RTC’s Impact Report
Photo courtesy RTC
Rooted in History, Building for the Future
Since 1986, Rails to Trails Conservancy has stood at the forefront of America’s efforts to make it safer and easier to walk, bike and be active outside—in every state, in every county and in every neighborhood. With more than 42,500 miles of multiuse trails on the ground nationwide, and more than 150 trail networks in development reaching into every single state, people in all types of communities now rely on this infrastructure. Trails create space for us to move our bodies, build economic opportunity and navigate our communities. They’re essential for our health, transportation choice and quality of life.
RTC’s impact in fiscal year 2025 (Oct. 1, 2024–Sept. 30, 2025) represents the strength that’s found in decades of progress. In relationships built. In concepts proven. This Impact Report chronicles on efforts to build, strengthen and expand the foundation for America’s essential infrastructure during this fiscal year, against the backdrop of the organization’s 40-year track record as the nation’s’ leading voice for trails, walking and biking.
40 Years of Connecting America by Trail
A Message From the President
Celebrating Progress, Building On a Legacy
As we looked back on our impact in Fiscal Year 2025, it became clear that the story was incomplete without a grounding in our 40-year legacy. So many of the victories, opportunities and transformative moments of the past fiscal year were built upon decades of progress by the people who built our movement.
Our strategy is rooted in four pillars that move forward our work to build a nation connected by trails.
Click on our strategic priorities below to learn more about our impact in 2025.
Infrastructure
In 1986, with less than 1,000 miles of known rail-trails on the ground, we started on a path to preserve America’s disused rail corridors by transforming them into safe places to walk, bike and be active. Since then, this grand idea has blossomed into a nationwide effort—and America’s multiuse trails have become infrastructure that people count on. Alongside thousands of local organizations, elected leaders and agency officials, RTC has spearheaded the work to connect trails across communities, regions—the country—while championing their transformative benefits. Today, we continually move the needle through our leadership, partnerships and model projects designed to prove what is possible when connected trail networks are at the heart of communities.
Impact on Infrastructure:
- Connecting the Nation by Trail
- Cross-Country Route Takes Shape
- Circuit Trails Network Reaches 500!
- 2026 Rail-Trail Champion Kay Ehas
- Milestones in U.S. Connectivity
- TrailNation™ Accelerator Program
- 2025 TrailNation Summit
- Protecting Trails in the Courts
- A Landmark Case for Trails—Preseault v. ICC
- Legal Victory for Threatened Rail-Trail
Connecting the Nation by Trail
Rails to Trails Conservancy’s TrailNation™ initiative brings to life our vision of trails at the heart of healthy, thriving communities—showcasing the impact of trail networks and redefining how we create them. Since the launch of our first TrailNation project in 2013, our portfolio has grown to 10 regional projects plus the cross-country Great American Rail-Trail® connecting nearly 12,000 miles of trails across neighborhood, city, county and state lines. Ultimately, our regional projects will serve nearly 35 million people living within 2 miles of a network, and the Great American will serve an estimated 50 million people within 50 miles of the route.
Through these models for the country in collaboration with 300+ partners, as well as the TrailNation Collaborative and TrailNation Playbook, we’re moving the needle, accelerating trail development and transforming the American landscape.
When complete, our TrailNation projects will connect millions of people while generating billions of dollars for communities and changing the way people live, work, play, get active, travel and experience the country.
Click on the scrolling carousel green button and links for highlights.
Reach based on populations within 2 miles, unless otherwise indicated.
LEGACY SPOTLIGHT | Long-Time Member Mimi Davisson
“RTC’s network of trails is a wonderful legacy for our country. And its self-sustaining network of volunteers and organizations, supplemented by RTC resources, has an equally important impact and will be a powerful, positive force into the future.”
—Mimi Davisson, RTC member since 1986
In 1986, Massachusetts resident Mimi Davisson was drawn to the idea of rail-trails after reading a news feature about the nascent Rails to Trails Conservancy. Shortly after becoming a member, she met RTC cofounder David Burwell and “was impressed by his ideas, enthusiasm and commitment to building rail-trails.” Her own local Shining Sea Bikeway was even one that Burwell’s mother helped create. Davisson has supported RTC—and the trails that make her “healthier and happier”—ever since.
LEGACY SPOTLIGHT | Cross-Country Route Takes Shape
The potential of a cross-country trail had been on RTC’s radar since its early days, as the organization’s founders saw the potential for a trail that spanned the nation. Understanding the magnitude of such an undertaking, RTC set two criteria for its potential: a viable route 50% complete or more, and a pathway across the west. In 2017, a scouting trip momentously showed that a feasible pathway existed and—more importantly—that the desire the project was palpable. People wanted this trail!
Today, the Great American Rail-Trail—launched by RTC and hundreds of partners in May 2019—is more than 56% complete. It is estimated that when fully built out, the Great American will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in visitor spending annually.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since [RTC] came to Casper to talk with Platte River Trails about the Great American Rail-Trail. I remember how excited I was and how energized the board felt—many of them avid cyclists—at the idea of a trail crossing our beautiful state. We were equally inspired by the possibility of strengthening our regional trail system, extending east toward Douglas and west toward Alcova.”
FY 2025 SPOTLIGHT | Circuit Trails Network Reaches 500!
In 2012, RTC began an exciting leadership role in the Circuit Trails Coalition, kicking off our national TrailNation initiative—and bringing to life our vision of trails at the heart of healthy, thriving communities.
In 2025, the coalition celebrated a long-anticipated milestone: 500 miles of complete or in-progress trails across Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey! What were once tentative lines on a map now define how people move through the nine-county region—commuting, recreating and finding spaces to connect across two states. With this achievement and burgeoning momentum, the coalition is now focusing on a new goal: 550 miles by 2030.
“This is a big movement to make a vision a reality. We’re fortunate to have a remarkable metropolitan planning organization, a committed foundation and a region of counties and cities all working together …. That unity is what will make us successful.”
2025 Rail-Trail Champion Kay Ehas
In December 2025, RTC named Kay Ehas, CEO of Groundwork Jacksonville, the 2025 Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champion for her leadership to develop the Emerald Trail in Jacksonville, Florida. Since 2011, the Rail-Trail Champion awards have honored those whose passion, vision and grit have significantly contributed to the movement. Ehas was honored for her model community-driven approach—bringing together residents, regional leaders and private investors to connect 14 historic neighborhoods in the downtown area to green space, schools, business centers and transit.
“We ensure residents have a seat at the table, a voice in shaping what the future of their neighborhood looks like, and a role in bringing that future to life. That’s how we build trust and a stronger, healthier community.”
—Kay Ehas, 2025 Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champion
Milestones in U.S. Connectivity
RTC’s focus in the early days was on preserving as many former rail corridors as possible, understanding that their loss would mean losing critical transportation routes and wildlife habitats. Today, we seek to leverage trails to build connections within and between communities—for regional growth and vitality. To fulfill our mission then and now, RTC has been at the table in efforts to create countless game-changing trails.
Click on the scrolling carousel green button and links for highlights.
Powering Communities: TrailNation™ Accelerator Program
Trails are essential for communities of all sizes. In 2025, RTC launched the TrailNation Accelerator program to extend the TrailNation initiative and proven strategies of the TrailNation Playbook to rural and small-town communities ready to move from vision to action. Made possible by the REI Cooperative Action Fund, the Accelerator delivers targeted support drawn from 40 years of expertise to help local leaders advance trail networks and bolster safety, health, economic vitality and quality of life.
The inaugural cohort, selected from across the country, comprises eight teams representing diverse needs and visions for trail connectivity.
FY 2025 SPOTLIGHT | TrailNation Summit
Since its inception, RTC has brought trail visionaries and practitioners from across the country together to create meaningful connections and share ideas that activate trail and trail network development. In October 2025—building on the energy of our inaugural TrailNation Summit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2018)—we brought together nearly 400 people representing 40 states in Cleveland, Ohio, to foster learning and inspire action to accelerate trail development across the country. The 2.5-day event was packed with hands-on learning, meaningful networking and shared inspiration with industry leaders and experts.
“The work you do matters. It’s not just about the technical aspects of building trails. It’s about hope. It’s about opportunity. And it’s about making sure everybody in our cities … has access.”
—Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb
“Hosting the TrailNation Summit elevated Cleveland as a national leader in trail network development and showcased [our momentum]. It accelerated it, strengthening partnerships, inspiring new ideas, and reinforcing trails as essential infrastructure for a more connected, equitable and vibrant region.”
—Jacob VanSickle, Executive Director, Bike Cleveland
“Trails are a way for us to feel connected in a … society that feels more disconnected than ever. I think the work you do is so essential. It is health. It is economic development. It is all of those things.”
—Joyce Pan Huang, Chief Impact Officer, Cleveland Foundation
“You are not just trail builders and trail advocates. You are deliverers of a fundamental right. You are the ones creating the physical pathways to mental well-being, community connection and personal freedom.”
—Ayesha McGowen, Professional Athlete and RTC Board Member
Protecting Trails in the Courts
RTC has led a 40-year effort to shape the nation’s legal framework around rail-trails and defend them in the courts. Since 1986, we’ve been involved in 60+ legal cases, including landmark state and federal cases that have laid the groundwork for the movement—with a focus on establishing and protecting the legal and policy framework facilitating rail-trail conversions, particularly the federal railbanking law.
The statute to date has helped make an estimated 273 rail-trails totaling nearly 4,800 miles of railbanked trail possible since 1983.
LEGACY SPOTLIGHT | Landmark Trail Case—Preseault v. ICC
After trail advocates in Vermont began efforts to railbank the future 13-mile Island Line Trail in the 1980s, landowners along the corridor sued the Interstate Commerce Commission, challenging its authority over disused corridors. After wending its way through lower courts, Preseault v. ICC arrived before the U.S. Supreme Court, where—ultimately—the very constitutionality of the Railbanking Act was called into question. RTC served a key role in defending the statute, which was decided in 1990 when the court unanimously upheld railbanking as a valid exercise of congressional power under the Constitution’s Commerce Clause.
“RTC has played a pivotal role in the defense of trails and railbanking. And it’s a crucial role. Many of the trails that are beloved to this day would not exist, but for our legal advocacy.”
—Andrea Ferster, RTC General Counsel
FY 2025 SPOTLIGHT | Legal Victory for Threatened Rail-Trail
Over the past several years, RTC and local champions in New Hampshire have engaged in ultimately a successful effort to protect the Derry Rail Trail from a highway project that threatened the historical route. The final legal settlement, announced in February 2026, means the trail will continue to providing safe walking and biking access for residents. The court’s decision has broad implications—underscoring the importance of ensuring that transportation projects are designed in ways that minimize harm to historical places and trails so they are available for public use.
Investment
In the early days of the trails movement, RTC knew that its success was hinged on local leadership and public investment. Only with champions and funding at the local, state and federal levels would the spark that ignited the trails movement catch on nationwide. That strategy has proven itself time and again, back to RTC’s leadership in advocating for Congress to pass the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991—which unlocked federal transportation investment in trails, walking and biking—to today’s robust strategy to direct dedicated public funds at the local, state and federal levels to create, connect and maintain the nation’s trails.
Since ISTEA was introduced in 1991, more than $25 billion in federal funding via the legacy Transportation Alternatives (TA) program and Recreational Trails Program (RTP) has been provided to the states to build trails and other walking and biking infrastructure. These programs have supported more than 43,000 projects. At the state level, RTC has worked alongside partners for decades to advocate for hundreds of millions of dollars annually for trails and active transportation, including more than $443 million in new funding for trails in FY 2025.
Booming Demand Calls for Stronger Investment
Over decades, RTC’s advocacy has helped to secure billions of dollars in public funding to advance the trail and active transportation projects that communities need to safely walk, bike and be active where they live.
RTC has led the way in growing federal programs dedicated to trails, walking and biking like Transportation Alternatives (TA), the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) and the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP)—providing vital policies and investments that, combined with state and local efforts, have contributed significantly to flourishing regional economies and interstate commerce, putting walking and bicycling infrastructure to work in generating opportunities for mobility and economic development.
FY 2025 SPOTLIGHT | Organizing to Secure and Strengthen Federal Resources
After serious challenges this year at the federal level threaten to set back progress for trails, RTC has been leading efforts to secure and strengthen vital programs that create, connect and maintain safe walking and bicycling infrastructure in America’s rural, suburban and urban communities. In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation froze billions of grant dollars awarded to communities, and later in the summer, Congress erased a crucial $750 million program for neighborhood connectivity. Throughout the process, RTC has served as a rapid-response resource for local organizations and state leaders across the country, offering counsel to guide the advocacy in support of their localized funding, while working closely with Congressional and state champions to protect funding where possible.
While federal funding for this infrastructure has been in the crosshairs, RTC continues its efforts to enhance the range of federal programs that make the country’s trails and active transportation networks possible. This advocacy is focused on the reauthorization of the surface transportation program, which expires Sept. 30, 2026. And while progress has been made to create more dedicated funding sources for active transportation, the investment continues to barely scratch the surface of regional demand to build trail network. State and municipal leaders nationwide are working to build out hundreds of trail networks, and in the ATIIP program alone, funding requests eclipsed available funds at a ratio of 40:1.
LEGACY SPOTLIGHT | Historic House Victory for Trails
In 2003, the federal Transportation Enhancements (TE, now Transportation Alternatives, or TA) program and the Recreational Trails Program were already the largest sources of federal funding for trails and active transportation in the country. When a bill was put forth to eliminate the funding, RTC sprang into action, with Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) and Rep Petri (R.-Wis) waging a battle on the House floor that resulted in a dramatic 327 to 90 victory. The watershed moment demonstrated the bipartisan support for trails in Congress and set the stage for the 2005 federal transportation bill.
(Watch Rails to Trails’ 2014 Green Issue video above with Marianne Wesley Fowler to learn more.)
LEGACY SPOTLIGHT | America’s Data Clearinghouse for Transportation Alternatives
Since the inception of Transportation Enhancements in 1991 (now Transportation Alternatives), RTC has monitored how these dedicated funds have been invested—tracking accountability for their use across the nation through our Transportation Alternatives Data Exchange (TrADE). For three and a half decades, the spending reports generated each year have served as critical resources for stakeholders at the federal, state and local levels—including trail developers and transportation professionals—seeking to better understand and implement the program.
LEGACY SPOTLIGHT | 2009 Program Sets Precedent for Federal Investment in Active Transportation Nationwide
When the 2005 surface transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU, was signed into law, it introduced the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program, which RTC and national trail advocates had advocated for heavily in Congress. Investing up to $25 million over four years in four communities—Columbia, Missouri; Marin County, California; Minneapolis – St. Paul, Minnesota; and Sheboygan County, Wisconsin—the program sought to measure the impact of active transportation infrastructure on mode shift.
In July 2014, the results revealed that program investments were responsible for averting 85.1 million vehicle miles between 2009 and 2013. Today, the pilot communities and thousands of others continue to build from this legacy.
Inclusive Trails
Trails have the power to transform, creating joyful, vibrant community spaces where everyone is welcome. Yet, in many American communities, that access is a privilege. Key to maximizing the impact of trails is ensuring stakeholders are part of the development process and will benefit from their use. Since the very beginning, it has been clear that rail-trails have the potential to create economic opportunity in communities small and large, while delivering quality of life to rural, suburban and urban neighborhoods alike. For 40 years, RTC has collectively served hundreds of communities. From our technical support to our trail development expertise, we have been laser focused on supporting and growing the community-based leadership and engagement needed to proliferate long-term impact at the grassroots level.
A Guiding Hand for America’s Trail Builders
RTC often receives phone calls or emails that begin with something along the lines of, “We have this idea for a trail. Can you help?” That’s where our technical assistance program steps in. On average, our trail development team spends nearly 14,000 hours each year sharing RTC’s trail-building expertise, honed from four decades of research and experience. Our Early Warning System, which alerts communities of impending rail corridor abandonments, has been the catalyst for many rail-trails since its inception in 1988.
Support for moving these projects—and other multiuse trails—forward is also provided through our Trail-Building Toolbox, webinars, resource library and newsletters.
“Our Early Warning System is one of the longest-standing technical assistance services that RTC provides. It has alerted hundreds of communities to railbanking opportunities and is part of the backbone of how we continue to advocate for railbanking.”
FY 2025 SPOTLIGHT | Trailblazer Member Scott Beaumont
“From the time my children started to ride bikes, we always rode on trails. I didn’t want anyone getting hit by a car.”
—Scott Beaumont, Trailblazer Member
Trailblazer member Scott Beaumont remembers buying a 10-speed Schwinn at the age of 14 and putting about 5,000 miles on it over about 15 years. As one of his friends in high school was hit and killed by a car while biking along a highway, having safe places to ride has been important to him. He appreciates having easy access to trails like Florida’s 80 mile East Central Regional Rail Trail near his home, and has been supporting RTC’s efforts for more than a decade.
Learn more about the Trailblazer Society.
Ensuring Everyone Can Benefit From Trails and Trail Networks
On the surface, trails are egalitarian and inclusive. In practice, these facilities, and the benefits they bring, are not always equitably distributed. Equity is at the core of RTC’s approach to trail development, empowering communities to define how trails are created and ensuring that residents directly benefit from their use and impact. Since RTC’s inception, we’ve supported communities around the country—through partnerships, programming, advocacy and pass-through funding—as they address disparities in outdoor access and investment and seek to create inclusive, healthy, thriving places.
LEGACY SPOTLIGHT | A Look Back at a Transformative Project
The idea for New Orleans’ Lafitte Greenway began in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when residents saw an opportunity to transform a disused railroad corridor into a community asset. By 2006, RTC was providing technical assistance to trail advocates for the project, and eventually, it became one of seven initial sites selected for RTC’s Urban Pathways Initiative, which aimed to ensure equitable investment and organizational support for in-need communities. The 2.6-mile rail-trail, which opened in 2015, has become a gathering place for free fitness classes, public art and other programming—seeing upwards of 1,000 people per day. In the decade since, about $360 million in new development has poured into its surrounding neighborhoods.
FY 2025 SPOTLIGHT | Leveraging Partnerships to Transform Neighborhoods
For the past decade, RTC has led trail advocacy efforts in Milwaukee through the 700-mile Route of the Badger project, a developing trail network in Southeast Wisconsin.
Centered on neighborhood voices, the 30th Street Development Plan—which received a $1.6 million federal Reconnecting Communities Grant in FY 2025—introduces a new model of trail and mobility planning that leverages strong local partnerships. The project is designed to catalyze economic growth, workforce development and affordable housing opportunities while improving access to daily destinations for thousands of residents via a 7.2-mile shared-use trail.
“Milwaukee’s progress is a replicable blueprint for other regions. By working within the community to reimagine an industrial rail corridor as a vibrant shared-use trail, we’re creating connections that support mobility, economic development and quality of life.”
Trail Grants: Building Strong Foundations
RTC has distributed more than $3.7 million in grants since 2008, helping communities in nearly every state address missing links in their trail networks and maximize their impact. Thus far, 280+ organizations—including local and national nonprofits and public agencies—have benefited from the program.
In 2025, RTC awarded $398,000 in funding to 40 community organizations and public agencies working to increase connectivity and access in rural, suburban and urban communities—creating more safe access to more trails for more people in America.
“RTC’s grants make a big difference, often funding projects that fall through the cracks of local, state and federal programs, and allowing for investment in the community-based organizations critical to bringing these spaces to life.”
—Liz Thorstensen, RTC’s Vice President of Trail Development
FY 2025 SPOTLIGHT | Virginia’s Rivanna Trails Foundation Blends Youth Stewardship and Skill Building
“After seeing their hard work and sweat make a difference on the ground, and their voice part of trail infrastructure, the project will work to keep those voices engaged in making the Rivanna Trail more inclusive with more equitable access and participation.”
—Tommy Safranek, Rivanna Trails Foundation Board Member
RTC’s 2025 Trail Grants were aimed at helping grantees tackle critical elements of trail network development such as access, economic development, and youth and family programming.
In the summer of 2025 in Charlottesville, Virginia, a Trail Grant to the Rivanna Trails Foundation helped make possible Trailblazers, a teen-targeted internship program designed for youth to learn job skills in conservation and trail maintenance while connecting with the outdoors and benefiting their communities. The students had an opportunity to apply their stewardship to the Rivanna Trail, a wooded 20-mile path that encircles the city, as well as nearby Shenandoah National Park.
Participation
Today, there are 42,500+ miles of multiuse trails on the ground laying the foundation for the 150+ trail networks in development and connecting people to a wealth of benefits and experiences—engaging communities, creating opportunities, inspiring movement, supporting economies, providing access to nature and delivering joy. Since the turn of the 19th century, and from RTC’s founding 40 years ago, trails have proven that they are indispensable. When we show up on America’s trails, we send a message loud and clear that these spaces are essential to the places we live, work and play.
TrailLink—Your Guide to Trails
TrailLink is a flagship initiative of RTC, dedicated to mapping the nation’s multiuse trails and developing the most authoritative trail platform in the United States. By providing accurate, engaging and high-quality trail information to the public, TrailLink inspires and empowers millions of people to get outside and experience the joy of trails.
A powerful source of new RTC members, donors and advocates, TrailLink is critical to advancing the organization’s mission of building a trail-connected America. Since its launch, TrailLink has served more than 100 million users, inspiring deeper engagement with trails and helping grow the movement for trail access nationwide.
Discover your next trail adventure with TrailLink.
TrailLink Top 5 Trails in FY 2025
- Vermont’s Island Line Trail
- North Carolina’s Little Sugar Creek Greenway
- D.C. and Maryland’s Metropolitan Branch Trail
- California’s Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail
- Connecticut’s Air Line State Park Trail
“Love the TrailLink app both for the convenience of finding places to ride, but also directions, information, other rider reviews, pictures, maps and many other helpful features. Find a place to bike, run, walk, or skate. My go to app.”
—TrailLink user Papadano26
LEGACY SPOTLIGHT | Putting Trails on the Map
In 2000, Rails to Trails Conservancy launched TrailLink, making America’s growing trail network publicly accessible—and driving the burgeoning interest in trails that fueled the movement. Over the past quarter decade-plus, it has grown into a trusted multiuse platform—with carefully crafted and vetted content by RTC staff.
A landmark partnership with Google in 2007 enabled RTC to donate 12,000 miles of trail data, enhancing both platforms. In 2013, a mobile app further expanded its reach. To date, TrailLink has connected over 100 million people to 40,000+ mapped trails, inspiring America to explore, connect and find joy in the outdoors.
“What continues to set TrailLink apart in an age of crowdsourced information is the human expertise behind every page.”
—Eileen Symons, TrailLink Content Manager
Changemakers for Trails: Growing a National Movement
RTC’s ability to help trail supporters become advocates has helped to grow the impact of the movement over decades. RTC’s Changemakers for Trails initiative is the evolution of this grassroots work, building a team of people across the country equipped with the tools and resources they need to make progress for trails nationwide. Since the program launched in 2024, RTC has trained nearly 800 people in Changemakers trainings.
FY 2025 SPOTLIGHT | Making Change in Mississippi
Sherry Camp Parkhurst is a driving force behind Mississippi’s Tenn-Tom Bike Trail initiative. What began as a concern over unsafe roadways for families biking in her hometown has grown into a grassroots campaign to create a trail that will improve safety, encourage healthy living and bring economic opportunity to four counties. An official RTC Changemaker for Trails, Sherry brought her “contagious” passion, determination and enthusiasm to Washington, D.C., where she met with staff for Senator Wicker and Congressman Kelly to champion the project.
The Power of Celebration
Special events and programs on trails can have a ripple of positive effects for communities. They not only generate awareness for existing trails by providing firsthand experiences, but also demonstrate the potential impact of creating and connecting more trails to increase safety, access and opportunities for physical and mental well-being.
Celebrate Trails Day—an annual event on the fourth Saturday of April—makes clear the impact of connected walking and biking infrastructure in America’s small towns, suburbs and cities alike. In 2013, RTC launched its first Celebrate Trails Day (originally called “Opening Day for Trails”), with just a few dozen events. Since then, we’ve grown to participation in all 50 states.
The name changed in 2020, but the goal remains the same: To create a moment to demonstrate the widespread demand that exists for these spaces, while advocating for more spaces to safely walk, ride and get outside in more places in America. Every year, thousands of people converge to celebrate the invaluable ways these vital spaces make our lives—and the places where we live, work and play—better.
On April 26, 2025, participants enjoyed activities such as group bike rides, runs, festivals and volunteer cleanups—or spent the day on the trail with family and friends. People reported spending an average of 104 active minutes outside on Celebrate Trails Day, and 97% agreed that using trails makes a difference for their mental health and well-being.
FY 2025 SPOTLIGHT | Historic Hellbender Preserve Trail Opens
On Celebrate Trails Day 2025 in Jefferson County, Ohio, more than 600 people converged from across the region and beyond to celebrate the opening of the Hellbender Preserve and Recreational Trail, a multiuse pathway that’s opened up new connections to nature and has historic ties to Abraham Lincoln en route to his inauguration in Washington, D.C. The trail is the first multiuse trail in Jefferson County—and the county’s first completed piece of Ohio’s section of the Great American Rail-Trail.
“An Illinois family was driving home when they saw it on the Rails to Trails Conservancy site and detoured here to come and see it. We’ve had people drive up from Cambridge and down from Canton, too.”
—Aaron Dodds, Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District Project Manager
Hall of Fame 2025: Kansas’ Flint Hills Trail State Park
“This honor is a testament to the natural beauty of our state and the commitment of Kansans who have worked to preserve it. The importance of these parks to our state’s economic well-being, as well as to the quality of life of Kansans, cannot be overstated.”
—Laura Kelly, Governor of Kansas
Kansas’ longest rail-trail, the Flint Hills Trail State Park became RTC’s 2025 Hall of Fame inductee after receiving over 80% of the public vote. The eventual 118-mile pathway—with 93 miles already completed—connects five counties and more than a dozen rural communities, providing opportunities to boost the regional economy through tourism and recreation. The route partially traces the Santa Fe National Historic Trail, offers numerous cultural and historical sites along the route, and journeys through one of the last remaining tallgrass prairie ecosystems in the world.
Rails to Trails magazine
Since 1998, Rails to Trails has served as the national flagship magazine of the movement—telling the story of the impact of trails and walking and bicycling infrastructure on America’s communities—and the people who make them possible.
Organizational Excellence: Team #RTC
At Rails to Trails Conservancy, we are driven by the desire to be bold, inclusive, transformative and compassionate in all facets of our work, to achieve our goals of creating a nation where trails connect everyone, everywhere.
In Memory of Guy O. Williams
RTC was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of our dear friend and colleague Guy O. Williams, who passed away in July of 2025. A nationally respected leader in the environmental justice and trails and active transportation movements, Williams—who served as an RTC board member from 2002 to 2021 and board chair from 2013 to 2016—tirelessly endeavored to make communities better places to live and the outdoors accessible for all. He will be greatly missed.
Exploring the Trails Movement’s Origins and Impact
In October of 2025, PBS premiered “From Rails to Trails”—a documentary by filmmaker Dan Protess and executive producer Peter Harnik exploring the origins and impact of America’s trails movement—a political movement that emerged from the passion of citizen activists who sought to protect unused rail corridors by transforming them into trails. Today, more than 42,500 miles of multiuse trails (and growing) create safe places to walk, bike and be active in communities across the United States.
Finances
RTC is a nonprofit organization working to build a nation connected by trails. Our work is supported by our dedicated members and a grassroots community more than 1 million strong. Below is a summary of RTC’s activities and changes in net assets for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2025.
Revenue
Expenses
Net Assets
