Originally Posted by
Russ Roth
I'd guess in the west through the mountains this is probably the easiest way to go and the sections I've ridden still have amazingly impressive scenes to enjoy. I'd imagine east of Missoula and through SD you'll have long gaps between rest areas, there were longs gaps just driving the route. The shorter sections I've ridden in ID, MT, SD, IA, IL, and PA weren't that much different from the roads I took to get too and from the trails and the towns along them were nice, I doubt the ride will be lacking by sticking largely to the trails except in leg pain avoiding some of the worst climbs.
I think the steepest grade on the TransAm west of Kansas is only 6-8%; it's a lot steeper than that east of there. So in my book, the advantage to rails trails would be in the Ozarks and Appalachians.
Note, too, that not all rail trails are built to modern standards. IIRC the climb to the Whitetop station on the Virginia Creeper hits 6%. (The train was way slow climbing that grade back in the day.) Of course, the Creeper trail illustrates part of the problem; it's about 50 miles of twisty roads, all different to connect Whitetop to Galax and the New River Trail. So Draper to Galax, 50 miles of rail-trail; Galax to Whitetop, 50 miles of mountain road; Whitetop to Abingdon, 30 miles of rail-trail. Then I don't know where you'd connect to from Abingdon.