Like the entrance to an alien starship, the fantastical channel of blue lights along the signature bridge of central Iowa’s High Trestle Trail beckons curious travelers to explore.

This destination feature highlights the sights and wonders of four trails around Virginia Beach: the Cape Henry Trail, Elizabeth River Trail, Norfolk Avenue Trail and Virginia Beach Boardwalk.

Missouri’s Katy Trail State Park is the nation’s second-longest rail-trail (at nearly 238 miles) and arguably one of its most celebrated.

Here are 10 more game-changing rail-trails (in no particular order) that have had an impact, as destinations, recreation magnets, economic drivers or transportation connectors, in the U.S.

Like a virtual rolling history book, remnants of an early-19th century canal unfold along the Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail as it journeys 85 miles through an eclectic panoply of landscapes in northeastern Ohio.

The Home of the Blues is climbing its way up thanks largely to an explosion of demand sparked by the Shelby Farms Greenline, one of the city’s most popular multi-use trails.

There’s a spot on the Foothills Trail in western Washington where I always slow down. It’s not a sudden steep climb or dicey patch of gravel that causes me to feather my bike brakes on the outskirts of Orting.

The Rio Grande Trail is quintessential Colorado, featuring a sparkling river, rustling aspens and scented pines against a backdrop of towering mountains.

The beloved Rio Grande Trail traverses this rich mix of terrains along a 42-mile route (nearly all paved) winding from the famed ski town of Aspen to Glenwood Springs.

Winding under lush tree canopies and through rocky cuts in the hillsides of the Appalachian region, the North Bend Rail Trail exemplifies “Wild and Wonderful” West Virginia.