TrailBlog

Five Common Types of Trail Use Rules (Everyone Should Know)

Posted 09/13/19 by Amy Kapp in Trail Use | Tagged with Safety and Law Enforcement, Trail Etiquette, Trail Use Tips

When you’re out on the trail, knowing and following the rules seems easy enough, but rules can vary from trail to trail. Some rules are universal, while others differ by state and municipality.

Shining a Light on the Transformative Impact of Trails in the Quad Cities

Posted 09/12/19 by Brandi Horton in Building Trails, Policy, America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Great American Rail-Trail, Illinois, Iowa, Local Organizing, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

The Riverfront and Great River trails, both host trails of the Great American and “spines” of a regional trail system between the states. Yet, while those trails have been so important to the region’s riverfront revitalization strategy, there is much more benefit that could be realized if two key gaps are filled, one in the Riverfront Trail in Davenport, Iowa, and the “Critical Gap Connector” between the Great River Trail and the Hennepin Canal Parkway in Illinois.

Michigan’s Falling Waters Trail

Posted 09/11/19 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Michigan, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability

Michigan’s Falling Waters Trail serves as a beloved community connector, linking the outskirts of the vibrant City of Jackson to the picturesque Village of Concord, which brims with Victorian homes. Though this destination rail-trail is on the shorter side at 10.5 miles, it’s onto something big. Actually, two really big things: it’s nestled within the Great Lake-to-Lake Trail route spanning the entire Lower Peninsula from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron, as well as the even more massive Iron Belle Trail, which connects 2,000-plus miles of trail all across the state.

When Trails United Us: A Look at Iconic People and Projects in America Right Now

Posted 09/10/19 by Ryan Chao in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, District Of Columbia, Great American Rail-Trail, People with Disabilities, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Rail-Trail State Policy 2019: Here’s What’s Happening Right now

Posted 08/29/19 by Andrew Dupuy, Brian K. Housh in Policy | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Funding, Local Organizing, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Texas, TrailNation

This year, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s state policy arm focused on strategies aimed at building financial support for trails, walking and bicycling over the long term, including the creation of advocacy infrastructure that should pay dividends for active transportation for years to come. Here’s a brief snapshot of where we are right now.

A Serious Injury Changed Cyclist Ian Mackay’s Life. Trails Helped Him Rebuild It.

Posted 08/27/19 by Scott Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Champions, Design Strategies, Great American Rail-Trail, People with Disabilities, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Washington, Why Use Trails?

A motorized wheelchair powered by sip-and-puff inputs coupled with the ever-improving voice recognition capabilities of a smartphone offered Mackay a degree of independence, and allowed him to get outside without a caregiver at his side at all times. The Olympic Discovery Trail, a rail-trail that runs near his home, called to him. “That trail is where I found my solace,” Mackay said. “I was a field biologist before. I spent a ton of time outside.” Now, he said, “I could start exploring the Pacific Northwest on my own and appreciate those loves I had before I was injured.”

Upcoming Railroad Abandonment in McCulloch, San Saba, Mills and Lampasas Counties, Texas

Posted 08/19/19 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Abandonment Notices, Corridors and Railbanking, Texas

On or about Aug. 9, 2019, Central Texas & Colorado River Railway filed for the abandonment of 67.5 miles of track between Brady (McCulloch County) and Lometa (Lampasas County) in Texas. We are providing this information because it presents an opportunity to develop a real regional asset: a multiuse trail that can accommodate hikers, bikers, equestrians and other appropriate uses.

A Closer Look: Connecting the Lower Rio Grande Valley by Trail

Posted 08/12/19 by Ryan Chao in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Caracara, Connected Systems, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, RTC in Action, Texas, TrailNation

Caracara is the name of the trail system developing throughout Cameron County, Texas, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley—a project that Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is honored to count among its TrailNation™ portfolio. The Caracara Trails will be a system unlike any other in a truly unique and special part of America—more than 428 miles of connected multiuse trails, U.S. Bicycle Routes and paddling trails all designed to inspire physical activity for residents and a regionwide “active tourism” economy.

Four Long-Distance Rides Along the Great American Rail-Trail

Posted 08/09/19 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Biking, Connected Systems, District Of Columbia, Encouraging Trail Use, Great American Rail-Trail, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, IHTC, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Washington

What better way to experience the beauty of America’s amazingly diverse landscapes than by bicycle? When complete, the Great American Rail-Trail will span some 3,700 miles across 12 states and the District of Columbia, but more than half the route is ready to ride now. Here are four sections of the Great American that span 100 miles or more with minimal on-street connections—perfect for multiday adventuring.

Trail Tourism Adventures Await Along Salmonberry Corridor in Oregon

Posted 08/08/19 by Nick Miller in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Oregon, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Wild and Wonderful

On the outskirts of Oregon’s largest city, there lies a treasure trove of outdoor adventure and wonder—the Salmonberry Trail, a planned multiuse trail stretching more than 84 miles through vast forests, deep valleys and coastal terrain. Oregon’s most ambitious rail-trail project to date, the Salmonberry Trail will eventually connect the urban center of Portland to the rich rural landmarks of Rockaway Beach, and towns like Wheeler and Timber, ending at Tillamook near the Oregon Coast. In the future, the trail could also help make up a coastal trail system from the City of Portland to the coast, and a larger loop that also links to major natural treasures in the state such as the Cascade Range and Columbia Gorge.

Mississippi’s Tanglefoot Trail

Posted 08/06/19 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Local Organizing, Mississippi, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Something new came to northeast Mississippi in 2013, winding through a handful of sleepy towns nestled into the bucolic foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and awakening a new sense of community pride. All 43.6 miles of the Tanglefoot Trail opened at once, becoming the longest rail-trail in the state, and connecting these communities together like never before.