Illinoistocht

  • Home
    • Links
    • Contact
  • Canal Information
    • Canal Tour
    • Canal Facts
    • Canal Photos
    • Bicycling the Hennepin and I&M
  • Skating
    • Natural Ice Skating Photos
    • Speed skating in USA
  • Blog
    • Miscellaneous Extra: Pacific Coast Bike Tour
 

Longest PAVED bike path in USA for inline skating?

5/13/2010

4 Comments

 
Picture
A paved section of the SF Bay Trail south of the San Francisco airport
While its biking season for some of us, others are skating a lot.  While the focus for inline skaters tends to be shorter races, after training for an Elfstedentocht and logging a lot of miles in inline skates, I wondered where the longest paved multi-use trail was in the USA.  There are many bike trails and converted rail trails now in the US, but many of these are crushed limestone (suitable for wider, hybrid or mountain bike tires) but fewer paved trails (and even fewer trails with smooth pavement, but that's a more subjective judgment that requires first-hand observation). 

A few paved multi-use trails come to mind for being long paved trails, here's a partial list:

Silver Comet (near Atlanta, GA)    61 miles (98 km)
Chief Ladiga Trail (AL)                   33 miles (53 km) (note it connects to the Silver Comet trail) 
Little Miami Scenic Trail (OH)       78 miles (126 km)
   (like several of these, part of a larger network of trails)
Mesabi Trail (MN)                            75 miles (121 km)
Central Lakes Trail (MN)               55 miles (89 km) 
Lake Wobegon Trail (MN)             62 miles (100 km) (connects to Central Lakes)
Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes (ID)    72 miles (116 km)
Iron Horse Trail (CA)                      33 miles (53 km)

Please send any thoughts or comments -- I'm probably missing at least a few great, paved trails and I don't know what the texture of the pavement is.  "Paved multi-use trail" can mean a lot of things, from super-smooth "black ice" to rough, almost gravel-like pavement.  Also, several trails have added extensions or additional paved mileages so this list may shortly be out-of-date.   Finally, I'd never want to say which trail is the "longest", because, like amusement park claims about the _____-est roller coaster, there is a lot of room for variation given that some of the trails connect, others may have short gaps in the paved sections, or some other qualification.
4 Comments
MNCamper link
4/17/2011 02:28:50 am

Don't forget the Willard Munger Trail, also in Minnesota:

The most well-known trail is a paved trail that starts in Hinckley and goes northeast, to Duluth. With a length of 63 miles (101 km), it is one of the longest paved trails in the world. It passes through Willow River, Moose Lake, Barnum, and Carlton before terminating in Duluth. Along the way, it goes through Jay Cooke State Park and close to Banning State Park. The 15-mile (24 km) segment between Carlton and Duluth is particularly scenic, as it passes through forested areas and rock cuts before opening up to scenic views of the Lake Superior harbor and downtown Duluth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_Munger_State_Trail

Reply
Ed link
10/7/2012 12:50:05 am

26 beautiful miles along the Gulf of Mexico from Bay St. Louis to Biloxi. Great concrete for bikes, blades or walking. Stop and splash, picnic, have a cool one at numerous locations and/or eat anything from fast food to local catch of the day. Here you can ride 12 months out of the year. You may choose to stay( except during those occasional hurricanes).

Reply
Steve
8/22/2015 11:14:27 am

We have several here from 55 to 75 miles;
http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/nations-largest-paved-trail-network

Reply
Danel link
8/17/2021 10:39:29 pm

i learned a lot of from your article i really appreciate you . thanks for step by step guide me . thanks a lot

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Editor - Jim

    This blog weighs in on topics such as long-distance skating, the Illinois canals, cycling, and a variety of related (and occasionally not-so-related) topics.  I'd like to correspond with others interested in skating the Hennepin and I&M canals. 

    Archives

    November 2020
    June 2015
    February 2014
    November 2013
    October 2011
    August 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    December 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    September 2008
    July 2008

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed