Posts by Danielle Phillippi

Overlook at 61st Street along Pennsylvania's Schuylkill River Trail | Photo courtesy SRDC

Pennsylvania’s Schuylkill River Trail

Posted 03/03/23 by Danielle Phillippi in America's Trails | Tagged with Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, History Happened Here, Local Organizing, Pennsylvania, Trail of the Month, TrailNation

The Schuylkill River Trail (SRT) is a multiuse path that will ultimately extend 120 miles between the small town of Frackville in east-central Pennsylvania and the confluence of the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers in Philadelphia.

Seattle Parks and Recreation staff gathered data on nearly 10,000 trail users over the course of 25 intercept studies on five local trails for the city's e-bike pilot program. | Courtesy Seattle Parks and Recreation

Seattle E-Bike Pilot Program Promotes Safe Shared Use on Local Trails

Posted 10/07/20 by Danielle Phillippi in America's Trails | Tagged with Health and Active Living, Mode Shift, Motorized Use, Washington

Like other cutting-edge West Coast cities, Seattle often sees the first waves of new technology, and recently, that tech has made its way onto the city’s trails in the form of e-bikes, e-scooters, hoverboards, solo wheels and more. Micromobility devices like these feature a small electric motor the rider can engage for a boost when needed, and in Seattle and many other urban areas, e-bike and e-scooter sharing programs provide convenient alternative-transportation options.

Photo by Jeff London

Pennsylvania’s Mahoning Shadow Trail

Posted 02/12/19 by Danielle Phillippi in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Community Events, Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Demand for Trails, Funding, Health and Active Living, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Pennsylvania, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Learn how the legendary groundhog Punxsutawney Phil helped create the Pennsylvania's Mahoning Shadow Trail in RTC's trail of the month feature.

Taylor on the chainless bicycle on which he won the world championship and broke world records in 1899. Uncredited photo, Taylor scrapbook. | Courtesy Major Taylor Association, Inc.

Honoring the Legacy of African-American Cycling Legend Major Taylor

Posted 02/16/17 by Danielle Phillippi in Success Stories, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Biking, Champions, Encouraging Trail Use, History Happened Here, Illinois, Minnesota, Success Stories

Around the turn of the 20th century, bicycle racing dominated America’s sporting scene, with top cyclists commanding the same media attention that A-list Hollywood celebrities enjoy today. As with other mainstream sports in the U.S., professional bicycle racing was generally understood to be for white competitors only, but in the late 1890s, an African-American dynamo exploded onto the scene, racing at record-breaking speeds that couldn’t be ignored. Today, Marshall “Major” Taylor’s legacy lives on in cycling clubs across the U.S. as well as a popular rail-trail in Chicago, his final resting place.

Trail's End Monument in Sedalia, 35 miles east of the Katy Trail's western end in Clinton, celebrating Sedalia's history as the first "cow town" | Photo by Danielle Taylor

Pathway to Prosperity: Missouri's Katy Trail Is a Beautiful Model for Commerce

Posted 12/02/16 by Danielle Phillippi in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Featured Magazine Articles, Missouri, Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations

Missouri’s nickname—the “Show Me State”—reflects its residents’ prudent tendency to question unsubstantiated claims, so when early proponents of the Katy Trail began advocating for its creation in the mid-1980s, it was only natural that their assertions of increased tourism and economic prosperity met with a few skeptics. However, the trail has proved its worth several times over in the quarter-century since it opened, and it now supports more than 400,000 recreational users each year as well as dozens of communities and hundreds of small businesses statewide.

Trail's End Monument in Sedalia, 35 miles east of the Katy Trail's western end in Clinton, celebrating Sedalia's history as the first "cow town" | Photo by Danielle Taylor

Destination Missouri: Katy Trail State Park

Posted 07/11/16 by Danielle Phillippi in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Featured Magazine Articles, Missouri, Tourism , Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations

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.The route bisects Missouri at its waistline, allowing trail users to glimpse a 100-foot-wide slice of the state and revealing some of the geographic variety, cultural diversity, historical significance and exceptional people therein.

Chris London is the community relations manager for Performance Bikes, which is celebrating Opening Day for Trails 2016 through the brand's Great Ride Series. | Photo courtesy Chris London

Kick Off the Trail Season With Performance Bicycle on April 16!

Posted 04/11/16 by Danielle Phillippi in Trail Use, Taking Action | Tagged with Biking, CelebrateTrailsDay, Community Events, Encouraging Trail Use

On April 16, all 104 Performance Bicycle stores in the U.S. will host Opening Day trail rides as part of the brand’s ongoing Great Ride Series, a national initiative that aims to reach non-riders and educate them on riding skills, bicycle maintenance and local trails. We talked with Chris London, community relations manager for Performance Bicycle, about their commitment to engaging new riders, his company’s Opening Day for Trails plans and one particularly life-changing find he discovered while riding.