Trail Blog by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Hit Your Local Rail-Trail for a Thanksgiving Fun Run

Posted 11/20/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Community Events, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living

Thanksgiving fun runs are a great way to spend time with family and friends outdoors, and many are in support of noteworthy charities and trail organizations.

In D.C., Met Branch Community All About a Good Time

Posted 11/14/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use | Tagged with Community Events, District Of Columbia, Health and Active Living, Local Organizing, Urban Pathways

It was wonderful to see our efforts on the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) in Washington D.C. over the past five years bloom into an energetic and supportive trail community.

Waves of Change, and Unchanging Ways

Posted 11/06/12 by Herb Hiller in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Florida, Trail Businesses

My friend Ted and I recently completed a 250-mile journey by train and trail from West Palm Beach to Key West. We experienced waves of change juxtaposed with unchanging ways. Who knew you could now ride commuter rail through South Florida? Who knew that next to Miami International Airport, two lines by next year will converge with Amtrak, Greyhound, public bus, rental car stations and a bike facility with showers at the mammoth new $1.7 billion Miami Intermodal Center?

Trails Mean Business

Posted 11/02/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use, America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Overcoming Opposition, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Last year, Americans spent $81 billion on bicycling gear and trips, a sizable chunk of the total outdoor recreation industry which accounts for $646 billion in spending each year.

Outside St. Louis, Rail-With-Trail Boosts Capacity of Transit System

Posted 10/17/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use, Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Missouri, Rail-with-Trail, Urban Pathways

In St. Clair County, Ill., on the outskirts of St. Louis, Mo., the county transit district continues to extend its heralded MetroBikeLink Trail, a paved, multi-use trail that provides a fast and efficient connection from local neighborhoods to the metro stations.

Powerful Story of N.Z. Rail-Trail Rejuvenating Rural Communities

Posted 09/28/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Success Stories, Trail Use | Tagged with Overcoming Opposition, Statements of Support, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

This wonderful video from the folks at Path Less Pedaled demonstrates that the power of rail-trails is universal.

In Pa., Neighboring Towns Now Keen for Their Slice of the Saucon Rail Trail

Posted 09/11/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Pennsylvania, Statements of Support, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Serving a number of small communities in eastern Pennsylvania's Lehigh County, the Saucon Rail Trail is very much a work in progress.

Community Mapping Helps Detroit Take Back the Neighborhoods

Posted 08/23/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Champions, Mapping and Technology, Michigan, Urban Pathways

In addition to his work running an Earn-a-Bike program in the Osborn neighborhood (funded by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's Metropolitan Grants Program - a partnership with The Coca Cola Foundation), Scott has been busy using Google's open source platform to make a comprehensive map of bike friendly routes across Detroit.

Outdoor Recreation Industry Worth $646 Billion a Year

Posted 08/21/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) this month released an economic study that found that outdoor recreation is one of America's fastest growing industries and a major job generator in both the manufacture and sale of equipment, but also in the American communities served by recreation amenities.

A Simple Machine Opens Big Door for Kids in U.S. Cities

Posted 08/10/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use | Tagged with RTC in Action, Schools and Young People, Urban Pathways

Detroit knows what time it is. We love this great story at Mode Shift (right) about the Earn-a-Bike program Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is funding in Detroit's Osborn community.

Photo © San Antonio Express-News/Lisa Krantz

All Across Texas, Cities Boost Bike-ability

Posted 08/09/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use, Success Stories | Tagged with State and Federal Programs, Texas, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability

The times are a'changing in Texas. In centers like Denton, San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Fort Worth, planners are recognizing the importance of bike (and pedestrian) infrastructure, and as a result, ridership and bike-inspired initiatives are on the up.

New TrailLink.com - Moving Fast With the High Tech World of Trail Mapping

Posted 08/08/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use | Tagged with Mapping and Technology, RTC in Action

When Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) launched our trail-finder website, TrailLink.com, way back in 2000, its uniqueness was based on a simple premise: Combine our own extensive trail experience with the input, reviews and photos of thousands of trail users around the country-and with all external submissions vetted by RTC's own expert staff. The result was a free trail-finder service unmatched in terms of coverage but also accuracy.

Trail Use Page 20