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.

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.

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.

A thread of black in an emerald blanket, the Banks-Vernonia State Trail weaves its way between two peaceful towns in the foothills of Northwest Oregon’s Coast Range.

As one of the world’s longest networks of multiuse trails, the Trans Canada Trail connects nearly 500 individual trails across the country, building a magnificent piece of Canadian heritage.

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

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.

The story of Milwaukee’s Kinnickinnic River Trail is the story of its eponymous river; paralleling each other through the city’s south side, the fate of the two is intimately intertwined.