List of people who have walked across the United States

This is a list of people who have walked across the United States from the east coast to the west coast or vice versa. Walking or running across the United States has long been pursued as a way to bring publicity to social causes.

Jerry and Cindy Schultz Jerry and Cindy Schultz completed their Habitrek 96, a fundraising effort for Habitat for Humanity that included a walk across America, starting on February 10, 1996 in Olympia, WA and ending in Atlanta, GA on August 30, 1996. They co-authored a book called Sole Mates (2003), describing their experience.

Sam Rezaei and James Dill On June 17, 2022, childhood friends Sam Rezaei (21 years old) and James Dill (22 years old) set out to walk across the United States, starting at the Coney Island Boardwalk in Brooklyn, New York. On December 3, 2022, 170 days and over 2,800 miles later, they completed their journey at Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles.

Robert Pope In April 2018, Robert Pope, age 39, became the first person to complete the Forrest Gump run, , 5 times across America, in 422 days of running. This remains the biggest continuous run in history in a single country and involved him becoming the first person to run across the United states three times in one year.

Pete Kostelnick In October 2016, Pete Kostelnick, age 29, set the current world record for fastest run across America; he ran the from San Francisco's City Hall to New York's City Hall in 42 days, 6 hours, 30 minutes.

John Lees

John Lees gained the world record for walking across the US, starting at Los Angeles City Hall on 11 April 1972, he walked for 53 days, 12 hours and 15 minutes to New York City Hall, finishing on 3 June 1972.

Max and Zac Prizant Max and Zac Prizant, 24-year-old identical twins, started their journey May 21, 2020. The twins crossed the Brooklyn Bridge on New Years Eve of 2020, raising $15,000 for Heart to Heart International's Covid-19 Relief Fund in the process. They encountered obstacles including ten charging wild stallions in Dixie Valley, Nevada; week-long stretches of triple- and single-digit temperatures in Stockton, California, and the Appalachian Mountains, respectively; of oncoming traffic along I-80 West, and the incineration of their support vehicle in York, Nebraska, (after finding a replacement, the twins completed the last of the journey from Youngstown, Ohio, to Brooklyn, New York by traveling more than per day from hotel to hotel.)

Isaiah Glen Shields

Isaiah Glen Shields began walking from his home in Provo, Utah, on May 13, 2021. From there he walked to the western-most point of the continental United States, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Cape Alava, in Washington States Olympic Peninsula on August 1, 2021. From there he turned around to walk to the Eastern-most point of the continental United States at the West Quoddy Head light in Lubec, Maine. He reached the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina.

Noah Coughlan In 2015, Noah Coughlan, 33, of Vacaville, California, became the third person to run across the United States three times, completing a solo trek from New York City to San Diego in 127 days to raise awareness for rare diseases. He first crossed in 2011, running from Ocean Beach in San Diego to Jacksonville, Florida, in 132 days on the Run for Research. His second journey covered from Half Moon Bay, California, to Boston in 108 days on the 2013 Run Coast 2 Coast.

Bill Bucklew Bill Bucklew departed Tybee Island, Georgia, at 8:30 am, November 24, 2017, and arrived at Imperial beach, San Diego, on January 31, 2018, at 12:45 pm. Bucklew appears to have set the record for walking coast to coast (67 days). Bucklew has Parkinson's disease and walked an average of 1.5 marathons daily. Bucklew raised over $120,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Bradford Lyttle Bradford Lyttle, an organizer with the Committee for Non-Violent Action, and several others walked from San Francisco to New York City, and then through parts of Europe to Moscow, Russia, from December 1960 until late 1961. The action was called the San Francisco to Moscow March for Peace. Several participants, including Lyttle, walked the entire distance.

Dale James Outhouse, Adele Kushner, Kevin James Shay These participants of A Walk of the People – A Pilgrimage for Life walked across the United States in 1984 as part of the action that called for global nuclear disarmament and better relations between the U.S. and the then Soviet Union. The march started at Point Conception, California, and went through Texas and the Deep South to New York City. Several others, including Andy Rector, walked significant portions across the U.S. and continued in Europe to Moscow, Russia, in 1985.

Ed Fallon, Miriam Kashia, Mackenzie McDonald Wilkins, Jeffrey Czerwiec, Steve Martin These were the five participants in the Great March for Climate Action who completed every step of the walk from Los Angeles, California, to Washington, D.C., between March 1 and November 1, 2014. Halfway through the March, Steve Martin left the main body of marchers to walk solo to New York, arriving there on September 21 as an emissary from the Great March for Climate Action to the People's Climate March.

Mark Baumer Mark Baumer walked across the US in 81 days in 2010. While attempting a barefoot walk several years later, he was killed by an SUV in Florida.

Michael Ross and George Crawford Michael Ross, 18, from Manchester, Connecticut, walked from Danbury, Connecticut, to Huntington Beach, California. This walk took 297 days and was in an effort to raise funds and awareness for the Livestrong Foundation. Over $13,000 was raised. Michael was accompanied by his childhood friend, George Crawford. The walk started April 2013 and ended February 2014.

Philip Cihiwsky Phil Cihiwsky, 59, from Loveland, Colorado, walked from San Diego, California, to York Harbor, Maine, starting his walk on March 4 and completing it on October 4, 2013. He walked , crossing 15 states in 7 months while raising awareness about food insecurity issues among older adults for Meals On Wheels and encouraging the people he met along the way to support home-delivered meal programs in their own communities.

Elliott Lannen and Graeme Lithgow Elliott Lannen and Graeme Jeffrey Lithgow walked from San Francisco, California, to St. Augustine, Florida, from 2013 to 2014. The party began with three members, but Julio Lopez abandoned the project after traversing the California coast.

Helga and Clara Estby Helga Estby, a 36-year-old from Spokane, Washington, and her 18-year-old daughter Clara walked from Spokane to New York City in 1896, setting off on May 5, 1896, passing through 14 states along the way, and arriving at the latter on Christmas Eve. She did so in response to a $10,000 challenge from a sponsor given to any woman who would walk across the United States. She brought with her a compass, red-pepper spray, a revolver, and a curling iron. She wanted the money in order to save her family's farm. She did not receive it.

Louis Michael Figueroa In 1982, Louis Michael Figueroa, age 16, became the fastest and youngest person (according to some sources) to run across the United States, covering the route from New Brunswick, New Jersey, to San Francisco in 60 days to fulfill a promise to a friend who was dying of bone cancer.

In 1996–1997 he walked from Bangor, Maine, to San Diego for local AIDS networks in memory of his brother Jimmy, who died of the disease. The walk was plagued by delays due to Figueroa's battle with acute lymphocytic leukemia.

In 2005, he began a walk around the United States for victims of child abuse. Figueroa walked for six months and covered of the .

On June 4, 2010, Figueroa left from where he previously stopped, west of Somerset, Pennsylvania, and arrived in Tucson on January 15, 2011.

Steve Fugate Steve Fugate walked across the U.S. eight times spreading awareness on depression and suicide. A resident of Vero Beach, Florida, Fugate also walked to raise awareness for the Florida panther. He began walking across the U.S. carrying a big sign that says "Love Life", after his son's suicide in 1999. In 2005 Fugate's daughter died of an accidental overdose. "Trail Therapy: The 34,000 mile journey" is a mini documentary on Fugate.

Aaron Huey and Cosmo Aaron Huey, age 26, left Encinitas, California, on January 22, 2002, and arrived in New York City and 154 days later on June 25. His only travel companion was his dog Cosmo. He did not carry a cell phone and had no support team. Huey covered the why and how in his 2010 Annenberg Foundation lecture, and Huey also wrote journals of his travels along the way.

Barbara Moore Barbara Moore (1903–1977), a Russian-born health enthusiast, walked from San Francisco to New York City in 85 days in 1960, departing on April 13 and arriving on July 6.

Richard H. Noble From March 12, 2011, through June 9, 2012, Richard Noble, a gay rights activist, walked with a rainbow flag from San Francisco to Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

James Harry Pierce James Harry Pierce, a writer, street performer, and tour guide began his walk across the United States on May 30, 2011, at the age of 41 just south of Seattle, Washington, arriving in Key West, Florida, where he settled on February 7, 2012. For a number of years he performed nightly on Duval Street dressed as Darth Vader playing the banjo. He since leads bicycle tours of Key West.

Peace Pilgrim Peace Pilgrim, née Mildred Lisette Norman (July 18, 1908 – July 7, 1981), was an American pacifist, vegetarian, and peace activist. Starting on January 1, 1953, she walked across the United States for 28 years until her death in 1981. She had no organizational backing, carried no money, and would not even ask for food or shelter. When she began her pilgrimage she had taken a vow to "remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food." At the time of her death, she was crossing the United States for the seventh time.

Granny D Granny D (née Doris Haddock, January 24, 1910 – March 9, 2010) achieved international fame in February 2000 when, at age 90, she completed her walk across the U.S. to support campaign finance reform. A resident of Dublin, New Hampshire, Granny D started the walk January 1, 1999, shortly before her 89th birthday in Pasadena, California, amid the Rose Parade festivities. Despite being hospitalized for pneumonia after walking across the Mojave Desert, Granny D completed her walk on Leap Day of the following year, more than 400 days later, having traversed over across nine states (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Maryland). She had to travel much of the last on cross-country skis due to a snowstorm that made walking impossible.GrannyD: Walking Across America in my 90th Year, Doris Haddock and Dennis Burke, 2001, Villard, NY She wrote about her walk in two books. The first was co-authored by Dorris Haddock (Granny D) and Dennis Burke, Granny D: Walking Across America in my 90th Year. She chronicled her expedition and reasons for undertaking it in an autobiography entitled You're Never Too Old to Raise a Little Hell published in 2003. The following year, at age 94, she ran as Democratic candidate against Judd Gregg in the New Hampshire senate race, but was soundly defeated. She died shortly after turning 100, on March 9, 2010.

Chad Sigmon Chad Sigmon was 38 years old when he ran across America starting April 1, 2013, from Jacksonville, Florida, and ending August 1 in San Diego, California. He ran to help end mental health stigma. He averaged around a day for a total of .

Katie Visco From March 29 through December 29, 2009, Pave Your Lane's founder, Katie Visco, ran across America, from Boston to San Diego to publicize this campaign, which empowers people to find their passions. At age 24, Visco became the second-youngest and 13th woman overall to run from coast to coast.

Bob Wieland