Posts by Laura Stark Page 9

Otago Central Rail Trail, New Zealand

Posted 12/01/12 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Overcoming Opposition, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Trails of the World

This month, fans of the popular Lord of the Rings movies are eagerly anticipating the latest installment of the acclaimed series, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. For an experience in Middle Earth, adventurers both tall and small can take their own journey along the Otago Central Rail Trail, a well-kept gravel pathway running 150 kilometers (more than 90 miles) through the region where many of the film's sequences were shot.

Grant's Trail, Missouri

Posted 11/01/12 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Heritage and Restoration, Missouri, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Only 10 miles from the famed Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Mo., fittingly lies Grant's Trail. Like the arch, which was built as a monument to westward expansion, the trail follows a former rail line that set out with an ambitious goal to reach all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Even though the tracks never made it that far, the trail has preserved much of the corridor's pioneering history and spirit.

Glacial Drumlin State Trail, Wisconsin

Posted 09/01/12 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Wisconsin

Wisconsin's 52-mile Glacial Drumlin State Trail follows the corridor of a former passenger railroad that some speculate was built by the Chicago and Northwestern Railway purely for political convenience. Completed in 1882, the Milwaukee and Madison Air Line provided a straight shot through rural countryside and several small communities to connect two of the state's most important cities—but very little in-between.

Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike and Hike Trail, Kentucky

Posted 08/01/12 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Kentucky, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Wild and Wonderful

Kentucky is perhaps best known for its horses, bluegrass and bourbon, but beneath the rolling hills of the state's Green River valley lies a natural treasure unmatched in the world: Mammoth Cave. With 390 miles of passages, it's the world's longest cave, more than double the length of its closest competitor. And now, thanks to the nine-mile Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike & Hike Trail, this geologic wonder is accessible by rail-trail.

Photo © Reynolds, Smith and Hills Inc.

From Razor Wire to Postcard Shot - New Bridge a Fine Feature in Gainesville, Fla.

Posted 06/29/12 by Laura Stark in Building Trails | Tagged with Florida, Signage and Amenities

There's no way to put this nicely: the Southwest 13th Street bridge was just plain ugly. But construction is currently under way to transform the Gainesville, Fla., pedestrian overpass--which once featured cage-like siding and razor wire on top- into a magnificent gateway feature for the city.

Photo © BJ Barnes

From Trash to Treasure: In Oklahoma, Locals Transform Long Neglected Rail-Trail

Posted 06/07/12 by Laura Stark in Building Trails | Tagged with Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Oklahoma, Overcoming Opposition

Cutting through dense woodlands that block the wind and offer shade from the hot Oklahoma sun, the Old Frisco Trail was the ideal place to run. But there was a problem. Long neglected, the trail had become so overgrown and in such disrepair that people began dumping their trash on it from nearby roadways (right), especially on days when the city dump was closed.