America's Trails

View of Lake Mead along the River Mountains Loop Trail | Photo by John Holman

Nevada’s River Mountains Loop Trail

Posted 05/05/23 by Stephanie Forté in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Nevada, Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

A few miles into the 12-foot-wide trail, towering snowcapped Spring Mountains to the northwest dwarf the Vegas Strip’s cityscape. Since 2012, it’s been a destination for locals and visitors—cyclists, runners, inline skaters and walkers. There’s even a 15-mile parallel equestrian trail.

A Chinese railroad worker on the developing Northern Pacific line in 1905 | Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections

Remembering the Chinese Forerunners Who Built the Northern Pacific

Posted 05/05/23 by Ashley Stimpson in America's Trails | Tagged with Equity, Featured Magazine Articles, History Happened Here

On Aug. 22, 1883, the final tracks of the Northern Pacific Railway were laid when a Chinese crew from the West met an Eastern crew of mostly Irish and Slavic workers near Inde­pendence Creek, Montana.

Exploring the Ohio to Erie Trail via skateboard | Photo courtesy Raveena Adams

Trail Moments | Long-Distance Skater Raveena Adams Crosses Ohio

Posted 04/10/23 by Raveena Adams in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Ohio, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail Moments, Why Use Trails?

On Sept. 22, 2020, I started my four-day, 300-mile skate journey. The route took me through many cities, such as Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, as well as rural forest areas and cornfields. Although I faced a lot of obstacles along the way, the weather was generally perfect—warm days feeling that dimming autumn sun.

Wisconsin's Ozaukee Interurban Trail in Cedarburg | Photo courtesy Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department

Wisconsin’s Ozaukee Interurban Trail

Posted 04/07/23 by Shelby Deering in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Funding, History Happened Here, Route of the Badger, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, TrailNation, Transportation Alternatives, Wild and Wonderful, Wisconsin

This is the Ozaukee Interurban Trail, a paved, 30-mile route flanking the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan through the northern suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Red Brick Road | Photo by Gene Bisbee

Explore Trails While Learning About the Nation's Rich History

Posted 04/04/23 by William G. Pomeroy Foundation in America's Trails | Tagged with CelebrateTrailsDay, Encouraging Trail Use, Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here, Trail Destinations

According to The Historical Marker Database, there are more than 176,000 historic markers, and there will be even more historic markers dedicated to elevating the stories of people and places along the Great American Rail-Trail®.

This Caboose greets visitors where the Katy Trail and the Rock Island Trail intersect in Windsor. | Photo courtesy Missouri Rock island Trail Inc.

10 Great Destinations Along Missouri’s Future Rock Island Trail

Posted 03/16/23 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Featured Magazine Articles, Missouri, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations

The state of Missouri is partnering with local communities and nonprofit groups to plan and develop the Rock Island Trail, which is situated along a 144-mile disused rail corridor between Windsor and Beaufort. When complete, the trail will showcase 23 communities and serve as a boon for outdoor tourism and economic development. Here are some of our favorite destinations along the developing route.

Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath | Photo by Jason Cohn

Of History and Industry: The Legacy of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail

Posted 03/14/23 by Cory Matteson in America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Featured Magazine Articles, Heritage and Restoration, IHTC, Local Organizing, Ohio, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development

“This towpath has made it so much easier for people to feel comfortable riding their bikes to a lot of places,” DevahD said. “You can shop off the towpath. You can eat off the towpath. You can play off the towpath. It can’t get any better than this.”

Overlook at 61st Street along Pennsylvania's Schuylkill River Trail | Photo courtesy SRDC

Pennsylvania’s Schuylkill River Trail

Posted 03/03/23 by Danielle Phillippi in America's Trails | Tagged with Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, History Happened Here, Local Organizing, Pennsylvania, Trail of the Month, TrailNation

The Schuylkill River Trail (SRT) is a multiuse path that will ultimately extend 120 miles between the small town of Frackville in east-central Pennsylvania and the confluence of the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers in Philadelphia.

Washington's Centennial Trail | Photo by Barbara Richey

Washington’s Centennial Trail

Posted 02/14/23 by Agueda Pacheco Flores in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, History Happened Here, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Washington

Traversing a region in northwest Washington known for its rural farmlands, lush riverbeds, forests and lakesides, as well as its historic districts with that timeless small-town feel, Snohomish County’s Centennial Trail is a popular route among the nearly 90 rail-trails in the state.

Photo by Helena Guglielmino

Travels Through Time on the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail

Posted 02/13/23 by Helena Guglielmino in America's Trails | Tagged with California, History Happened Here, Nevada, Trail Destinations

The bi-state Tahoe-Pyramid Trail (TPT) intersects some of the richest histories that have shaped the West as it follows the Truckee River on its developing 114-mile journey from the Lake Tahoe shoreline in California to Nevada’s Pyramid Lake. Here we showcase some of the diverse historical events trail users can learn about along the way

Once the most thriving coal district in the U.S., Scott’s Run fell on hard times in the 1920s. Residents who were not allowed to move to the nearby New Deal community of Arthurdale banded together, forming workers alliances and cooperatives to survive. (1937) | Photo by Lewis Hine

Industrial Heartland History: Scott’s Run—the Most Diverse Coal Camp in America

Posted 02/02/23 by Ashley Stimpson in America's Trails | Tagged with Featured Magazine Articles, History Happened Here, IHTC, TrailNation, West Virginia

Take a step inside the Scott’s Run Museum in Osage, West Virginia, on a Saturday afternoon, and you’re in for a story time like no other.