A coast-to-coast relay celebrating America’s 250th is heading east this fall, and anyone can join in.
In honor of America’s 250th birthday, a copy of the Declaration of Independence is making its way across the country, one leg at a time.
The American Discovery 250 Relay covers 6,800 miles from California to Delaware along the American Discovery Trail. It began on the 4th of July with a crossing of the Golden Gate Bridge and will end on Thanksgiving Day with a plunge into the Atlantic Ocean. The whole journey takes about 145 days.
The relay follows the seasons. It crossed the western states in summer, after the snow melted in the Rockies, and moved through the middle of the country in late summer, often by bicycle. This fall it reaches the East, with a stop in the nation’s capital in mid-November before the final stretch to the coast.
On any given day, anywhere from 5 to 50 people may be carrying the baton by walking, running, biking, or riding. Participants come from all over the country and abroad. You can join for a single day or for longer, bring along friends and neighbors, attend a locally hosted event, or simply follow the relay’s progress from home.
This isn’t a race, a parade or a fundraiser. It’s a celebration of American history, culture and nature, and of the trail that connects them. First laid out in the early 1990s, the American Discovery Trail passes numerous historic sites and dozens of ecosystems. It crosses lands managed by state and local agencies, the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management in fifteen states, and it’s hosted by hundreds of communities along the way. More than 40 million people live near the route.
The relay passes close to home. After crossing the mountains of West Virginia, the trail descends into Canaan Valley Resort State Park. There it joins the 311-mile Allegheny Trail and follows it to Blackwater Falls State Park, named for the five-story falls where the Blackwater River tumbles into Blackwater Canyon. Both parks are an easy drive from Deep Creek Lake. This section is planned for Wednesday, November 11, 2026, with participants biking, running,g or walking. Farther east, the route joins the C&O Canal in Oldtown, Maryland, and goes through the Paw Paw Tunnel via bike on Saturday, November 14, 2026.
Relayers can sign up individually or as a team. Anyone who contributes $30 or more becomes a member of the American Discovery Trail Society and can choose a souvenir or t-shirt. Sponsors and supporters are welcome too.
To sign up or see the full relay route, visit discoverytrail.org and select “The Route”. For more information, email relay@discoverytrail.org.