TrailBlog

U.S. Spruce Production Division splicing an eye into cable during a logging operation | Photo courtesy Bert Kellogg Collection of the North Olympic Library System

End of the Line: How Timber and Train Tracks Transformed the Olympic Peninsula

Posted 10/25/23 by Ashley Stimpson in America's Trails | Tagged with Featured Magazine Articles, Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here

This History Along the Great American Rail-Trail® feature explores the timber industry and creation of two railroads on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula in the early 1900s. The late-1918 completion of the Spruce Railroad, which was meant to aid the war effort, led to a national scandal.

Diestelhorst to Downtown ride | Photo courtesy City of Redding

California’s Sacramento River Rail Trail and Trail

Posted 10/05/23 by Agueda Pacheco Flores in Trail Use | Tagged with California, Connected Systems, Hall of Fame, Tourism , Trail Businesses, Trail Destinations, Trail Use Tips

The Sacramento River Rail Trail and its sister trail to the south, the Sacramento River Trail, together form a 21-mile major artery to a 200-miles-plus trail system of mostly dirt (but some paved) routes that can take users from Redding, a major urban area, into open areas of wilderness.

Patrick and Shevonne Travers on a trail trip through the Midwest | Photo courtesy Patrick and Shevonne Travers

Exploring Midwestern Marvels Along the Great American Rail-Trail With the Traverses

Posted 10/05/23 by Shevonne and Pat Travers in Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Great American Rail-Trail, Illinois, Iowa, Trail Destinations, Trail Use Tips

We thrive on these adventures—appreciating the unknown, the unexpected and the unique individuals we meet along the way. Being on our bicycles provides us with a sense of freedom and a way to stay attuned to the present moment.

George S. Mickelson Trail at the Deadwood Trailhead | Photo courtesy South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks

A Milestone for the Mickelson Trail: Celebrating 25 Years

Posted 09/13/23 by Cindy Barks in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Legal Issues, Local Organizing, South Dakota, Trail Communities

The 109-mile George S. Mickelson Trail, named after the South Dakota governor who championed the trail before dying in a plane crash in 1993, was officially dedicated in the midst of much fanfare in 1998.

The Panhandle Trail passes beneath a trestle on the Montour Trail | Photo by Milo Bateman

Pennsylvania and West Virginia’s Panhandle Trail

Posted 09/12/23 by Amy Grisak in Trail Use | Tagged with Connected Systems, Great American Rail-Trail, IHTC, Pennsylvania, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, West Virginia

Stretching 29.2 miles through small towns and the countryside of West Virginia and western Pennsylvania, the Panhandle Trail is a key piece in connecting several longer routes, including the Great American Rail-Trail®

Arriving in New York City at the end of an 1,100-mile biking journey from Chicago | Photo courtesy Luke Henkel

Trail Moments | Climate Activist Luke Henkel Pedals for the Planet

Posted 09/12/23 by Luke Henkel in Trail Use | Tagged with Bike Commuting, Ecology and Environment, Encouraging Trail Use, Trail Moments, Why Use Trails?

This inspired me to embark on one of the biggest adventures of my life: a 1,100-mile bike journey from my home in Chicago to New York City in time for Climate Week NYC.