Stephen Leonardi from Pexels / American Discovery Trail
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Senior Staff Writer
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April 22, 2026
Did you know that there’s a coast-to-coast trailhead just 1.5 hours north of San Francisco?
Point Reyes is the western terminus of the American Discovery Trail, a 6,800-mile trail route traversing San Francisco, Denver, St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Washington, before ending on the Delmarva Peninsula in Delaware.
Starting this July, thousands of outdoor enthusiasts will hit the road for the America 250 Relay to carry a copy of the Declaration of Independence all the way across the country.
America 250 Relay
The American 250 Relay begins around the Fourth of July on the West Coast, starting in Point Reyes before traveling through Muir Woods, the Golden Gate Bridge, Emeryville, UC Berkeley, Contra Costa, and Walnut Creek. Bay Area participants can now sign up for local segments, with hikes scheduled between July 1st and 8th, 2026.
Then, the relay takes off toward Sacramento and continues its months-long journey, eventually ending on Thanksgiving in Delaware.
Participants are invited to join local relay events along the route, accompanying a copy of the Declaration of Independence on foot or bicycle.
Organizers present the America 250 Relay as a celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence and the 35th anniversary of the trail’s creation.
A closer look at the American Discovery Trail
The American Discovery Trail began with late-20th-century efforts to create a truly cross-country, non-motorized route from ocean to ocean. But it wasn’t until 1989 that the American Hiking Society and Backpacker Magazine formally proposed today’s permanent trail, and a team of volunteers and coordinators managed to scout, map, and negotiate a full working corridor to traverse public and private lands. The full, continuous trail route finally launched in the late 1990s.
The route is composed of paths and backroads that traverse 325+ communities, 15 states, and over a dozen national parks.
The western segment begins at Limantour Beach in Point Reyes, dropping down through Marin, Muir Woods, and San Francisco before beginning its eastward journey.
It crosses the Sierra Nevada, Nevada’s basins, and Utah’s red-rock canyon country, before continuing through the Colorado Rockies and the Great Plains. Here, travelers can choose between a northern and southern route through the Midwest before rejoining around Ohio.
The eastern leg crosses rolling hills and forests through Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland, before dipping into Washington, D.C., and ending on the Atlantic shore in Delaware.
🌐 Learn more: American Discovery Trail