Posts by Laura Stark

Joe Rebar and Carol Walter on the trail | Photo courtesy Joe Rebar

Trail Moments | Biking Through Triumphs and Troubles

Posted 03/15/23 by Laura Stark in Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, People with Disabilities, Trail Moments, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

“I only go on rail-trails now,” Carol said. “They make me feel safer because I don’t have to be watching for cars and traffic. And I can’t go very fast—I have to go slow so that I can see.”

Pennsylvania's Newtown Rail Trail ribbon cutting | Photo courtesy Bucks County Planning Commission

Seven Sensational New Rail-Trails to Celebrate in 2022

Posted 12/21/22 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Caracara, Circuit Trails, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rail-with-Trail, Texas, TrailNation, Utah, Vermont

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is proud to showcase a handful of the new rail-trails that opened in 2022, bringing with them impactful changes that strengthened and improved the communities they connect while expanding options for people to be active outdoors—whether for recreation or transportation.

John and Janine Brobst in Philadelphia in 1981 | Photo by David Nilsson

Trail Moments | Couple Celebrates Half a Century of Healthy, Happy Biking

Posted 08/04/22 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Trail Moments, Why Use Trails?

Janine Brobst has always been competitive, cruising ahead of her husband John during their bike rides together—even uphill. Today, at 91 she still beats her husband, six years her junior, and keeps up with her daughter who’s a spry 69. John pedals behind on his recumbent and they all meet up together at designated points along the route.

Aerial view of the Mather Trestle along South Carolina's Spanish Moss Trail | Photo courtesy of the Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail

South Carolina’s Spanish Moss Trail

Posted 08/03/22 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Health and Active Living, South Carolina, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Aptly named for the moss-draped oaks along the route, the woodsy sections of the Spanish Moss Trail provide a cool respite in the South Carolina summers. As it winds 10 miles through Beaufort County on the state’s southern coastline, numerous bridges over salt marshes and small streams provide picturesque views and the chance to see pink-hued roseate spoonbills or snowy white egrets wading in the shallows.

Washington's Kitsap Peninsula Water Trail | Photo courtesy Visit Kitsap

Highlights of Our National Water Trails System

Posted 06/13/22 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Arizona, Featured Magazine Articles, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Tourism , Trail Destinations, Trail Use Tips, Washington, West Virginia, Wild and Wonderful

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the National Water Trails System, which recognizes exemplary water routes that increase access to outdoor recreation for health and wellness, promote tourism and economic development, and encourage the stewardship and protection of America’s vital rivers and waterways.

Colorado's Farmers High Line Canal Trail | Photo by Scott Stark

Trail Moments | Advice From a Mom: How to Get Kids to Love Biking

Posted 05/06/22 by Laura Stark in Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Encouraging Trail Use, How-to, Trail Moments, Trail Use Tips, Why Use Trails?

Biking has always been a part of Layla’s life, and as a middle schooler now she typically rides about 20 miles a week commuting to and from school. I’ll share some of the tips we used to help her become a successful and happy rider, and we welcome advice from other parents in the article comments.

Whitney Washington | Courtesy Whitney Washington

Trail Moments | Recapturing Life on a Great American Journey

Posted 04/14/22 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Great American Rail-Trail, How-to, Trail Etiquette, Trail Moments, Why Use Trails?

If a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, Whitney Washington’s 3,700-mile route across the country began with a few hard-earned turns of the bike wheel. She estimates that she traveled about 5 miles her first day, but as she gained strength and experience over the course of weeks and then months, that number grew to 20 and then 40 and then as many as 87 miles in a single day near the end of her journey.

Oak Leaf Trail de Wisconsin | Foto de Ken Mattison

Siete buenos consejos para andar en bicicleta en climas fríos

Posted 03/24/22 by Laura Stark in Trail Use | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Gear, Spanish, Trail Use Tips, Winter Uses

Cariño, hace frío afuera, pero los innumerables beneficios para la salud física y mental que conlleva andar en bicicleta no tienen por qué terminar en el invierno. No hay duda de que pedalear en áreas de nieve y hielo puede ser más desafiante, pero con una buena preparación y planificación, andar en bicicleta puede ser una actividad para todo el año.

Fortress Bikes interior | Courtesy Hal Simon

Trail Moments | Letting the Good (and Bad) Times Roll: New York Bike Shop Opens in the Midst of a Covid World

Posted 01/03/22 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Biking, COVID-19, Demand for Trails, Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail Moments

Simon’s bike rental shop, a first for the town, is situated on Hurleyville’s Main Street, just steps from the rail-trail. “It’s 7 miles of beautiful, flat pavement,” he said. “You’ll see bodies of water, farmland and forest. And the colors are gorgeous in the fall—you have foliage, history and wildlife.”