19 Awesome Rail-Trail Photos You've Probably Never Seen
Rail-trails provide ample scenery for photography, and often these opportunities produce stunning images!
We explored the Web for unique shots of rail-trails looking their finest. Take a look at what we found...
1 Klickitat Trail
Almost as fun to say as it is to experience, Washington State's 31-mile Klickitat Trail includes two disconnected sections. Trail users can experience 11 miles of this trail along the nationally designated Wild and Scenic Klickitat River. Learn more ➙
2 Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
The 72-mile Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes is ripe with stunning photo ops as it stretches through the scenic mountains and valleys of Idaho's Panhandle. This paved, wheelchair-accessible trail was selected as a member of the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame in October 2010. Learn more ➙
3 Sacramento River Trail
The pride of Redding, California's trail system is the Sacramento River Trail, a 16-mile network that runs along the banks of the Sacramento River, offering stunning views of the water and nearby mountains and a close-up look at one of the most breathtaking bicycle/pedestrian bridges in the country. Learn more ➙
4 Great Allegheny Passage
Now the longest rail-trail east of the Mississippi River, the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage spans two states, running from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Cumberland, Maryland, as it traces the paths of railroads that helped build America. Learn more ➙
5 High Bridge Trail
Spend a day in the clouds on Virginia's 32.4-mile High Bridge Trail, and experience its 2,440-foot-long central feature that towers nearly 13 stories above the mighty Appomattox River. This trail is a dream for both Civil War history buffs and those who love a good view above the treetops. High Bridge, now restored and part of the trail that winds through South Central Virginia, was a strategic point for both Union and Confederate soldiers near the end of the Civil War. Learn more ➙
6 Barnegat Branch Rail Trail
While other trails bask in golden leaves in the fall, the Barnegat Branch Rail Trail glows with fallen pine needles from the pine barrens that its region is famous for. Learn more ➙
7 Route of the Hiawatha
The Route of the Hiawatha never disappoints. This 15-mile trail carries you across, over and through the Bitterroot Mountains, with stunning vistas, mysterious tunnels and spectacular trestles along the way. This trail was selected as a member of the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame in October 2010. Learn more ➙
8 Santa Fe Rail-Trail
Incredible views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains enhance the desert landscape along the 17-mile Santa Fe Rail Trail. Learn more ➙
9 West Fork River Trail
West Virginia's 18.5-mile West Fork River Trail provides a snapshot of some of the most beautiful scenery in this region. The trail's path was once used by the far-reaching Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to deliver coal. Today's plans, however, are to transport people and link this rail-trail to the American Discovery Trail. Learn more ➙
10 High Trestle Trail
Iowa's 25-mile High Trestle Trail includes a dramatic, half-mile-long trestle rising 13 stories, with scenic overlooks and breathtaking views of the valley below. Learn more ➙
11 Ferry County Rail Trail
Just south of the Canadian border in northern Washington State, the Ferry County Rail Trail is nestled in between vast areas of national forest land as it runs along the seven-mile Curlew Lake and parallels the Granby River. Learn more ➙
12 Gainesville-Hawthorne State Park Trail
Connecting the university town of Gainesville with rural Hawthorne in Florida, the 16.5-mile Gainesville-Hawthorne State Park Trail makes for a great day trip, complete with a hill or two and plenty of wildlife. Learn more ➙
13 Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail
The 34-mile Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail is a trail users dream, offering scenic wonders from dense forests, open fields and lush waterways to railroad relics and delightful small towns. This trail was selected as a member of the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame in 2014. Learn more ➙
14 Sydney, Australia
While we're not sure of the exact trail or location for this image, we do know it's from Sydney, Australia, where the organization Rail Trails Australia is working to "promote and support local Rail Trail groups to establish an Australia-wide network of paths and linear nature reserves along closed railway lines."
15 D & L Trail
The D & L Trail is a combination of canal towpath and rail-trail following the earthen canal towpath on the east side of the Lehigh River and a crushed-stone rail-trail on the west between Slatington and the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. Learn more ➙
16West Orange Trail
Connecting small communities and suburban neighborhoods, the 22-mile West Orange Trail is one of Florida's most popular rail-trails thanks to its reputation and proximity to metro Orlando. Learn more ➙
17Katy Trail State Park
In Missouri, Katy Trail State Park is one of the nation's longest rail-trail projects—comprising nearly 238 miles of scenic trail built especially for walkers and cyclists and stretching east from Clinton to Machens in St. Charles County. This trail was selected as a member of the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame in September 2007. Learn more ➙
18 Lamoille Valley Rail Trail
The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail project is a growing trail network across northern Vermont that will one day stretch 93 miles between St. Johnsbury and Swanton. Learn more ➙
19 Ohio to Erie Trail
On Ohio's in-progress, 320-mile Ohio to Erie Trail, you'll one day be able to travel from the Ohio River in Cincinnati to Lake Erie's shore in Cleveland. Two hundred and forty miles of the vast system are already complete and open for use! Learn more ➙
Some contributions to this article were made by Katie Harris and Greta Zukauskaite.
