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Print Friendly MapThe western portion of the Great American Rail-Trail runs through Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington for 503.3 miles.
The western portion of the Great American Rail-Trail is diverse in landscapes and geographic features as it travels from eastern Wyoming to the Pacific Ocean at La Push. While the varied and rugged topography of the region made railroad development challenging—resulting in fewer rail corridors and, therefore, fewer rail-trail conversions today—the route through the West offers the expansive openness one might envision in less-developed terrain.
Through the four states, many trails highlight the forested backdrops, stunning waterside views, rich histories, and geological wonders of the West, with opportunities for solitude, community connections, and cultural exploration throughout. The trail traverses charming small towns and cities, including Casper, Greybull, and Cody in Wyoming; Bozeman, Three Forks, Butte, Deer Lodge, and Missoula in Montana; and Wallace and Kellogg in Idaho. Toward the western endpoint of the Great American, you can experience the hustle and urban bustle of Seattle.
Of the 12 states hosting the Great American, Wyoming had the smallest percentage of completed trails; however, advocates continue to seek funding and harness support for new sections, and Casper embraces its place, both past and present, as a trail hub. Long before its incorporation in the 1880s, the town was a convergence point for four of America’s prominent westbound foot, horse, and wagon routes—the California, Mormon, Oregon, and Pony Express Trails—which served an estimated half a million people seeking opportunities out West. This history is captured at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. Today, the Casper Rail Trail and Platte River Trail welcome a new type of trail user to the city’s trailside businesses and amenities.
The West’s geography, including the Rocky Mountains, Northern Plains, Columbia Plateau, and Pacific Coastal region, made it a center of activity for Indigenous tribes for thousands of years, before westward expansion resulted in their forced displacement. As expansion grew, white settlers and surveyors often relied on Indigenous peoples to help them navigate rough terrain. In Three Forks, along the Headwaters Trail System, markers commemorate a Lemhi Shoshone woman who is arguably the most well-known cultural guide in history: Sacagawea, who served as interpreter and diplomat for the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806).
Heading from Montana into Idaho, the Great American is hosted by two connected trails that follow the former Northern Pacific Railway (NP) for all or part of the way: the aptly named NorPac Trail and the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. The nation’s fifth transcontinental line, the NP once connected St. Paul, Minnesota, with Seattle and was completed in 1883 by a crew of 5,000 men, two-thirds of whom were underpaid Chinese laborers.
Washington is the last state along the route of the Great American, heading west, with lush, dense, and rugged terrain rich in both wildlife and natural beauty. Here, trail users will also encounter drier conditions than in many other parts of the cross-country route. Along the 286-mile Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail—the longest individual trail on the Great American—hardscrabble terrain, where Ice Age floods once flowed, dominates the eastern landscape, while evergreen forests, canyons, and mountain valleys infiltrated by streams and rivers can be found westward.
After winding through Seattle and around Puget Sound, the Great American travels through the northern section of the Olympic Peninsula, featuring the Bays of Port Townsend and Sequim, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Dungeness River, and Crescent Lake.
The Dungeness River, along the Olympic Discovery Trail, is part of the ancestral lands of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, which has deep spiritual and cultural roots to the watershed and a long relationship of serving as its steward. In recent years, the tribe has taken on a leadership role in maintaining the Great American corridor in Sequim in conjunction with its river revitalization efforts—enhancing the outdoor experience for the hundreds of thousands of people who pass through the area on the trail each year.
Approaching the western end of the 3,700-mile Great American Rail-Trail in La Push, the blue expansiveness of the Pacific Ocean greats trail users, a majestic endpoint to an iconic, cross-country trail.
To view an interactive map of the entire route, go to greatamericanrailtrail.org.
The western portion of the Great American Rail-Trail is made up of the following trails:
There are numerous parking options along the western portion of the Great American Rail-Trail. Please check the individual trail records to see all waypoints including parking, restrooms, and water.
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