Like an intricate wiring diagram, the map of the world contains more permutations and combinations of routes than humans can possibly discover. This leads to some passages remaining untravelled. The “longest walkable route on the Earth,” too, has remained unexplored by anyone, not because nobody knows about it, but because it is filled with obstacles.
Image Source: Reddit | r/Mapporn
The seemingly endless trail spans from L'Agulhas in Cape Town, South Africa to the port town of Magadan in the far northeast of Russia, as per IFL Science. The route measures 22,387 kilometers, which is longer than the 3525-kilometer Appalachian trail, the 4500-kilometre Great Himalayan trail, and the 804-kilometre Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail.
Image Source: Himalayan mountain trail (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)
No matter how much one tries, no man has completed this route by walking. Interestingly, the path is paved in such a way that travelers do not require flights, ferries, or boats to traverse it. However, according to Google Maps, taking a ferry across the Black Sea would shorten the distance to 21,779 kilometers, which might not bring much difference.
All that remains in the terrain to cross are roads and bridges. If someone traverses this route, they end up crossing 17 countries and six time zones, each offering its unique weather panorama. Ideally, it should require 4,492 hours without any stoppage to cover the distance. But even the toughest human requires time off for naps, meals, and other necessities.
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Josh Willink
In reality, the voyage will take much longer than just 4,492 hours, probably more than a year if you are walking for 8 hours daily. Moreover, there are hoards of hurdles on the path. Take, for example, the extreme weather conditions. From the scorching heat of the Sahara Desert to the freezing Siberian tundra, or the malaria mosquitos of tropical Africa, or the war-infested Russian territories; the route is an extremely hard and dangerous journey to undertake.
Many Redditors like u/Perfect_gas and u/cbz3000 claimed to have known about this route. However, as intriguing as it sounds, not a single person has walked this route completely yet, given the tough conditions, including changing weather.
Image Source: Reddit | u/littlemancodelearner
u/varysisamermaid69 said, “You need to be Jesus to complete this!” Another Redditor, u/branderhooven, commented, “These are the type of things I would do if I had all my bones replaced with some type of nanocarbon things, and the future brings you a life that may last several hundred years.” Describing the pathway, u/zaitsman said, “Just so you know, it is not exactly a ‘road’ up Magadan end. More like walking through bushes, swamps, marshes, and forests.”
![Image Source: Reddit | u/[deleted]](https://www.good.is/media-library/image-source-reddit-u-deleted.jpg?id=55299189&width=980)
Image Source: Reddit | u/[deleted]
It is not that people haven’t walked distances like the one presented by this route. A man named Arthur Blessit once walked “round the world” covering over 64,753 kilometers, marking the longest-known religious pilgrimage. A Guinness World Records holder, Blessit visited all seven continents, including Antarctica, and crossed 321 nations, island groups, and territories. He did all this while carrying a wooden cross and preaching from the Bible.
Image Source: The traveling Christian preacher Arthur Blessitt with his cross in St. Peter's Square, Rome, December 16, 1979. (Photo by Edoardo Fornaciari/Getty Images)
Rice grain and white rice.Image via 
Person eats rice.Image via 
Washing and rinsing rice. 
Mother and daughter eating rice meal.Image via 
Bees feeding on food source.Image via 
In the depths...Pexels | francesco ungaro
Hope the lights stay on. Pexels | parfait fongang
"That was beyond crazy..." YouTube | 
"This is the stuff of my nightmares..."YouTube | 
"Totally blown away..." YouTube | 
A representative Image of The Atlantic Ocean. Source: Pexels | Kellie Churchman
Representative Image Source: Painting from a series by Ernest Untermann in the museum at Dinosaur National Monument, Utah.
Representative Image Source: VARIOUS DINOSAURS IN GOBI DESERT. Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images
Great white shark pokes its head above water.Image pulled from YouTube video - Photo taken by Geraldine Fernandez
Great white shark swims in the ocean.Image via Canva - Photo by lindsay_imagery
President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
- YouTube www.youtube.com
The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.