America's Trails

A Grand Slam: 2019 Opening Day for Trails

Posted 04/16/19 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Repairs and Trail Safety, Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, California, Capital Trails Coalition, Circuit Trails, Community Events, Demand for Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, IHTC, Local Organizing, New Jersey, Ohio, OpeningDay, Pennsylvania, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail Use Tips, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability, Wisconsin, Young Champions

Photo by Eva Garcia

On Saturday, April 13, people across the country kicked off the spring trail season on Opening Day for Trails (Opening Day). For the last seven years, Opening Day has brought trail newbies and long-timers together to say goodbye to winter and get outside on America’s spectacular trails and trails systems.

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Warren County Bikeway | Photo courtesy Eric Pfau

New York’s Warren County Bikeway

Posted 04/16/19 by Robert Annis in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, New York, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability

The Warren County Bikeway runs 10 miles between Glens Falls and Lake George, about an hour’s drive north of Albany. Riders pedal over rolling hills, past historic sites and picturesque New England villages, and through lush forests filled with pine and cedar trees. The trail is paved, but there’s a 1.5-mile section that takes riders off the path and along lightly traveled suburban streets and the Glens Falls Country Club.

Jones Falls Trail by Woodberry Kitchen | Photo courtesy Woodberry Kitchen

Spring is Coming

Posted 04/02/19 by Avery Harmon in America's Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Blog, Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition

Welcome to the third article in our Baltimore Community Blog. The weather is warming up, and we’re looking forward to spending less time indoors and more time on the trails. We’re also excited to get out and spread the word as much as possible about the trail network—so if you know of any upcoming festivals or other outdoor activities happening in the city in the near future that we should attend, please reach out to us.

Pennsylvania's Three Rivers Heritage Trail | Photo by Milo Bateman

A Sneak Peek from Rails-to-Trails’ 2019 Pennsylvania Rail-Trails Guidebook

Posted 03/13/19 by Amy Kapp, Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Great American Rail-Trail, Hall of Fame, Pennsylvania, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations

As a native Pennsylvanian, editing our new Rail-Trails: Pennsylvania Guidebook was a project close to my heart. Last summer, nearly two dozen staff members from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy went out to ride the state’s many wonderful trails to verify map data and waypoints (like parking and restrooms), and write detailed descriptions from our firsthand experiences.

Photo courtesy iStock by Getty Images

Step to it: Seven Ways to Spice Up Your Walks

Posted 03/13/19 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, How-to, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

It’s enjoyable. It’s a form of eco-friendly transportation. It’s exercise (and even an Olympic sport). It’s inexpensive—awesome entertainment. And it’s an unparalleled way to experience a place and to connect with your community. It’s walking.

Lift bridge, Hennepin Canal, night view | Courtesy of Hennepin Hundred

Illinois’ Hennepin Canal Parkway

Posted 03/11/19 by Cindy Barks in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Great American Rail-Trail, Illinois, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Threats to Trail Building, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Now, with its 112-year history, the Hennepin Canal Parkway seems a natural for its latest chapter—as a “gateway trail” in the nearly 4,000-mile Great American Rail-Trail, a cross-country route planned by Rails to Trails Conservancy (RTC) to stretch across the United States, from Washington, D.C., to Washington State.

Fun run 5k on W&OD Trail in Arlington, VA | Photo courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Here Are 13 Ways to Celebrate Opening Day for Trails on April 13

Posted 02/14/19 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Best Of, Community Events, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, OpeningDay, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability

This year’s Opening Day for Trails is going to be one of the best yet, as people across the country officially kick off spring by hitting their favorite pathways (or new ones!). Below are just 13 ways you can celebrate Opening Day in your own neighborhood and beyond.

Photo by Jeff London

Pennsylvania’s Mahoning Shadow Trail

Posted 02/12/19 by Danielle Taylor in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Community Events, Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Demand for Trails, Funding, Health and Active Living, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Pennsylvania, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Learn how the legendary groundhog Punxsutawney Phil helped create the Pennsylvania's Mahoning Shadow Trail in RTC's trail of the month feature.

Walkers and bikers on the Jones Falls Trail in Druid Hill Park | Photo by Side A Photography

Welcome to the Baltimore Trails Blog

Posted 02/11/19 by Avery Harmon in America's Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Blog

Hello trail supporters, and welcome to the Baltimore blog! It was another great year for the Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, and we are excited to share our progress and plans for the future through this brand-new forum! Check back regularly for updates about our efforts to advance the growing, 35-mile trail network, including community meetings, new developments and other relevant content. But for our first post—here’s a review some of our major wins from 2018.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail in Washington | Photo by TrailLink user biggerdawg

A View From … The Great American Rail-Trail

Posted 01/23/19 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, District Of Columbia, Featured Magazine Articles, Great American Rail-Trail, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, TrailNation, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

Imagine what’s possible with a trail that connects the country. Imagine ... pedaling across the entire country on a safe, seamless and scenic pathway—or walking a local trail that connects along historic routes. That vision will become a reality thanks to the Great American Rail-Trail, a signature project of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) and the organization’s most ambitious TrailNation™ project yet.

Tony Knowles Coastal Trail | Photo by Jody O. Photos, courtesy Visit Anchorage

Alaska’s Tony Knowles Coastal Trail

Posted 01/15/19 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Alaska, Best Of, Biking, Demand for Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability, Wild and Wonderful, Winter Uses

With views of the rugged Chugach Mountains and tidal inlets, Alaska’s Tony Knowles Coastal Trail offers a breathtaking experience unlike any other rail-trail in the country. Learn more in our Trail of the Month feature.

Keith on the Route of the Badger in Wisconsin | Photo by Ben Carter, courtesy RTC

Embracing Change

Posted 12/21/18 by Keith Laughlin in America's Trails | Tagged with History Happened Here, RTC in Action

As I reflect on my tenure and how our work has evolved since that day in 2001, I’m proud of RTC’s position at the forefront of the active transportation movement. We have grown significantly in the past two decades, seizing new opportunities to first build rail-trails and now to maximize those trails by connecting them with each other. Today, we have powerful initiatives underway designed to catalyze the development of trail networks nationwide.