American Discovery Trail - South

The American Discovery Trail - South is 3,090.42 km long, so it is a true multi-day thru-hike rather than a weekend route. At a steady long-distance pace of about 24 km a day with regular rest days, a full hike can take roughly five to six months, and many hikers take longer depending on weather, resupply stops, and road-walking sections.

The American Discovery Trail - South is rated Difficult, and the scale of the route explains why. This section is part of a coast-to-coast southern alignment that runs about 5,000 miles overall, with the Ohio segment linking into Cincinnati and the broader route using a mix of trail, greenway, and road connections across multiple states.

The American Discovery Trail - South has 11,763 m of total elevation gain over 3,090.42 km. That means the climbing is spread across a very long journey rather than concentrated in one mountain section, but the cumulative ascent is still substantial and adds to the route’s Difficult rating.

In Ohio, the American Discovery Trail follows the Buckeye Trail for much of the state and reaches Cincinnati at Eden Park. The Ohio and Kentucky overview also names Hamilton County locations on the route, including Shaker Trace in Miami Whitewater Forest, which helps place this section within the Cincinnati area.

The American Discovery Trail - South is a point-to-point multi-day route, not a loop. It is part of the southern coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail corridor, which continues west through the Midwest and beyond, so completing it involves staged logistics rather than returning to the starting point on the same trail.

Yes. The official American Discovery Trail divides into northern and southern routes in Ohio, and the southern option is the longer coast-to-coast line at about 5,008 to 5,057 miles depending on the source and route edition. This Hamilton County segment belongs to that southern alignment.