Old Plank Road Trail Update: Safer Routes and Navigation Improvements to the American Discovery Trail
Explore safer routes & navigation updates on the ADT’s Old Plank Road Trail and meet new thru-hiker Emerson King. See what’s new for your next adventure!
We’ve got a noteworthy update for the Illinois North Segment 3 of the American Discovery Trail (ADT). The stretch just east of Joliet has been improved to prioritize both safety and an overall better hiking experience.
Our team has converted the Turn-By-Turn Directions into Dual-Directional navigation, making it easier to follow whether you’re heading east or west.
We’ve also implemented a reroute suggested by Bernie Krausse, a hiker who crossed this segment earlier this year.
His feedback led us to move the trail off busy US 30—where sidewalks are scarce and shoulders are narrow—and onto quieter, safer streets. The new route provides sidewalks all the way from just outside downtown Jouliet, to the Western terminus of the Old Plank Road Trail, making for a more relaxed and safer walk.
Big thanks to Bernie for his suggestion. It’s input like this from those who are out there, mile after mile, that truly enhances our guides and helps make the ADT safer and more enjoyable for everyone.
Progress on Dual-Directional Navigation 📍
We’re also making steady progress on converting our Turn-By-Turn Directions into Dual-Directional format. This week, we’ve added Illinois North Segment 3, and Maryland Segments 4, 4-DC, 5, and 6 to the list. Now, 20% of our Hiking America guides offer dual-directional navigation. This means whether you’re trekking eastbound or westbound on the ADT, you’ll find our instructions easier to follow.
As we are in the ADT Off-Season, we are working diligently to get the Turn-By-Turns completed before the new season, followed with the Gaia GPS data to receive the same updates soon after – working ahead of eastbound and westbound hikers. It's quite the lift. But we're excited with the steady progress.
Welcome to the Trail
Emerson King hit the trail the last week of September – the latest member of the ADT Class of 2024. Emerson has been sharing snippets of his journey in YouTube Shorts. The latest was yesterday from Indian Head Campground in Maysville, West Virginia, just east of Dolly Sods. He's taking a zero or two there to heal up a foot before the 2000-foot climb.
Along the ADT
Leif Olson
Return to Denver Biking and Working on the Trail - Trek Magazine
Matthew Hengst
Season Closer from the ADT - YouTube
As we shared with Hiking America subscribers last week, Matthew Hengst has decided to pause his ADT crossing for the year. He's been nursing foot issues of late and plans to complete the ADT (Moab to San Francisco) last summer, early fall next year. Can't wait!
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Hike Your Hike - John.
