TrailBlog

Nebraska's Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail

Posted 09/12/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use, Building Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Funding, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Nebraska, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

The Cowboy Trail's spectacular crossing of the Niobrara River near Valentine | Photo by Eric Foster

Adventurers, take out your bucket lists and write this one down. Nebraska’s Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail offers an authentic Old West experience, small towns with genuine, friendly people and picturesque landscapes of the High Plains and pristine prairie. At a whopping 219 miles, it’s already the third longest rail-trail in the country and yet has 100 more miles awaiting future development.

Full Story
Volunteer on Anza Trail | Photo courtesy National Park Service

Five Great Ways to Give Back to the Outdoors

Posted 09/12/17 by Suzanne Matyas in Trail Use, America's Trails, Taking Action, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Community Events, Encouraging Trail Use, Maintenance and Volunteers, Trail Use Tips, Why Use Trails?

And although there is never a bad time to pitch in, with Make a Difference Day—an annual celebration of volunteerism and good deeds—right around the corner on Saturday, Oct. 28, we’re asking everyone to join us in making a difference for trails!

Bay Area Air Quality Management District joins RTC for the ride

Bikes, Buses, BART and Breathing: California’s Richmond Rides

Posted 09/01/17 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with BATC, Bike Commuting, Biking, California, Connected Systems, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Local Organizing, Safety and Law Enforcement, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Starting in 2016, RTC teamed up with Rich City Rides to lead a program called, “Richmond Rides! Bikes, Buses, BART and Breathing!” Supported by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, our goals were to foster more biking, walking and transit use to help reduce air pollution and improve personal and community health.

Donny Green leads a bike camp at Red Shed Bike Shop | Photo by Scott Stark

Big Hearts in the Smallest State: A Bike Camp Offers a Providential Pedal

Posted 09/01/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Taking Action, Health and Wellness, Success Stories | Tagged with Biking, Case Studies, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Funding, Health and Active Living, Rhode Island, Schools and Young People, Success Stories, Trail Communities

It’s a heartwarming sight, watching a new rider roll down the trail, a slow grin spreading across his or her face—experiencing that sweet mixture of freedom, independence and pride. It’s an image that Donny Green, director of a youth bike camp in Rhode Island, has seen many times.

Milwaukee Skyline | Photo courtesy iStock by Getty Images

A Plan for the Route of the Badger to Reconnect Milwaukee

Posted 08/28/17 by Willie Karidis in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Case Studies, Design Strategies, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Facts and FIgures, Walkability and Bikeability, Wisconsin

Southeast Wisconsin has more than 340 miles of world-class trails and the potential for incredible low-stress bicycling routes, but the honest assessment of access to many of those trails is a story of inequality.

Tampa Riverwalk, funded by a TIGER grant | Photo courtesy Matthew Paulson | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

How Funding for Trails Moves America: 5 Trails Funded by TIGER

Posted 08/22/17 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in America's Trails, Success Stories, Policy | Tagged with Arkansas, Case Studies, District Of Columbia, Federal, Funding, Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Private Fundraising, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Trail Destinations

The federal TIGER program has funded more than $340 million in projects for trails, walking and biking to date—making it a powerful resource for those who want to create multimodal transportation choices in their communities for those who cannot or choose not to drive. Through the leveraging of additional federal, state, local and even private philanthropic sources, the highly competitive program (which also funds highway, freight rail, transit and maritime projects) promotes interplay between all levels of government and the private sector and strikes a good deal for federal transportation investments.

Mass Central Rail Trail | Photo by Ryan Cree

Seven Stunning Sights From RTC’s New England Mapping Trips

Posted 08/17/17 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Biking, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Trail Destinations, Vermont, Walkability and Bikeability

Proud mountains, roaring seashores, tranquil lakes, forests with forget-me-not foliage, scrumptious chowders and wicked-awesome trails—yes, we’re talking about New England. These are just a handful of the attractions the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) team was lucky enough to experience while out mapping trails for our latest round of guidebooks covering Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. A time-honored and beloved tradition at RTC, our annual mapping trips allow us to experience trails throughout the country—up close and in person.

Mount Vernon Trail in Northern Virginia | Photo by Milo Bateman

Trail Policy 2017: The Latest Reports from Washington

Posted 08/17/17 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with Federal, Funding, State and Federal Programs

When Congress returns after Labor Day with 12 legislative days left in the fiscal year, there will be a lot on the agenda! In this video, Leeann Sinpatanasakul and Patrick Wojahn—Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s advocacy manager and director of government relations, respectively—break down what’s in store for trails.

The Banks-Vernonia State Trail is a verdant beauty running through its two namesake towns | Courtesy Oregon State Park

Explore These Six Trails to Get Your Nature Fix

Posted 08/16/17 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Best Of, California, Colorado, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, History Happened Here, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Trail Destinations, Vermont, Virginia, Why Use Trails?

Being able to spend time outside to connect with nature is a uniquely special feeling and has many health benefits. It’s also something we believe that everyone should be able to experience. Thankfully, trails enable people of all ages and abilities to do just that. In urban, suburban and rural places all across the country, trails can take us to (and are!) incredible natural spaces.

The trail winds through St. Tammany Parish towns and green spaces | Courtesy LouisianaNorthshore.com

Louisiana’s Tammany Trace

Posted 08/16/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Community Events, Encouraging Trail Use, Hall of Fame, History Happened Here, Louisiana, Tourism , Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

The Tammany Trace is a Southern belle nestled in the pristine natural surroundings of the Northshore across a vast lake from vibrant New Orleans. Spanning 27 miles, the paved pathway crosses a number of small creeks and bayous on more than two dozen bridges, connecting five quaint towns—Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, Lacombe and Slidell—each with their own unique character and appeal.

Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail in Tennessee | Photo courtesy SeeMidTN.com | CC by 2.0

13 Great Rail-Trails From Which to View the Aug. 21 Solar Eclipse

Posted 08/15/17 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Ecology and Environment, Mapping and Technology, Wild and Wonderful

On Aug. 21, Americans will have an opportunity to take in the astral beauty of a total solar eclipse! Thanks to data provided by NASA and the National Park Service, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy was able to identify the most ideal course—and best rail-trails—across the nation to view this rare phenomenon. Check out this story map, which highlights 13 rail-trails along the route.

New River Trail State Park, Virginia | Photo by Tom Bilcze

Moving the Dial: RTC Celebrates 30 Years of Impact

Posted 08/15/17 by Brandi Horton in America's Trails, Building Trails, Success Stories, Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with Best Of, Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, RTC in Action, Success Stories, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

For three decades, we have served as the national voice for trails, establishing a movement and setting the precedent that rail-trails are need-to-have community assets. As we build momentum, it’s a great time to pause and reflect on our achievements—and those of the rail-trail movement—summarized in RTC’s recently released 2016 Annual Report.