East Coast Greenway

The East Coast Greenway is a pedestrian and bicycle route between Maine and Florida along the East Coast of the United States. In 2020, the Greenway received over 50 million visits.

The nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance was created in 1991. Its goal is for the entire route to use off-road, shared-use paths; , over of the route (35%) meets this criteria.

History

In 1991, a group of cyclists and long-distance trail enthusiasts met in New York City and formed a national non-profit organization, the East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA), to plan and promote a greenway linking existing and planned trails into a contiguous "spine route" between Atlantic coast cities.

In summer 1992, the ECGA sent nine cyclists from Boston, New York City, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., on a 30-day "exploratory" cycle tour.

In 1993, tours went along the route to explore options and promote the idea of the greenway. In 1994, the first promotional tour took place from Maine to Washington, D.C. "East Coast Greenway" became a trademark in 1995.

The first five trail segments were designated in 1996. These segments were the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail in Maryland, the Charter Oak Greenway in Connecticut, the Coventry Greenway in Rhode Island, the Farmington Canal Greenway in Connecticut, and the Delaware & Raritan Canal Trail in New Jersey. These trails make up of the greenway.

Between 1997 and 2000, about of trail segments were designated throughout the region. In 2000, Amtrak became a partner, helping to open access to various parts of the route. Between February and June 2000, the ECG Wave non-motorized relay carried a bottle of seawater from Key West to Canada along the route of the ECG. From 2001 to 2004, another were designated, and multiple states stepped in to help finalize their section of the route. This brought in more partnerships with government organizations, such as NJDOT, that would be essential for trail development. In 2003, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate signed letters to President Bush in support of the greenway.

In 2004, seven cyclists rode the entire route, from Key West to Calais, in 55 days. Later that year, the first Maine-to-Florida tour was held; four cyclists completed the event in 52 days, raising $75,000. In the following years, more people would complete the ride outside of ECG events. A 2005 ''GQ'' magazine article about a ride by Wil Hylton brought national attention to the greenway.

The entire spine route was finalized and mapped in 2008. The accessibility of the trail expanded with support of the states, and more events were held each year.

In 2020, the route reached over of completed off-road greenway. Efforts to increase the amount of off-road routes are continuing. In 2020 the greenway received over 50 million visits.

On June 25, 2021, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law adding the state's section of the greenway as its tenth State Trail.

Route

Major cities connected by the spine route are:

# Calais, Maine
# Bangor, Maine
# Augusta, Maine
# Portland, Maine
# Portsmouth, New Hampshire
# Newburyport, Massachusetts
# Boston, Massachusetts
# Worcester, Massachusetts
# Providence, Rhode Island
# Hartford, Connecticut
# New Haven, Connecticut
# Bridgeport, Connecticut
# Norwalk, Connecticut
# Stamford, Connecticut
# New Rochelle, New York
# New York, New York
# Jersey City, New Jersey
# Wilmington, Delaware
# Baltimore, Maryland
# Annapolis, Maryland
# Washington, District of Columbia
# Richmond, Virginia
# Durham, North Carolina
# Raleigh, North Carolina
# Fayetteville, North Carolina
# Wilmington, North Carolina
# Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
# Charleston, South Carolina
# Savannah, Georgia
# Brunswick, Georgia
# Jacksonville, Florida
# St. Augustine, Florida
# Daytona Beach, Florida
# Titusville, Florida
# Melbourne, Florida
# Fort Pierce, Florida
# West Palm Beach, Florida
# Boca Raton, Florida
# Fort Lauderdale, Florida
# Miami, Florida
# Key West, Florida
Other cities may be connected by an alternate route in some locations.

Active segments

As of 2016, designated trails and locations of the East Coast Greenway include:

New England region

Maine

Travelers start in Calais, Maine, at the Canada–US border, and pedal southwest through Ellsworth, where they can stay on the inland spine route through Bangor or veer off along a coastal route. The routes rejoin north of Portland, then head on towards Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The route through Maine is long, and 39% of that is currently off-road.
* Calais Waterfront Walkway – Calais
* Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge Trail – Baring
* Downeast Sunrise Trail – Washington & Hancock counties
* Kennebec River Rail Trail – Augusta, Hallowell, Farmingdale, to Gardiner
* Rotary Centennial Trail – Benton
* Lewiston Riverside Trail – Lewiston
* Lisbon Trail – Lisbon
* Topsham Trail – Topsham
* Androscoggin River Bicycle Path – Brunswick
* Beth Condon Memorial Pathway – Yarmouth
* Martin's Point Bridge – Falmouth to Portland
* Eastern Promenade/Connector/Back Cove Trail – Portland
* South Portland Green Belt – South Portland
* Eastern Trail – Scarborough, Saco, to Old Orchard Beach

New Hampshire

Riders enter the state on the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and follow the coastline to Seabrook and then on to the Massachusetts border. New Hampshire has the shortest portion of the greenway: about , all on-road.

On August 14, 2019, the New Hampshire Executive Council approved the purchase of Pan Am Railways' abandoned rail corridor from Hampton to Portsmouth for $5 million, to be part of the New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway, a segment of the East Coast Greenway. The corridor runs through Hampton, North Hampton, Rye, Greenland, and Portsmouth, and will connect to the south with corridor already purchased by the state but not yet developed. The purchase was paid for with federal funds: eighty percent from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program, and twenty percent from turnpike toll credits.

Massachusetts

The greenway enters the state near Salisbury, Massachusetts, and heads south towards Boston and then to Waltham. Next, it travels on from Worcester to the Rhode Island border. The route travels along the Charles River and past the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution.
* Border to Boston Trail – Salisbury, Newburyport, Wenham, Danvers, to Peabody
* Peabody Independence Greenway – Peabody
* Salem Bike Path – Salem
* Lynn Beach Promenade – Lynn
* Lynnway Sidepath – Lynn
* Northern Strand Community Trail – Malden to Everett
* Everett Bike Path – Everett
* North Bank Park Path – Boston to Cambridge
* Charles River Bike Path – Boston, Watertown, Newton, to Waltham
* Blackstone River Bikeway – Worcester to Millbury & Uxbridge to Blackstone

Rhode Island

The greenway enters from Massachusetts on the Blackstone River Bikeway and follows the historic Blackstone Canal. It travels down to Pawtucket and then into Providence, where it goes around India Point Park at Narragansett Bay, and then on to Cranston. This section of greenway is 52% off-road, with another 30% being developed.
* Blackstone River Greenway – Woonsocket, Cumberland, to Lincoln
* East Bay Bike Path – East Providence to Warren
* Providence Riverwalk in Waterplace Park – Providence
* Washington Secondary Rail Trail, which combines:
** Cranston Bike Path – Cranston
** Warwick Greenway – Warwick
** West Warwick Greenway – West Warwick
** Coventry Greenway and Trestle Trail – Coventry

Connecticut

Connecticut has the most rural stretch of trail in the region. It runs through historic mill towns, such as Willimantic, and major cities like Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, and Stamford. Users can travel on the Farmington Canal Greenway to get to New Haven from Simsbury and then ride along the Long Island Sound as they exit the state. Currently, 28% of the route is off-road, with an additional 28% in development.
* Moosup Valley State Park Trail – Plainfield
* Quinebaug River Trail – Killingly
* Tracy Road Smart Parks Trail – Killingly to Putnam
* Air Line State Park Trail North – Windham County
* Veterans Memorial Greenway – Willimantic
* Charter Oak Greenway – Manchester to East Hartford
* Founders Bridge Path – Hartford to East Hartford
* Phoenix Plaza – Hartford
* Travelers Plaza – Hartford
* Bushnell Park Path – Hartford
* Farmington Canal Heritage Trail – Simsbury, Avon, Farmington, Southington, Cheshire, Hamden, to New Haven
* Savin Rock Trail – West Haven
* Long Wharf Nature Preserve Trail – New Haven
* Silver Sands State Park Path – Milford

Mid-Atlantic region

New York

The New York segments starts in Westchester County and heads south into New York City through the Bronx and Manhattan. The route travels down sections of Broadway and along the Hudson River, which travelers can cross via the George Washington Bridge or by taking a NY Waterway ferry into New Jersey. New York is home to of greenway, with 62% of the route, the highest percentage on the greenway, being off-road. In Manhattan, 90% of the trail is off-road. Part of the New York City segment is concurrent with the Empire State Trail, which also goes up the west side of Manhattan but diverges from the East Coast Greenway in the Bronx, heading northward through the state instead of towards Connecticut.
* Shore Road Greenway – Bronx
* Pelham Parkway Greenway – Bronx
* Bronx Park Greenway – Bronx
* Bronx River Pathway – Bronx
* Mosholu Parkway Greenway – Bronx
* Van Cortlandt Park Greenway – Bronx
* Hudson River Greenway – Manhattan
* Randall's Island Greenway – Manhattan
* 103rd Street Footbridge – Manhattan
* East River Esplanade – Manhattan
* NY Waterway Ferry – Manhattan to Jersey City, NJ