> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.hikingamerica.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # First Known End-to-End Thru-Hike of the Great American Rail-Trail - URL: https://www.hikingamerica.com/great-american-rail-trail-first-known-thru-hike-bernie-krausse/ - Published: 2026-03-19T15:00:41.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-12T13:36:42.000Z - Description: Double Triple-Crowner Bernie Krausse — with 57,000 career miles — is about to make history with the first-ever known thru-hike of the Great American Rail-Trail. Hiking America has spent months mapping the gap routes to make this 3,700+ mile cross-country journey hikeable right now. - Author: John Wesley Brett - Tags: Great American Rail-Trail, Bernie Krausse: The Great American Rail-Trail on Foot In less than a month, one of America's most accomplished long-distance hikers will stand at the **U.S. Capitol Reflection Pool** in Washington, D.C., take a deep breath, and begin walking west. He won't stop until he reaches Washington State — more than **3,700 miles away**. His name is **Bernie Krausse**, and what he's about to do has never been known to have been done before. --- **Want the route? Hiking America's complete GPS tracks for the entire Great American Rail-Trail — including all 80+ gap sections — are available right now, free!** [GET THE FREE GPX TRACKS](https://www.hikingamerica.com/great-american-rail-trail-gpx/) --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0f/28/0f286572-aa37-49a3-8704-f6d42aa3a69a/content/images/2026/03/BernieAtPass.jpeg) ## Who Is Bernie Krausse? Bernie Krausse is the definition of a long-distance hiking legend — and that may be the understatement of the year. He has completed the **Triple Crown of Hiking** — the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail — not once, but **twice**. That alone would be enough to cement his place in the long-distance hiking hall of fame. But Bernie didn't stop there. He went on to complete [the entire **American Discovery Trail**](https://www.hikingamerica.com/bernie-krausse-american-discovery-trail-grand-slam/) — the 6,800-mile cross-country route stretching between **Cape Henlopen, Delaware, and Point Reyes, California** — a feat that only a tiny handful of hikers have ever accomplished. Over his remarkable hiking career, Bernie has accumulated an astounding **57,000 miles** on the trail. When he completes the Great American Rail-Trail, he will cross the **60,000-mile milestone** — a number so extraordinary it's almost impossible to comprehend. When Bernie Krausse takes on a trail, it gets done. And now he's setting his sights on the biggest challenge yet. Not sure which trail is right for you? [****Compare the American Discovery Trail and the Great American Rail-Trail here.**](https://www.hikingamerica.com/adt-vs-great-american-rail-trail) --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0f/28/0f286572-aa37-49a3-8704-f6d42aa3a69a/content/images/2026/03/GreatAmericanColor.jpg) ****The Great American Rail-Trail is 56% complete** — 2,100 miles of ****Existing Trail (GREEN)** connected by roughly 1,670 miles of ****Gaps (RED)** \- Hiking America graphic ## What Is the Great American Rail-Trail? The [**Great American Rail-Trail**](https://www.railstotrails.org/site/greatamericanrailtrail/content/route/?ref=hikingamerica.com) is the most ambitious trail project in American history — a planned **3,700+ mile route** connecting Washington, D.C. to the Pacific Coast of Washington State through **13 states**. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0f/28/0f286572-aa37-49a3-8704-f6d42aa3a69a/content/images/2026/03/Great_American_Rail_Trail_Logo.png)](https://www.railstotrails.org/site/greatamericanrailtrail/?ref=hikingamerica.com) Spearheaded by the [**Rails to Trails Conservancy**](https://www.railstotrails.org/?ref=hikingamerica.com), the Great American follows a network of converted rail corridors, greenways, and multiuse paths through some of the most iconic American landscapes in the country. Think the **C&O Canal Towpath**, the **Great Allegheny Passage**, and the breathtaking **Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail** in Washington State. The trail is currently **56% complete** — with approximately 2,100 miles of existing trail connected by roughly 1,670 miles of gaps still under development across the route. Building those final gap sections will take years, possibly decades. **We decided not to wait.** --- ## How Hiking America Made the Whole Route Walkable — Right Now Here at [**HikingAmerica.com**](https://www.hikingamerica.com/), we've spent months working directly with Bernie to solve the gap problem. Using existing hiking trails, forest paths, and carefully researched alternative corridors, our team has built **complete GPS tracks for every gap section along the Great American route** — connecting each existing trail segment into **one continuous, unbroken journey** across the country. **In Wyoming,** the state with the **greatest percentage of gaps**, we've created a **Hiker Alternate** that runsfrom **Shoshoni, Wyoming**, through **Yellowstone National Park** to **Butte, Montana**, via a series of trails including the **Continental Divide Trail.** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0f/28/0f286572-aa37-49a3-8704-f6d42aa3a69a/content/images/2026/03/GreatAmericanAlternate.jpeg) The result is a **fully navigable, 3,700+ mile route that is hikeable today** — without waiting for Rails to Trails Conservancy's construction timeline to reach completion. **Every gap** has **a route. Every route** has a **GPS track...right now**. And Bernie Krausse is about to put every single mile of it to the test. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0f/28/0f286572-aa37-49a3-8704-f6d42aa3a69a/content/images/2026/03/IMG_20221203_122735098_HDR-01.jpg) ## The Route: From the Capitol to the Coast At the end of March or early April, Bernie's journey begins at the **Capitol Reflection Pool** in Washington, D.C. — around as iconic and symbolic a starting point as you could imagine — and heads west through: - 🏛️ **Washington, D.C. & Maryland** — The C&O Canal Towpath and Great Allegheny Passage - ⛏️ **Pennsylvania & West Virginia** — Through Pittsburgh and into the Appalachians ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0f/28/0f286572-aa37-49a3-8704-f6d42aa3a69a/content/images/2026/03/IMG_20221001_104032900_HDR-01.jpg) - 🌾 **Ohio, Indiana & Illinois** — The heart of America's rail-trail network - 🌽 **Iowa & Nebraska** — Wide open skies and some of the longest rail-trails in the country ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0f/28/0f286572-aa37-49a3-8704-f6d42aa3a69a/content/images/2026/03/IMG_20220802_134319160_HDR-01.jpg) - 🏔️ **Wyoming & Montana** — The most remote and rugged sections of the entire journey - 🌲 **Idaho & Washington State** — The stunning final push to the Pacific When Bernie reaches the Pacific Coast of Washington State, he won't just have completed a remarkable personal achievement. He will have proven to the hiking world that this route is **real,** it is **ready,** and it is **waiting for you.** Bernie's journey is the proof of concept. If you want to be among the next hikers to attempt this route, our [**Great American Rail-Trail hiker's guide**](https://www.hikingamerica.com/great-american-rail-trail/) covers everything Hiking America currently provides — GPS tracks, gap navigation, and the growing services layer. 🥾 --- ## Watch Bernie's Route Video Bernie has put together a short video that walks through the route and shares his vision for this historic hike. --- ## Get the Route ### 🏛️ Official Great American Rail-Trail Route **Maps** Want to explore the official Great American Corridor as mapped by the **Rails to Trails Conservancy**? Their interactive route maps show the existing completed trail sections across all 13 states. [🔗 Official Great American ROUTE MAPS at RailsToTrails.org](https://www.railstotrails.org/site/greatamericanrailtrail/content/route/?ref=hikingamerica.com) *Note: The official RTC maps reflect the existing completed trail sections. The gap routes that connect those trails into one continuous, hikeable journey were researched and mapped by Hiking America.* ### 📍🗺️ Hiking America's **GPX Tracks** to the Great American Compatible with **Gaia GPS, Google Earth, Garmin**, and most major GPS tools. [GET THE FREE GPX TRACKS](https://www.hikingamerica.com/great-american-rail-trail-gpx/) Whether you're planning ahead from your living room or loading tracks into your device before hitting the trail, these files are **yours for the taking.** *No catch!* ## And **Coming Soon** – ### ⛺️💧🍜 Hiking America's Services Layer to The Great American Serious hikers know that a route is only the beginning. **Hiking America subscribers will have access** to our **full Great American Services Layer on Gaia GPS** — resupply points, camping areas, water sources, hiker notes, and everything else you need to plan your own cross-country journey, all organized and ready to go in **Gaia GPS**. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0f/28/0f286572-aa37-49a3-8704-f6d42aa3a69a/content/images/2026/03/GreatAmericanServices.jpeg) Already a Hiking America subscriber? **The Great American layer** will be included in your existing subscription — **no additional charge.** 🙌 ### **New to Hiking America?** [SUBSCRIBE HERE TO HIKING AMERICA](https://www.hikingamerica.com/#/portal/account/plans) Access to Hiking America's Great American layer *plus* our complete American Discovery Trail data collection all for one small monthly fee - cancel anytime. --- ## Follow Every Step of Bernie's Journey This is going to be one of the most closely followed long-distance hikes of 2026, and [**HikingAmerica.com**](https://www.hikngamerica.com/?ref=hikingamerica.com) will be your home base for every mile of it. ## Here's what's coming: 📖 **The Hiking America Guide to the Great American** — resupply, camping, water sources, and everything you need to plan your own cross-country journey 📍 **Regular updates from Bernie on the trail** — hiker notes, photos, and dispatches from the road 🥾 **A community of Great American hikers** — because Bernie won't be the last --- ## This Is Bigger Than One Hike Bernie's journey isn't just a personal accomplishment. It's a proof of concept. **The Great American Rail-Trail** represents one of the most powerful visions for the future of outdoor recreation in America — a safe, scenic, connected pathway that every American can use. When Bernie completes this route, he sends a message to every hiker, every planner, every trail advocate, and every community along the way: **The trail is here. Come walk it.** We're honored to be part of making that possible. --- ## Stay Connected Don't miss a single step of Bernie's historic journey. - 🔔 **Bookmark** [**HikingAmerica.com**](https://www.hikingamerica.com/) for GPS tracks, trail guides, and updates - 📱 **Follow us on** [**Facebook**](https://www.facebook.com/imhikingamerica) or join our [**Facebook Group**](https://www.facebook.com/groups/hikingamerica) - 📺 **Subscribe to the** [**Hiking America YouTube Channel**](https://www.youtube.com/@imhikingamerica?ref=hikingamerica.com) for video updates - 📧 **Sign up for our** [**newsletter updates**](https://www.hikingamerica.com/#/portal/signup) [JOIN HIKING AMERICA FOR FREE!](https://www.hikingamerica.com/#/portal/signup) For a complete overview of Hiking America's Great American Rail-Trail navigation — including what's available now and what's coming — visit our [**Great American Rail-Trail page**](https://www.hikingamerica.com/great-american-rail-trail)**.** --- *HikingAmerica.com is a resource for maps, GPS data, and trail guides for hiking the American Discovery Trail and the Great American Rail-Trail. Our Gaia GPS data collections cover thousands of miles of long-distance hiking routes across America.*