America's Trails

Trail Caucus Kicks Off to Connect Wisconsin as New Projects Build Momentum

Posted 10/10/18 by Willie Karidis in America's Trails, Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with Community Events, Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Demand for Trails, Design Strategies, Health and Active Living, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability

Last week, an active and enthusiastic crowd of public officials, trail advocates, business owners and avid cyclists in Wisconsin gathered at the Wisconsin Bike Fed offices and Velobahn Coffee & Cycle to kick off the state’s newly formed Legislative Trails Caucus.

Baltimore Greenway Trails Network Lands $250,000 Federal Grant to Close Key Trail Gap

Posted 10/04/18 by Jim Brown, Avery Harmon in America's Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, Design Strategies, Federal, Funding, Maryland, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Urban Pathways

The Maryland Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that a total of more than $17 million will go toward improvements to bicycle and pedestrian safety and connectivity across the state. This is great news for Maryland and for Baltimore’s trail vision. Included in the announcement was a $250,000 grant awarded to the City of Baltimore DOT to support the development of a key segment of the Baltimore Greenway Trails Network, located along the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River between the Gwynns Falls Trail and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor!

Central Author of Historic Trail Legislation Named 2018 Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champion

Posted 09/27/18 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Policy, Taking Action, Success Stories, Building Trails | Tagged with Champions, Demand for Trails, Federal, History Happened Here, Rail-Trail Champion

One of the most important moments in the history of the rail-trail movement happened behind the scenes, with little fanfare or notice, when National Park Service (NPS) staffer Peter Raynor drafted an invaluable piece of legislation in just a few words.

The State of Funding for Trails, Walking and Biking: A Mixed Bag

Posted 09/13/18 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Policy, America's Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Federal, Funding

Since the program’s inception in 1991, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has been monitoring how these funds have been invested and the projects that have been built. Each year, the results are published in RTC’s Transportation Alternatives Spending Report. The most recent report was just released, summarizing how states used Transportation Alternatives funding in 2017.

San Jose’s Three Creeks Trail: Recalling the Valley of Heart’s Delight

Posted 09/11/18 by Yves Zsutty in America's Trails | Tagged with BATC, California, Demand for Trails, Health and Active Living, History Happened Here, Local Organizing, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability

San Jose’s newly opened 0.8-mile stretch of the Three Creeks Trail is the first phase of a planned trail system that will connect three other trail systems across the city. The urban trail also delivers the 60th mile of the growing San Jose Trail Network, one of the largest urban trail networks in the nation.

Las Reglas de Oro: Seis Cosas Que Debes Saber Para La Temporada de Senderos

Posted 09/10/18 by Alan Ibarra in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, How-to, Safety and Law Enforcement, Trail Etiquette, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability

Sendero: Un sendero es un camino o rastro de uso recreativo, típicamente en lugares cerca o dentro de la naturaleza. Tal vez ya lo haz escuchado, pero la temporada de senderos ha comenzado oficialmente. No importa si eres una persona que viaja diariamente al trabajo, un cuidador o un ciclista de larga distancia, es importante saber y practicar las medidas de seguridad cuando usas los senderos como medio de transporte.

Indiana’s Cardinal Greenway

Posted 09/06/18 by Robert Annis in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Best Of, Encouraging Trail Use, Facts and FIgures, Featured Magazine Articles, Health and Active Living, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Indiana, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability

Decades ago, a disused railroad line found new life, becoming the Cardinal Greenway, Indiana’s longest rail-trail. But with some ambitious new projects planned, the newest member of the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame—which is also celebrating its 25th anniversary as a trail in 2018—is about to experience yet another rebirth.

Nine Can’t-Miss Moments from Our Guidebook Mapping Trips!

Posted 08/29/18 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Biking, Encouraging Trail Use, Gear, Health and Active Living, History Happened Here, Mapping and Technology, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, RTC in Action, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?, Wild and Wonderful

We here at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy are a lucky bunch. Not only do we get to spend our days blazing the way for built and budding trails across the country, but, for a few weeks every summer, we also get to explore and map trails for our regional guidebooks.

1,400-Mile LandLine Plan Is Building Active Transportation Momentum in Boston

Posted 08/29/18 by Alan Ibarra in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Community Events, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Design Strategies, Health and Active Living, Local Organizing, Massachusetts, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability

Georgia’s Augusta Canal Trail

Posted 08/13/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Georgia, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Local Organizing, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Like the fabled yellow brick road, Georgia’s Augusta Canal Trail unfolds with a soft orange hue and unexpected delights with every footstep or turn of the wheel. The packed-dirt trail, spanning just shy of 8 miles, follows an old towpath that is enveloped in history, paralleling the oldest continuously operating hydropower canal in the United States.

These Farm Markets and Gardens Are Inspiring Health on America's Trails

Posted 08/09/18 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Featured Magazine Articles, Health and Active Living, LowerRioGrande, Success Stories, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

What’s better than a farmers’ market or community garden for providing locally grown food and encouraging good eating? Why, a market or garden next to a trail, of course! Here are three that are leading the charge for food equity, healthy lifestyles and social interaction in America’s underserved communities.