America's Trails

U.S. Spruce Production Division splicing an eye into cable during a logging operation | Photo courtesy Bert Kellogg Collection of the North Olympic Library System

End of the Line: How Timber and Train Tracks Transformed the Olympic Peninsula

Posted 10/25/23 by Ashley Stimpson in America's Trails | Tagged with Featured Magazine Articles, Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here

This History Along the Great American Rail-Trail® feature explores the timber industry and creation of two railroads on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula in the early 1900s. The late-1918 completion of the Spruce Railroad, which was meant to aid the war effort, led to a national scandal.

George S. Mickelson Trail at the Deadwood Trailhead | Photo courtesy South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks

A Milestone for the Mickelson Trail: Celebrating 25 Years

Posted 09/13/23 by Cindy Barks in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Legal Issues, Local Organizing, South Dakota, Trail Communities

The 109-mile George S. Mickelson Trail, named after the South Dakota governor who championed the trail before dying in a plane crash in 1993, was officially dedicated in the midst of much fanfare in 1998.

California's Mill Valley-Sausalito Multiuse Pathway | Photo courtesy Marin County Bicycle Coalition

California’s Mill Valley/Sausalito Multiuse Pathway

Posted 06/13/23 by Cindy Barks in America's Trails | Tagged with BATC, California, Ecology and Environment, Federal, Funding, Mode Shift, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

It’s a popular route for children heading to school, a place for retirees to get in a morning walk and a crucial link for bicycle commuters on their way to work. As any of its numerous advocates will tell you, coastal California’s Mill Valley/Sausalito Multiuse Pathway more than lives up to its multiuse name.

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.