Posts by Laura Stark Page 2

Alaska's Waterfront Trail | Photo Courtesy City of Seward

Top 10 Trails in Alaska

Posted 12/15/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Alaska, Best Of, Top10, Trail Destinations

With rugged peaks, sparkling seas and verdant forests, Alaska is unparalleled in natural beauty. Holding more than half of America’s national park land by area, as well as numerous wildlife refuges, national forests, state parks and other outdoor assets, opportunities to recreate in the state are nearly boundless.

Verna Volker | Photo by Jaylyn Gough, courtesy Hoka One One

Trail Moments | Native Women Running Founder Verna Volker Gets a Running Start on Social Change

Posted 12/06/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Featured Magazine Articles, Health and Active Living, Trail Moments, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Running is something that Volker picked up later in life, shortly after the birth of her third child. “I didn’t start until about 12 years ago, when I was at my heaviest, about 200 pounds. We had just moved from Nebraska to Minnesota, and I had a preschooler, a toddler and a newborn. But, in Minneapolis, I noticed that there was a really good trail and park system, so I saw people running a lot and thought, ‘I should try that.’ I started running, but I was so clueless. I didn’t even know how to shop for shoes, but I just kept running.”

Iowa's High Trestle Trail | Photo by TrailLink user dj123_45

Top 10 Trails in Iowa

Posted 11/05/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Iowa, Top10, Trail Destinations

In 1856, the first trains to ever cross the mighty Mississippi River entered Davenport, Iowa, ushering in a new wave of east-west travel across the burgeoning nation. Today, Iowa offers more than 900 miles of trail built along former railroad corridors, a result of its long history of leadership in trail development, including being the first state in the nation to put the Railbanking Act of 1983 to use. Looking forward, many of these routes are being utilized for the Great American Rail-Trail™, a developing 3,700-mile route across the country. Some of these amazing rail-trails are highlighted below along with other outstanding multiuse trails that showcase the beautiful terrain and welcoming communities of the state.

North Carolina's Neuse River Trail | Photo by TrailLink user protoolned

Top 10 Trails in North Carolina

Posted 09/23/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, North Carolina, Top10, Trail Destinations

North Carolina abounds in natural beauty with its vast wilderness areas, Appalachian Mountains and scenic Atlantic coastline. Providing access to these treasured outdoor places is a growing hub of interconnected trails, including the Carolina Thread Trail, extending into neighboring South Carolina; the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, a developing 1,200-mile footpath; and the East Coast Greenway, linking communities by trail from Florida all the way to Maine. With such a plethora of exciting routes crisscrossing the Tar Heel State, perhaps it’s no surprise that the state legislature recently designated 2023 as the “Year of the Trail.”

Perry's depot along the Raccoon River Valley Trail | Courtesy Raccoon River Valley Trail Association

Iowa’s Raccoon River Valley Trail

Posted 09/10/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Great American Rail-Trail, Hall of Fame, Iowa, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

In pastoral west-central Iowa, the Raccoon River Valley Trail has won this year’s blue-ribbon prize: entrance into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. The 89-mile pathway garnered some 16,000 votes in the national competition—a figure larger than the population of most of the small towns along its route, several home to fewer than 300 people.

Silver Comet Trail | Photo by TrailLink user papa t

Long-Distance Rides on Hall of Fame Rail-Trails

Posted 08/03/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Alabama, Best Of, Georgia, Hall of Fame, How-to, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, Trail Destinations

Here’s a fun look back at some of our previous Hall of Fame winners spanning nearly 100 miles or more. This collection of prestigious pathways—selected on merits such as scenic value, trailside amenities, historical significance and community connections—showcases some of the country’s best trail tourism destinations.

Georgia's Columbus Fall Line Trace | Photo courtesy of Dragonfly Trail Network

Top 10 Trails in Georgia

Posted 07/22/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Georgia, Top10, Trail Destinations

With 200+ miles of open rail-trail—and more in the works—Georgia is the South’s preeminent trail state. Burgeoning trail networks—like the Atlanta BeltLine and Columbus’ Dragonfly Trails—in its major cities, as well as segments of the national East Coast Greenway, are a testament to the growing status of the Peach State in the trail movement. Not to be outdone by their big-city cousins, several rural rail-trail projects are also actively being pursued, including the 39-mile Firefly Trail and 21-mile Man O’ War Railroad Recreation Trail. From urban settings bursting with cultural attractions to tranquil rides through bucolic countryside, here’s a look at some of Georgia’s best trail experiences.

Rhode Island's Blackstone River Greenway | Photo by Milo Bateman

Top 10 Trails in Rhode Island

Posted 06/01/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Rhode Island, Top10, Trail Destinations

With nearly 80 miles of open rail-trail, Rhode Island’s pathways offer a delightfully eclectic mix of small-town charm and big city vibrancy, remote wooded ponds and wide ocean views, industrial heritage and backcountry beauty. Even better, our smallest state is part of two of the largest trail projects in the country: the East Coast Greenway, stretching more than 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida, and the burgeoning six-state New England Rail-Trail Network.

MaShanta Ashmon on Michigan's Clinton River Park Trail | Photo by Rachel Walker | Graphic by RTC

Trail Moments | Finding Health, Healing and Hope on the Trail

Posted 05/13/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with COVID-19, Health and Active Living, Michigan, Trail Moments, Why Use Trails?

After a long day of being in the house, sitting in front of a computer for seven hours, the only thing I wanted to do was close down my Zoom and go outside and ride my bike. I think that kept me sane. It truly gave me something to look forward to.

The stunning 22-mile NorPac trail in Idaho and Montana, is a host trail of the 3,700-mile Great American Rail-Trail. | Photo by TrailLink user cstineyb

Great American Rail-Trail: Long-Distance Adventures

Posted 05/07/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Biking, Great American Rail-Trail, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Tourism , Trail Destinations

During the COVID-19 pandemic, bicycle purchases have surged, and trail use around the country has seen a sustained uptick of more than 50% over previous years. Being outside has helped millions to cope, buoying support—and demand for—projects like the developing 3,700-mile Great American Rail-Trail, the nation’s first cross-country multiuse trail. Here are just a few of the long-distance outdoor adventures to be found along this unique and vital route between Washington State and Washington, D.C.

Minnesota's Mesabi Trail | Photo courtesy of Iron Range Tourism

Top 10 Trails in Minnesota

Posted 04/09/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Minnesota, Top10, Trail Destinations

When it comes to rail-trails, Minnesota is a power player with more than 2,100 open miles of such pathways to explore in every corner of the state, including a half dozen rail-trails spanning more than 100 miles each. Today’s visitors can enjoy many of these long-used corridors now reshaped as trails for walking, biking, horseback riding and other outdoor pursuits.