When completed, a 3,000-mile trail will connect Maine to Florida. The East Coast Greenway was conceived in 1991 as a way to showcase the Atlantic seaboard, offering visitors a new way to explore coastal towns, cities and countryside. Today the route is roughly 30 percent complete and runs through urban centers, suburbs and rural landscapes.
The mostly flat corridor is designed to be accessible to people of all ages and abilities. While the long-term goal is an entirely off-road route, some sections still follow on-road alignments. When finished the Greenway will span 15 states, creating a continuous north–south route for walking, cycling and other non-motorized travel.
The East Coast Greenway Alliance, based in Durham, North Carolina, leads the project. According to Dennis Markatos-Soriano, executive director of the Alliance, about 900 miles already consist of safe, dedicated greenways, with the remaining miles connected by the safest available roads. He notes that although there are excellent family-friendly segments in every state, many stretches still need upgrades to meet that standard. Prospective visitors are encouraged to research individual segments to match their experience level before planning rides or hikes.
To date, a small number of people have ridden the entire Greenway, including honeymooners and couples celebrating anniversaries. The Alliance works with roughly 450 municipalities across 15 states with the aim of converting the entire route into paths separated from automobile traffic. Their target is to have a fully off-road, family-friendly facility ready to welcome more than 100 million visits per year by the 2030s.
