Skip to main content
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Access Membership Info DONATE RENEW
  • Meet RTC
    • About
    • Equity
    • Staff
    • Board
    • Press
    • Finances
    • Careers
    • Contact
  • Our Work
    • Great American Rail-Trail
    • TrailNation
    • Funding for Trails
    • Trail Development
    • Advocating For Trails
    • Applied Research
    • Protect Trails
    • Grants
  • Experience Trails
    • Trail Blog
    • Trail Moments
    • Celebrate Trails Day
    • Hall of Fame Trails
    • Rail-Trail Champions
    • Rails to Trails Magazine
    • Share the Trail
    • Trail Use Tips
    • Find Trails with TrailLink
  • Find Trails
  • Resources
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Resource Library
    • Trail-Building Toolbox
    • Webinars
    • State Policy Hub
    • TrADE (Transportation Alternatives) Data
    • Partnership For Active Transportation
    • Trail Stats by State
  • Store
  • Ways To Give
    • Donate
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Trailblazer Society
    • More Ways to Give
http://www.railstotrails.org/trailblog/?author=Laura+Stark&page=14
  • Home
  • Trailblog
  • Laura Stark

Posts by Laura Stark Page 14

Photo © Jordan Hart

Ohio's Great Miami River Trail

Posted 06/01/14 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Ohio, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

For those whose hearts call out for adventure as the summer begins in earnest, the fully paved, sinuous Great Miami River Trail irresistibly beckons. Nestled within western Ohio's Miami Valley, the 86-mile trail winds through woodsy parks beneath the soft rustle of tall, broad-leafed trees, quietly glides into the rich green and gold hues of farm country, and resonates with all the vibrancy and excitement of Dayton at its center.

Photo © Sheboygan County Planning and Conservation Department

Wisconsin's Shoreland 400 Rail Trail

Posted 05/01/14 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Wisconsin

Sheboygan County is rural, small-town America—no doubt about it. This is Wisconsin dairyland, situated halfway between Milwaukee and Green Bay, where the county seat is the Bratwurst Capital of the World. It's not the type of place that one would expect a thriving walking and biking culture, which made it the perfect candidate for a grand, national experiment that began in 2005. And in Sheboygan, the county's largest city, the Shoreland 400 Rail Trail was a little trail designed to have a big impact on changing modes and minds on transportation.

Photo © Bike Walk Twin Cities

Minnesota's Dinkytown Greenway

Posted 04/01/14 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Facts and FIgures, Minnesota, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Urban Pathways

"It isn't the longest bike trail in the city, but it is probably one of the most important," said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, clad in shorts and running shoes on a bright August day last summer before an energetic crowd celebrating the opening of the Dinkytown Greenway.

Photo © Christopher Martin/Atlanta Beltline Inc.

Georgia's Atlanta Beltline

Posted 03/01/14 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Georgia, Rail-with-Trail, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Spring is upon us, and perhaps no region is more thankful than the South, hit especially hard by an unusually brutal winter. Residents of The Big Peach are more than ready to head out on the Atlanta Beltline to soak up the warmer weather. In a city once known as Terminus, the BeltLine trail network is a re-envisioning of its railroad past for a new wave of pedestrian and bike-friendly urban design.

Photo © Jon Jonckers

Washington's Centennial Trail State Park

Posted 02/01/14 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Champions, Local Organizing, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Side-by-side as close as close as lovers, Centennial Trail State Park and the Spokane River run together for nearly 40 miles through eastern Washington, offering both a city and country experience.

Photo © Charissa Thacker

Florida's Blountstown Greenway Bike Path

Posted 01/01/14 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Florida, Heritage and Restoration, Overcoming Opposition, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Straddled between two well-known tourist hubs in the Florida Panhandle is Blountstown, a small city in Calhoun County with only two traffic lights. Nonetheless, it is a growing destination. At the center of this movement is the Blountstown Greenway Bike Path, which was taken from an unlikely prospect to the "heartbeat of the community" by a surprising trail hero, a radio-station owner.

Photo CC Dan Pieniak via Flickr

Michigan's Dequindre Cut Greenway

Posted 11/01/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Art, Local Organizing, Michigan, Signage and Amenities, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Everyone has heard about Detroit's troubles: the bankruptcy, the population decline, abandoned buildings and urban decay. What's not often heard is the story of the strength, resilience and pride of Detroiters. Underneath the rubble of bad press, hope grows as a revitalized riverfront and developing trail system are changing the way people think about the Motor City. A signature component of this movement, the Dequindre Cut Greenway, is itself a Cinderella story.

Trail rendering courtesy Michael Van Valkenburgh and Associates

EYE ON: Illinois' Bloomingdale Trail

Posted 10/09/13 by Laura Stark in | Tagged with Design Strategies, Featured Magazine Articles, Illinois, Local Organizing, Urban Pathways

At nearly 20 feet above four northwestern Chicago neighborhoods, the Bloomingdale Trail (a.k.a. The 606) will be a park in the sky. It's a lofty project to be created from an elevated rail line that once was referred to as "an overgrown linear jungle." Plans for the rail-trail include a dramatic facelift, featuring art plazas, entertainment venues, flowering trees, winding nature walks off the main trail, an astronomy observatory, and benches where trail users can rest and enjoy the views.

Photo © Forest Preserve District of Will County

Illinois' Old Plank Road Trail

Posted 10/01/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Illinois, Local Organizing, Overcoming Opposition, RTC in Action, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Traveling along the tranquil Old Plank Road Trail today, you would never know the site was once the cause of heated debate and a contentious struggle lasting 20 years. The paved 22-mile rail-trail now offers a canopy of oak trees and sugar maples rustling overhead, delicate prairie grasses that stir with the passage of bicyclists, and soft purple wildflowers that peek up through the green underbrush.

Image © SMART District

California's SMART Pathway

Posted 09/01/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with California, Rail-with-Trail, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Urban Pathways

When the sunset-hued Golden Gate Bridge first opened more than 75 years ago, it was the engineering marvel of its time. Just north of San Francisco's famed bridge lies an equally impressive transportation corridor for a new era. When complete, the aptly named SMART Pathway will include the most miles of bike and pedestrian trail alongside active railroad, 52, in the country.

Tennessee Central Heritage Rail Trail | Photo by TrailLink user wallinre

Tennessee Central Heritage Rail Trail

Posted 08/01/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Heritage and Restoration, Rail-with-Trail, Tennessee, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

The emerging 19-mile Tennessee Central Heritage Rail Trail offers the enticing potential to spur a new rush of economic opportunity.

Photo © Steve Stiert

You Think You Know Rail-Trails, Then Along Comes a Miniature Donkey

Posted 07/03/13 by Laura Stark in Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Community Events

Working on a story for the upcoming fall edition of Rails to Trails magazine, I learned about a fresh approach to rail-trail enjoyment from Steve Stiert of Ulster Park, N.Y., who runs a charitable therapeutic donkey program. He has seven miniature donkeys that he takes to nursing homes, schools, nature centers, or anywhere else where folks could use a little cheer courtesy of these cuddly and unusual animals.

Page 14 of 16

  • ≪ First
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • Last ≫
 Subscribe via RSS

Blog Categories

  • Taking Action
  • Building Trails
  • Policy
  • Trail Use
  • Success Stories
  • America's Trails
  • Health and Wellness

Most Popular

1. Exploring America's E-Bike Evolution (05/04/23)


2. Hiking Hacks: Long-Distance Prep Tips and Tricks for Rail-Trails 101 (02/14/23)


3. Of History and Industry: The Legacy of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail (03/14/23)


4. Seven Sensational New Rail-Trails to Celebrate in 2022 (12/21/22)

Support the trails you love and donate
Subscribe


Sign up for eNews to get monthly updates on trail news, events and success stories from across the country.

SIGN UP FOR ENEWS

Rails to Trails Magazine

Subscribe to the RTC Magazine
Subscribe Today

Shop RTC's Trail Store

RTC Trail Shop

Explore Hall of Fame trails!

Rail-Trail Hall of Fame

Guidebook Series

Plan your next trail adventure right from home! Get your choice of one of our 13 guidebooks with your support for the trails you love!

ORDER GUIDEBOOK

Find Trails Using TrailLink

Join the Movement

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

National Headquarters:
2121 Ward Court, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20037
Phone: 202.331.9696
  • Email
  • Contact Field Offices

Get Social With Us @railstotrails

Great American Rail-Trail
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's TrailNation
TrailLink by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
  • Access Membership Info
  • Log in
  • Press
  • Privacy
  • Security
  • Join eNEWS
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2001-2020 Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC). All rights reserved.