Trail Blog by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Connectivity Evolution: Examining a Decade of Rails-to-Trails’ Impact, 2010–2020

Posted 12/31/19 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Success Stories, Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Capital Trails Coalition, Caracara, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here, IHTC, Miami LOOP, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Here’s a look at RTC and a decade of rail-trails—their power and their impact. As the 2010s built momentum, opportunities to maximize the power of these essential community assets became clear, and a new focus took hold at RTC and across the movement: that of regional connectivity and, ultimately, connecting the country by trail like never before. Check out RTC's connectivity evolution over the past decade.

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Graphic by RTC, photo courtesy Missouri Rock Island Trail Inc.

The Rock Island Trail Is a 144-Mile Would Be Game-Changer for Missouri

Posted 12/17/19 by Cindy Barks in Taking Action, Building Trails | Tagged with Corridors and Railbanking, Missouri, Rock Island, RTC in Action, Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations

All along a 144-mile stretch of Missouri’s old Rock Island Line, rural communities formerly known as railroad towns have been looking forward to a new possibility: a multiuse trail that would revitalize the long-unused train tracks.

Historic Virginia and Truckee Trail | Photo by Jenny Anderson Haas, courtesy Muscle Powered

Historic Virginia and Truckee Trail to Rejuvenate Famous Nevada Rail Corridor

Posted 12/05/19 by Donna Inversin in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Funding, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Nevada, Rail-with-Trail, State and Federal Programs, Trail Communities

The rail corridor’s new life as the Historic Virginia and Truckee Trail will connect five counties, five cities and six museums. Portions of the trail have already been constructed; Carson City, the state capital, has several miles of the V&T on the ground. And bicyclists ride along much of the old route, without even realizing it, through Washoe and Pleasant Valleys in Washoe County.

North Bend Trail into Cairo, West Virginia | Photo by Mike Tewkesbury

West Virginia and Pennsylvania's Parkersburg to Pittsburgh Corridor

Posted 12/05/19 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Featured Magazine Articles, Pennsylvania, West Virginia

The P2P: It’s a small acronym that holds a world of promise. Extending from Parkersburg to Pittsburgh (P2P), the developing 238.5-mile route connecting northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania by trail would be a game changer for the dozens of small, rural Appalachian towns that have seen the Cinderella story of the highly successful Great Allegheny Passage so close at hand.

Bicyclists gathered outside of the Richmond BART Station on Nov. 16, 2019, to ride together to the opening of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge bike and pedestrian path | Photo courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

New Transbay Crossing: Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Bike and Pedestrian Path Opens in California

Posted 11/18/19 by Ben Kaufman, Mary Elise Conzelmann in Building Trails | Tagged with BATC, Bike Commuting, Biking, California, Connected Systems, TrailNation, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

On Nov. 16, 2019, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge bicycle and pedestrian path—a new 6-mile trail that parallels I-580 in the San Francisco Bay Area, officially opened to the public in a special ribbon cutting ceremony. The opening of the new pathway—a fully protected east–west pedestrian and bicycle connection across the Bay—signifies an exciting time in California trail history, as people can now safely walk and bike between the North and East Bay for the first time.

The Underline in Miami, Florida | Photo by Lee Smith

USDOT Awards Over $120 Million to Benefit Trails and Active Transportation Around the Nation

Posted 11/13/19 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Alabama, Federal, Funding, Miami LOOP, Missouri, State and Federal Programs, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

On Nov. 12, 2019, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded substantial grants to support several trail and active transportation projects, as well as multimodal projects with trail and active transportation elements, around the country. These investments rose to the top in the highly competitive BUILD program (or Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Developments), which has taken the place of the popular TIGER grant program as USDOT’s means of funding important transportation projects that otherwise lack sufficient funding from other sources.

Facatativá to Puerto Salgar rail-trail project corridor field visit | Photo courtesy RTC

RTC Brings TrailNation Vision to President Duque of Colombia

Posted 10/11/19 by Liz Thorstensen in Building Trails | Tagged with Champions, Demand for Trails, Heritage and Restoration, RTC in Action, Rural Communities, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trails of the World, Urban Pathways

RTC was invited to Bogotá, Colombia by the city’s renowned Mayor Enrique Peñalosa to lend our assistance in the planning of the country’s first rail-trail project, just outside of Bogotá, culminating with a presentation to Colombia President Iván Duque Márquez.

Photo courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Shining a Light on the Transformative Impact of Trails in the Quad Cities

Posted 09/12/19 by Brandi Horton in Building Trails, Policy, America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Great American Rail-Trail, Illinois, Iowa, Local Organizing, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

The Riverfront and Great River trails, both host trails of the Great American and “spines” of a regional trail system between the states. Yet, while those trails have been so important to the region’s riverfront revitalization strategy, there is much more benefit that could be realized if two key gaps are filled, one in the Riverfront Trail in Davenport, Iowa, and the “Critical Gap Connector” between the Great River Trail and the Hennepin Canal Parkway in Illinois.

Upcoming Railroad Abandonment in McCulloch, San Saba, Mills and Lampasas Counties, Texas

Posted 08/19/19 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Abandonment Notices, Corridors and Railbanking, Texas

On or about Aug. 9, 2019, Central Texas & Colorado River Railway filed for the abandonment of 67.5 miles of track between Brady (McCulloch County) and Lometa (Lampasas County) in Texas. We are providing this information because it presents an opportunity to develop a real regional asset: a multiuse trail that can accommodate hikers, bikers, equestrians and other appropriate uses.

Salmonberry Trail | Photo by Connor Charles Photography

Trail Tourism Adventures Await Along Salmonberry Corridor in Oregon

Posted 08/08/19 by Nick Miller in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Oregon, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Wild and Wonderful

On the outskirts of Oregon’s largest city, there lies a treasure trove of outdoor adventure and wonder—the Salmonberry Trail, a planned multiuse trail stretching more than 84 miles through vast forests, deep valleys and coastal terrain. Oregon’s most ambitious rail-trail project to date, the Salmonberry Trail will eventually connect the urban center of Portland to the rich rural landmarks of Rockaway Beach, and towns like Wheeler and Timber, ending at Tillamook near the Oregon Coast. In the future, the trail could also help make up a coastal trail system from the City of Portland to the coast, and a larger loop that also links to major natural treasures in the state such as the Cascade Range and Columbia Gorge.

Atlantic County Bikeway in New Jersey | Photo Courtesy Atlantic County Parks and Recreation

New Jersey Trail Funding On the Line Despite Serious Need for Safer Bike-Ped Routes

Posted 08/02/19 by Liz Sewell, Sonia Szczesna in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Design Strategies, Funding, Local Organizing, New Jersey, Safety and Law Enforcement, State and Federal Programs, Urban Pathways

Like many states with older transportation infrastructure built on the highway system, New Jersey faces a number of serious challenges related to pedestrian and bicycle safety. Even as the state explores ways to make active transportation safer for citizens, related fatalities are on the rise. This trend illustrates a very real need for the state to rethink its infrastructure and invest in safe routes for people traveling on foot or by bike.

Notice: Upcoming Railroad Abandonment in Accomack and Northampton Counties, Virginia

Posted 08/01/19 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Abandonment Notices, Corridors and Railbanking, Virginia

On or about July 15, 2019, Canonie Atlantic Company filed for the abandonment of 49.1 miles of track between Hallwood (Accomack County) and Cape Charles (Northampton County) in Virginia. We are providing this information because it presents an opportunity to develop a real regional asset: a multiuse trail that can accommodate hikers, bikers, equestrians and other appropriate uses.