Was thinking about this today. Would it be too monotonous to do the entire TA via a series of rail trails? I know some people who don't like using rail trails when doing long distance tours. Having graded trails would certainly open up the experience to many more people. I would think as one travels further west, although yes, rail lines typically pass by towns and cities, there may not be the same infrastructure as exists with something like the C&O or the Erie canal in the more densely populated East. Certainly the distance between towns, campsites, etc., would be greater. According to their site, it is 53% complete -
https://www.railstotrails.org/greata...iltrail/route/ . You can see from the map that it would make use of the already existing GAP and the C&O, along with numerous other trails already up and running.
Do people think this would be a good way to bike across the country? Probably vast stretches of many miles with no services in some areas. Of course, once it is up and running, it could create economic opportunity if it becomes popular. Would riders see more with the standard TA routes?