Nestled in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Highlands, the New River Trail State Park offers 57 miles of green.

This Independence Day weekend, celebrate the birth and growth of America by riding or striding into the past. We hope you enjoy this list of Top 10 Rail-Trails for American History!

Sun, sea, and sandy beaches: Florida’s Sanibel Island is a summer sanctuary. Better yet, the island’s extensive shared-use path system—totaling 24 paved miles—provides access to it all.

Right now, in the middle of the 21st-century bike boom, the rail-trail movement is the most successful way to build trails for bikers and walkers. But it’s certainly not the first; many other plans for trail building have come and gone.

Chessie Nature Trail: In late fall, ash, oak and beech trees burn brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, where the Blue Ridge Mountains meet the Allegheny range.

Southwest Virginia’s 34-mile Virginia Creeper Trail (VCT) is timeless. The trail is a beloved regional asset and economic boon.

One of the cornerstones of Lincoln’s network, the MoPac Trail (consisting of the seamlessly connected West and East segments) begins at the University of Nebraska campus in the heart of the city and stretches eastward 27 miles, just shy of Omaha’s doorstep.

Minuteman Bikeway billed as “America’s Revolutionary Rail-Trail” is an 11-mile Tarmac ribbon that follows roughly the route of Paul Revere.

Already in place is the 13.4-mile Lower Las Vegas Wash Trail, which comprises the trail network’s eastern arc and is always a sure bet with beautiful parks, desert landscapes and vistas of the rugged mountains that ring the valley.

With a length of 55 miles, there’s a lot to love on western Pennsylvania’s Montour Trail. Our top five attractions for this rail-trail located just outside of Pittsburgh are included below.