Cyclists, listen up! This news hit me as especially appropriate in our current climate, as it encourages bicyclists to get out into nature along five newly designated U.S. Bicycle Routes. They add 290 miles to the U.S. Bicycle Route System in four states — Maryland, New York, North Dakota and West Virginia — and Washington, D.C.

ID 58217547 © Ocusfocus | Dreamstime.com

Maryland’s USBR 201, at 62.5 miles, shares on-road routing with the East Coast Greenway. In New York, USBR 11, running north to south, travels from Lake Ontario before crossing the Erie Canalway and then ending at the border with Pennsylvania. Co-designated with New York Bicycle Route 14, USBR 11 is 118.8 miles long. At 87.5 miles, USBR 30, located in North Dakota, crosses U.S. Highway 12, an area where wildlife outnumbers people. Washington, D.C., sees USBR 1 following seven miles of the Potomac River, along Capital Crescent and Rock Creek trails. Lastly, West Virginia’s 17.7-mile USBR 11 connects to routes in Maryland and crosses Appalachian farm country.

USBRS is a national network of recognized, numbered and signed bicycle routes, all designated by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Nearly 40 states already have or are developing U.S. bicycle routes. Are you a cyclist? Have you biked any of the 14,841 miles of the developing USBRS? I love the idea of creating these designated and maintained paths across our country, giving Americans even more to explore and more reason to travel, stay active and learn about the landscape.

— Kim Krol Inlander, editor in chief