How TrailLink Put America’s Trails on the Map
Every year, millions of people open TrailLink to answer a simple question: Where can I find my next trail? Whether they’re searching for a commuting route, planning a weekend adventure or simply looking for a safe place to walk with family, they turn to the nation’s most authoritative multiuse trail platform, with origins dating back decades.
In the late 1980s, Rails to Trails Conservancy was founded to guide a national effort to convert thousands of miles of disused railroad corridors into public multiuse trails. At that time, the primary focus was on land protection, community organizing and advocating for federal policies that supported rail-trail development to ensure that more rail-trails could get built. As the inventory of rail-trails steadily grew over the years, a new challenge emerged: how to make the growing list of open rail-trails publicly available so that people could find them.
This article was originally published in the Winter 2026 issue of Rails to Trails magazine and has been reposted here in an edited format. Subscribe to read more articles about remarkable trails while also supporting our work.
Launch of America’s Trail-Finder
In 1993, RTC published a printed directory called “500 Great Rail-Trails,” followed a few years later by “1,000 Great Rail-Trails.” Other guidebooks, focused on trails in a particular state or region, have been published every year since. But with the rise of the internet in the 1990s, a new solution took shape: an online database of trails that would be accessible to the public. When TrailLink.com launched in 2000, it made America’s growing trail network searchable, mappable and shareable—driving the burgeoning interest in trails that was fueling the movement.
In a time when the internet had begun to reshape how people accessed information, RTC created TrailLink to serve as a centralized, digital resource for trails that had previously been scattered across local guidebooks, park brochures and word-of-mouth recommendations.
According to Frederick Schaedtler, RTC’s chief technology officer, it was in 2005 that—with the financial backing of both Coca-Cola North America and the Tawani Foundation—RTC set an ambitious goal to map every rail-trail in the country. Armed with GPS (global positioning system) units, RTC staff and volunteers began systematically riding trails throughout America, collecting the geospatial data needed to create high-quality, detailed trail maps, including waypoints for amenities like parking and restrooms.
From Guidebooks to Digital Maps
TrailLink’s early development coincided with a pivotal moment in digital mapping. By the late 2000s, Google was expanding its Maps platform beyond roads and addresses, seeking accurate data on bike paths, greenways and off-road corridors.
RTC’s trail maps—already standardized, GPS-verified and meticulously maintained—“were exactly what Google needed,” affirmed Schaedtler.
A transformative partnership was forged. When Google launched bike-route directions in late 2007, RTC donated 12,000 miles of trail data to help populate the green biking routes now seen in Google Maps. In exchange, TrailLink was given the rights to use Google Maps as the underlying base for its trail maps. Today, TrailLink continues to partner with Google Maps to provide real-time trail locations, interactive maps and turn-by-turn directions for its 40,000+ miles of mapped trails.
A New Way to Explore
As the smartphone revolution changed the way many people consumed information on the go, it was time for another shift in how RTC shared trail information with the public: the TrailLink mobile app. Launched in 2013, the TrailLink app helps people find nearby trails, view detailed maps and descriptions, save favorites and get driving directions to trailheads.
Over the years, TrailLink has “reached more than 100 million people … delivering trusted trail information,” said Schaedtler, adding that the ability to inspire millions of Americans to explore, connect and find joy in the outdoors is one of the lasting TrailLink impacts RTC is most proud of.
“Other trail websites have sprung up since, but what continues to set TrailLink apart in an age of crowdsourced information is the human expertise behind every trail page,” said Eileen Symons, who has been with TrailLink since 2022 and currently serves as its content manager. While some platforms rely on user-generated content or automated processes, said Symons, TrailLink’s content is carefully crafted by RTC staff, who verify the details and routes with local and state agencies, trail managers and community advocates.
A National Community of Contributors
While RTC staff ensure the accuracy and reliability of the trail information, the TrailLink community—comprising millions of users annually—brings the platform to life, sharing photos, reviews, ratings, trail updates and even new trails. “Their insights and observations not only enhance TrailLink, but also help to connect people to the outdoors and to each other, strengthening the trail movement with every contribution,” Symons affirmed.
What began as a practical solution to help people find newly converted rail-trails is now, 25 years later, a trusted guide for anyone seeking to explore the outdoors with confidence and curiosity. Every trail explored on TrailLink also helps fuel RTC’s mission to build, protect and connect more trails for everyone in America.
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