus on Camino Frances for this year and see what happens after that!I was thinking of the East Coast Trail as I was reading this thread, and was surprised and delighted to see your post. I walked a bit of this trail a few years ago. We hit the weather just right (mid-September) and the scenery is spectacular - had a taxi come and pick us up at the end of our hike. Would love to go back and walk more of it and make use of the B&Bs. Hope you manage to check it off your list soon.
the cost of travel to NFld is expensive for sure. Too bad, though.Good grief. It's easier and cheaper to get to Europe than to Newfoundland. I agree that it is a wonderful trail, just disagree about it being "close".
Sooooo anti Camino: you have to sign up months before you head out. Then there are 4, perhaps 6 of you walking and you have to follow a certain rytm and stay in the one place. Good luck finding people whose company you enjoy.Also not in the US, but not very far away, are about 5,000 km of rails-to-trails in Québec (http://www.routeverte.com/rv/home and http://www.out-there.com/bkp_pq01.htm)--perhaps the ones in the eastern townships are best for walkers-- some stretches use roads a bit too much for my taste, but there is a great deal of accommodation of the b&b variety available and the trails are much used. Page 4 of one of last year's Canadian bulletins (http://www.santiago.ca/_newsletter/april2014.pdf) gives a good one-page compendium with links of pilgrimage trails in Québec and eastern Canada- most require advance reservation as pilgrims are billeted in private homes. However, some of them (des Sanctuaires, between Montréal and Saint Anne de Beaupré, still a pilgrimage site; Saint Anne de Beaupré and Gaspé; and Point-au-Père/Rimouski to Saint Anne de Beaupré) can be done on one's own. While almost all of the material I can find is in French, it is fairly straightforward and not that hard to use. English is not frequent outside main centres, but US pilgrims will find locals friendly and helpful.
Nah......you go by points!the cost of travel to NFld is expensive for sure........
Hi - There's also the Long Path going from the George Washington Bridge in New York City, to Thatcher Park, just south of Albany NY. It goes approximately 350 miles. I have done most of the section through the Shawangunks when I lived in that area, and have also hiked in the Catskills - Slide Mountain among others, and in Thatcher State Park. I'd love to do the whole thing straight through. Here is a link to someone who ran it http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/thru-running-new-yorks-long-path-posner and also for the NYNJ Trail Conference www.nynjtc.org/.../long-path. I hope these links work. If there is anyone interested in hiking all or parts of it, please let me know, as I would like to do it. (And sadly, I think you would have to carry your own wine on this one too - Lo siento) Thanks, CherryNot exactly a pilgrimage, but maybe this is the right forum...
My question: are there any long (multi-day) trails in the US which support inn-to-inn hiking with a light pack?
When we think of long-distance hiking in the US, we usually think of systems like the Appalachian Trail and and the Pacific Crest Trail which offer a wilderness experience and require hikers to carry a pack full of camping gear. However, there are some trail systems in the US which follow old rail lines or canal towpaths through somewhat more populated areas.
I've been browsing the Wikipedia article on long-distance trails in the US, as well as the site of the US Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, but I haven't found any yet with accommodations at intervals of a day's hike.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-distance_trails_in_the_United_States
http://www.railstotrails.org/experience-trails/
Any suggestions?
Prentiss
There's also the Long Path going from the George Washington Bridge in New York City, to Thatcher Park, just south of Albany NY. It goes approximately 350 miles.
Hi - I don't know about accommodations all the way - I know in some of the villages/towns it goes through there are places. I haven't had time to look closely at the route on a map, but will do so in a couple of weeks and post info here. And I agree about the hard floors of leantos - I'm too old to do that! - CherryCherry, the Long Path sounds beautiful! Are there accommodations along the way? It sounds like that trailrunner slept in lean-tos (and on hard boards with no pad!). Tougher than I am for sure. :-]
Here's that NYNJTC link:
http://www.nynjtc.org/region/long-path
Buen camino!
Here's a website devoted to "Walkabout California." It does get expensive though...and the walks are pretty short compared to some. http://walkaboutcalifornia.com/Not exactly a pilgrimage, but maybe this is the right forum...
My question: are there any long (multi-day) trails in the US which support inn-to-inn hiking with a light pack?
When we think of long-distance hiking in the US, we usually think of systems like the Appalachian Trail and and the Pacific Crest Trail which offer a wilderness experience and require hikers to carry a pack full of camping gear. However, there are some trail systems in the US which follow old rail lines or canal towpaths through somewhat more populated areas.
I've been browsing the Wikipedia article on long-distance trails in the US, as well as the site of the US Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, but I haven't found any yet with accommodations at intervals of a day's hike.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-distance_trails_in_the_United_States
http://www.railstotrails.org/experience-trails/
Any suggestions?
Prentiss
Sooooo anti Camino: you have to sign up months before you head out. Then there are 4, perhaps 6 of you walking and you have to follow a certain rytm and stay in the one place. Good luck finding people whose company you enjoy.
Food? Yuk! And I live in Montreal. Mind you, perhaps because I live in Montreal I say "yuk" to eating in places these routes take you to.
And did I say mosquitos and humidity? Nope.
Oh... and you have to pay to sign up and get the route. Pilgrimage? Nope. I would rather pay 1000$ for my plane ticket and the currency exchange cost.
Thank you for your response. I find it interesting that these are more "religion based", perhaps closer to the clasical definition of pilgramage than what we see in Spain. Cannot agree more regarding the "yuk" when it comes to food on the CF ;0) The meals you are refering to are the evening meals, right? I was thinking more of stops for poutine & hotdogs at La belle province for lunch and breaks ;0) I'm thinking I'm tempted to drive the Outaouiais route and see if I might like to walk it. I know little next to nothing of the area I have lived in all my life, perhaps it's time to start exploring.All I can say is that those to whom I have spoken have loved the Chemin de l'Outouais and had a great time. It is a very different form of Camino and much more strongly a Roman Catholic one. Apparently the food varied in quality but when I enquired on this by telephone after I saw your post, I was told that in two places it was of a university faculty club standard, in others it was home cooking, but in a few spots it was institutional. In any case, 25km walking is a great sauce for any dish (and I fear that yuk is a good word for a few of the menus de peregrino I encountered on the Frances!). Admittedly, the mosquitoes would be a challenge for me.
These are different pilgrimages, to my mind primarily because of the small numbers involved and the more devotional aspect, and are perhaps not my personal cup of tea. I much more enjoyed the haphazard nature of the company of pilgrims in France and Spain and by far meals a la carta with the local wine in the evening but I think that there are those who might be interested in this approach and who might find the encounter with another nearby culture to be of interest.
... perhaps it's time to start exploring.
Dear MelanieHi.
In 2013 I thru-hiked the 1,100-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail. It's all in Wisconsin and traces the last glacier's terminal moraine. It's one of just 11 National Scenic Trails like the AT and PCT, but the IAT was designed to unite people with the trail, not avoid population areas. So while you can't walk the entire thing and find an easy place to stay every single night, there are many sections where you could hike, say, for a week or two straight and find places to stay very near the trail. Wisconsin's Bed-and-Breakfast Association partners with the trail, too. Some B&Bs are right on the trail, while others are nearby. Some B&B owners will pick you up at a trailhead or drop you back off. Plus the IAT maintains a list of "Trail Angels" -- volunteers who would also provide transport to/from lodging or even let you stay overnight in their homes. Check it out at www.iceagetrail.org.
Oh -- about 650-700 trails miles are currently completed. The remaining mileage is on smaller roads (county highways, for example) called "connecting routes." While not like hiking on trails, I found the vast majority of them quite scenic, as they're all passing through beautiful countryside.
Melanie
I came across this site when I was researching routes for the El Camino Real de California.Not exactly a pilgrimage, but maybe this is the right forum...
My question: are there any long (multi-day) trails in the US which support inn-to-inn hiking with a light pack?
When we think of long-distance hiking in the US, we usually think of systems like the Appalachian Trail and and the Pacific Crest Trail which offer a wilderness experience and require hikers to carry a pack full of camping gear. However, there are some trail systems in the US which follow old rail lines or canal towpaths through somewhat more populated areas.
I've been browsing the Wikipedia article on long-distance trails in the US, as well as the site of the US Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, but I haven't found any yet with accommodations at intervals of a day's hike.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-distance_trails_in_the_United_States
http://www.railstotrails.org/experience-trails/
Any suggestions?
Prentiss
I actually hiked the entire 850 mile Mission Trail. It's actually not all that difficult, just long. I did it in stages and used Amtrak train service to get me to and from start and end points. I found the southern California section from Mission San Diego to Mission Santa Barbara to be the easiest because there is plenty of infrastructure to support hiking from town to town and mission to mission. The central coast gets much more remote and finding lodging within a reasonable days hike becomes more challenging (but not impossible). Once you get to San Jose, there's plenty of infrastructure all the way to SonomaLiz, thanks! That California Mission Trail looks fantastic. Not easy, as the website says, but definitely worth exploring.
Antonio, please see my previous response for a listing of free resources for hiking the El Camino Real. In particular, I suggest you join the California Mission Walkers Facebook group. That group is the most active and there are several people currently on the trail posting of their adventures. If you go down far enough in the group postings, you'll find my posts from when I did the pilgrimage. I love photography, so there are lots of photos of the trail in my posts.Dear Melanie
I plan to walk El camino this fall and I am wondering if there is in Dane County any group of friends of El Camino.
Thanks for your time and attention,
Antonio Benitez
Not that you asked, but another option might be the Katy trail in Missouri. I think most people bike it, but I have always thought it would be fun to walk it with a bunch of camino friends.My wife and I love the Camino and cherish our experiences on the CF and CP, but getting there involves considerable expense for those of us outside Europe. We are therefor beginning to think about Camino-type walks here in the US or possibly Canada, and more specifically about a walk along the C&O Canal in Maryland. Has anyone here in the forum community done the entire distance from Georgetown to Cumberland? If so, I'd like to hear about it. Our son lives in Alexandria and we've walked a few short segments of the C&O in the Great Falls area with him, but they were just day strolls. I'm aware of the Alleghany Trail Alliance, and have their guidebook to the C&O and GAP trails; but they (the ATA) seem more directed toward cycling the trail, and we're more interested in walking the C&O portion (185 miles). The accommodations they list are spotted more in line with daily cycling distances than walking, and although there are campgrounds at more reasonable intervals, we really don't want to carry camping gear. We would be more interested in B&B type accommodations. (I'm also posting this query on the APOC Facebook page.)
I haven't seen that particular one, but I am familiar with the Rails to Trails movement, and that is certainly one to consider. Thanks for the link.Not that you asked, but another option might be the Katy trail in Missouri. I think most people bike it, but I have always thought it would be fun to walk it with a bunch of camino friends.
This is an old report, but one that gave me the idea years ago. http://www.americantrails.org/resources/railtrails/WalkKaty.html
Not that you asked, but another option might be the Katy trail in Missouri. I think most people bike it, but I have always thought it would be fun to walk it with a bunch of camino friends.
This is an old report, but one that gave me the idea years ago. http://www.americantrails.org/resources/railtrails/WalkKaty.html
I live in buffalo and have friends who have biked this and say that things are well set up along the trail to stay and eat Btw the trail starts in buffalo I think. If you wanted to super size this there is a great extension you could take from buffalo over to Canada and on to Niagara Falls I have biked this and think there may well be accommodations along there tooI stumbled across this thread while looking for ideas for a US hike—one not involving a tent, sleeping bag, etc. I’ve found. a couple that I think are fairly well established: the trails along the Erie Canal in NY and the Ohio and Erie Canal in Ohio. There seem to be sufficient accommodations at 15 +/- mile intervals to allow through hiking with only a pack. There may be a third. The Genesee River runs North from its headwaters in Northern Pennsylvania to Rochester and Lake Ontario. There are little towns along the way at reasonable intervals and a mix of Rails to Trails, a trail along the old Genesee Valley Canal, and the trail through Letchworth State Park that would minimize road walking. I’m planning to walk it either in June and September and will post my impressions. If anyone is familiar with any of these routes I’d be interested in hearing from you.
Thank you for this link. Living in MSP - this might be a good local option if my Camino doesn't pan out this summer.Check this out! Something new and might be what you’re looking for. Fully-inclusive 6-day or 3-day walks in Southeastern Minnesota. Dates and events are up for this summer!
walkingspace.org
Check this out! Something new and might be what you’re looking for. Fully-inclusive 6-day or 3-day walks in Southeastern Minnesota. Dates and events are up for this summer!
walkingspace.org
Thank you for this link. Living in MSP - this might be a good local option if my Camino doesn't pan out this summer.
Lendog, thanks! That's exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for. It appears that several stages are about 16 miles and one is 20 miles, so a hiker would have to be prepared for a long haul (or maybe find a road crossing and call a taxi). But definitely worth investigating further.
It's a shame that the US rails-to-trails system is largely marketed to cyclists, because the rail-trails I walked in Spain were perfect for my bad knee and old lungs. If a train can handle a grade then so can I.
[Update] I see that there are more towns than those listed on the GAP page. For example, Smithton PA could break up the stretch between Dawson and West Newton.
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