Posts by Laura Stark

West Virginia and Pennsylvania’s Parkersburg to Pittsburgh Corridor

Posted 04/16/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Bike Commuting, Community Events, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Facts and FIgures, Health and Active Living, IHTC, Maintenance and Volunteers, Pennsylvania, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Communities, Trail of the Month, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, West Virginia

Morgantown's Caperton Trail, part of the Mon River Trail System | Photo by James Riel

The P2P: It’s a small acronym that holds a world of promise. Extending from Parkersburg to Pittsburgh (P2P), the developing 238.5-mile route connecting northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania by trail would be a gamechanger for the dozens of small, rural Appalachian towns that have seen the Cinderella story of the highly successful Great Allegheny Passage so close at hand.

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Erie Lackawanna Trail | Photo by Eric Allix Rogers

Indiana's Erie Lackawanna Trail

Posted 03/16/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Community Events, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Indiana, Success Stories, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Northwest Indiana’s Erie Lackawanna Trail offers an experience of beautiful contrasts. The region boasts sandy dunes, a glimmering Great Lake and windswept prairies, but also has a rich industrial and railroad heritage, some of the largest cities in the state, and the urbanization and cultural vibrancy that comes with its close proximity to Chicago. The diversity and bounty of these surroundings is well matched by the area’s growing system of interconnected multi-use trails that’s allowing near-seamless people-powered transportation between these natural and manmade assets. The nearly 18-mile Erie Lackawanna Trail alone connects to or is in close range of half dozen other trails.

Chicago Lakefront Trail | Photo by TrailLink user kristincreager

Best Trails of 2017 According to You!

Posted 01/25/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Success Stories, Health and Wellness, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, California, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Encouraging Trail Use, Hall of Fame, Health and Active Living, History Happened Here, IHTC, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Route of the Badger, TrailNation, Vermont, Walkability and Bikeability

America has an amazing collection of multiuse trails with scenery and experiences as diverse as the country itself. More than 3,800 trails are currently included on TrailLink.com, our nationwide trail-finder database—and more are added every week. Here, are the top 10 most-viewed trails by the 7 million+ trail enthusiasts who visited the website last year.

D&L Trail | Photo courtesy Pocono Biking

Pennsylvania’s D&L Trail

Posted 01/17/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Delaware, History Happened Here, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail of the Month, TrailNation

If you’re only planning to take one bike trip this year, eastern Pennsylvania’s D&L Trail is not only at the top of our list, but also ranks in the top 10 most-viewed trails on TrailLink.com by trail users

Great Shasta Rail Trail | Photo by Christina Schmidlin with Hellikon, courtesy Great Shasta Rail Trail Association

A View From … The National Trails System

Posted 01/03/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Best Of, California, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Encouraging Trail Use, Federal, History Happened Here, Legal Issues, Maryland, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Success Stories, Tourism , Trail Destinations, Trails of the World, Virginia, Walkability and Bikeability, Washington, Wild and Wonderful, Wisconsin

In 2018, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act, which provided an incredible legacy for all Americans. Five of these iconic American experiences are listed below along with rail-trails that weave in and around them.

Westside Trail | Photo by John Becker

Nine Hot New Rail-Trails in 2017

Posted 12/11/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Wisconsin

Say hello to the newest batch of rail-trails! We’ve highlighted a few of these remarkable new pathways here—which are connecting people with each other and nature, providing new opportunities for physical activity and active transportation, and creating healthy thriving communities throughout the nation.

San Francisco Bay Trail in California | Photo by Cindy Barks

These Eight Trail Networks Are Connecting Millions of Americans

Posted 12/06/17 by Amy Kapp, Laura Stark in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Best Of, California, Capital Trails Coalition, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Ecology and Environment, Facts and FIgures, History Happened Here, IHTC, LowerRioGrande, Maryland, Miami LOOP, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Texas, Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Young Champions

In eight diverse areas across the country, through our TrailNation™ program, RTC is investing in projects that demonstrate what’s possible when trails are seamlessly linked together to form complete systems that are well integrated into the communities they serve—providing low-stress, high-quality and environmentally friendly transportation and recreation for all.

Missisquoi Valley Rail-Trail in Vermont | Photo by Dennis Coello

A View From … New England in Autumn

Posted 10/13/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Trail Destinations, Vermont

In the northernmost reaches of New England, nature’s autumn spectacle begins to whisper through the trees of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire in late September before peaking mid-October. Fall comes later to the states farther south—Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island—generally arriving in mid-October and lasting to early November. The region has an abundance of extraordinary rail-trails on which to experience this temporal artwork at a stroll or gentle roll. We’ve listed some of our favorites here.

View of Simon Kenton Trail bridge from Buck Creek Trail | Photo by Louis Agresta

Ohio’s Simon Kenton Trail

Posted 10/13/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Design Strategies, IHTC, Local Organizing, Ohio, Rail-with-Trail, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Trail Use Tips

Western Ohio’s Simon Kenton Trail, named for a 17th-century frontiersman (and friend of Daniel Boone), offers the perfect opportunity for today’s travelers to do their own exploring of the state’s scenic woodlands and rural landscapes on a 35-mile adventure stretching from Springfield to Bellefontaine. For an even more epic experience, the trail is seamlessly integrated into the expansive Miami Valley trails network, which offers 340 miles of paved trails coalescing in and around the Dayton metro area.

Volunteers on Montour Trail | Photo courtesy Montour Trail Council

5 Feel-Good Stories of Amazing Trail Volunteers

Posted 10/11/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Taking Action, Success Stories | Tagged with Community Events, Indiana, Maintenance and Volunteers, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Success Stories, Trail Destinations, Washington

I’ve had the pleasure of sharing more than 100 trail stories with RTC members over the years—and have been awed, inspired and impressed by the tireless work of trail advocates and volunteers too many times to count. Below are just a few of these—and I can’t wait to discover more.

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

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

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.