TrailBlog Page 25

Top 10 Rail-Trails for American History: A Fourth of July List

Posted 07/02/15 by Jake Lynch in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Heritage and Restoration

Heritage Rail Trail County Park | Photo by John Gensor

This Independence Day weekend, celebrate the birth and growth of America by riding or striding into the past. These former railroad corridors are deeply rooted in American tradition, trials and triumphs, and they provide accessible and inexpensive getaways. We hope you enjoy this list of Top 10 Rail-Trails for American History!

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Walnut Street Bridge in Chattanooga | Photo courtesy The Trust for Public Land

Transforming Chattanooga: How Rail-with-Trail Is Shaping the City's Future

Posted 06/26/15 by Katie Harris in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Rail-with-Trail, Tennessee

Dubbed the "Dirtiest City in America" in 1969, the Chattanooga of today is leaps and bounds away from that bleak vision. The "Scenic City" now boasts a flourishing outdoor culture and can proudly consider itself a healthy place for recreation, green space and living a full and healthy life.

Photo courtesy Wally Gobetz | CC by 2.0

Senate Bill Inadequately Funds Walking, Biking, but Provides Innovative Financing Options

Posted 06/23/15 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Funding, Walkability and Bikeability

On June 24, 2015, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will consider a bill that would freeze funding for the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP)—the biggest source of funding for walking and biking—for the next six years at a level wholly inadequate to meet burgeoning demand. The bill also would make low-interest loans available for smaller active-transportation projects. Learn how you can help, now!

Photo courtesy Doug Wertman | CC by 2.0

Notice: Upcoming Railroad Abandonment in Decatur, Norton and Phillips Counties, Kan., and Harlan County, Neb.

Posted 06/17/15 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Taking Action, Building Trails | Tagged with Abandonment Notices, Corridors and Railbanking, Kansas, Nebraska

On or about June 12, 2015, Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado Railway filed for the abandonment of 57.31 total miles of disconnected track in Decatur, Norton and Phillips Counties, Kansas, and Harlan County, Nebraska. We are providing this information because it presents an opportunity to develop a real regional asset: a multi-use trail that can accommodate hikers, bikers, equestrians and other appropriate uses.

Elroy-Sparta 50th Anniversary Celebration - left to right: Stephanie Klett, Wisconsin secretary of tourism; Kurt Thiede, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Keith Laughlin, RTC president; Brigit Brown, Wisconsin trails coordinator; and former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson | Photo courtesy RTC

The Trail That Started It All: Elroy-Sparta Celebrates 50 Years

Posted 06/15/15 by Elizabeth Striano in Success Stories, America's Trails | Tagged with Community Events, Success Stories, Wisconsin

Earlier this month, one of the oldest rail-trails in the nation turned 50! RTC President Keith Laughlin joined local leaders and residents from several towns along the trail’s path at a 50th anniversary ceremony sponsored by Friends of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail.

Sanibel Island beach | Photo by Robert Styppa

Florida’s Sanibel Island Shared-Use Paths

Posted 06/15/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Florida, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Sun, sea, and sandy beaches: Florida’s Sanibel Island is a summer sanctuary. Better yet, the island’s extensive shared-use path system—totaling 24 paved miles—provides access to it all: beaches, a wildlife refuge and rehabilitation center, a historical lighthouse and village, a renowned seashell museum, restaurants, shops and just about everything else in this laid-back community on the Gulf Coast.

Photo by Jon Lowenstein

Congress Extends Transportation Legislation Again; Attacks on Walking and Biking on the Rise

Posted 06/08/15 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy | Tagged with Federal, Funding, State and Federal Programs, Transportation and Health

At the end of May, the president signed an extension of MAP-21, the nation’s surface transportation law to fund roads, bridges, public transportation, and walking and biking projects, just as the current law was set to expire. The extension runs until July 31, 2015, when the Highway Trust Fund is expected to be depleted. Here's a closer look at what this could mean for trails, and biking and walking infrastructure.

Bike Around is getting lots of kids on two wheels in Baltimore, Md. | Photo by Molly Gallant

Charm City by Bike: Baltimore Program Gets Residents on Two Wheels

Posted 06/02/15 by Katie Harris in Trail Use | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, Biking, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland, has more than 6,000 acres of parkland and public space. But for some Charm City residents, these urban gems are giant unknowns—green placeholders on a map, but unexplored and undiscovered in real life. Fortunately, one program in particular, Bike Around, is helping to change that.

An illustration of "tourists riding bicycles" by A.B. Frost, circa 1896 | Courtesy Library of Congress

History Happened Here: Sidepaths and the Persistent Dreams of Trail Building

Posted 05/27/15 by James Longhurst in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Biking, Demand for Trails

In the middle of the 21st-century bike boom, the rail-trail movement is the most successful way to build trails for bikers and walkers. But it’s certainly not the first; many other plans for trail building have come and gone. Bicyclists were looking for places to ride just as soon as the high wheel appeared in America. This guest blog by Dr. James Longhurst explores the evolution of bike paths.

A still-standing coaling tower relic on the Armstrong Trail | Photo by Ron Steffey

A Well-Fought Battle for Good: The Armstrong Trail

Posted 05/23/15 by Katie Harris in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Overcoming Opposition, Pennsylvania, Success Stories

The 36-mile Armstrong Trail was forged in a fire hotter than any other. And, as the saying goes, those types of fires forge the strongest steel. Read about the incredible history of the creation of this western Pennsylvania rail-trail.