TrailBlog Page 100

Biking to Work: How to Get Started

Posted 10/26/11 by Jake Lynch in Trail Use | Tagged with How-to, Trail Use Tips

All over the country people are making the switch to two-wheels as an easy and efficient way to get around in cities, but particularly to commute to work. And innovative bike-sharing programs, like the new Capital Bikeshare system in Washington, D.C., are making it even easier to cycle between destinations in town.

High Line | Photo courtesy Friends of the High Line

New York City's High Line

Posted 10/01/11 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, New York, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

It's been hailed as the "miracle above Manhattan"—an unused and decaying stretch of elevated tracks in the Chelsea neighborhood that was rescued from near-certain demolition and transformed into one of the city's most popular and celebrated public spaces. The High Line was recently inducted into Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's Rail-Trail Hall of Fame.

Photo by dabiker, courtesy TrailLink.com

Oregon's Springwater Corridor

Posted 09/01/11 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Oregon, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

In a place renowned and envied for its parks, trails and general outdoors vibe, choosing the best of anything can be a major challenge. So when Mel Huie says the Springwater Corridor, a 21.5-mile rail-trail winding from the banks of the Willamette River in downtown Portland to the rural exurbs, is "the region's premier trail," it's saying something.

Prairie Spirit Rail Trail | Photo by Trent McCown

Kansas' Prairie Spirit Trail

Posted 08/01/11 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Kansas, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Running 51 miles between the towns of Ottawa and Iola in eastern Kansas, the Prairie Spirit Rail Trail State Park offers visitors a taste of rural, middle America at its finest—rolling pastures, lazy streams, wooded ravines, friendly townspeople, colorful wildflowers, big farms and an endless sky.

Down East Sunrise Trail, completed in 2

Path to Prosperity in Downeast Maine

Posted 06/02/11 by Mark Cheater in America's Trails | Tagged with Maine, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Stimulus

As a child, Bill Robinson used to ride his bike out to watch trains rumble slowly by on Maine Central Railroad's Calais Branch line, which bisected his family's property in northeastern Maine. Today, Robinson—now 39—has a new way of greeting traffic through his land: he's built a cozy, watertight wooden shelter, picnic tables and two campsites next to the former rail line, which was recently reborn as the 85-mile Down East Sunrise Trail.

Photo courtesy Richard Due | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Vermont's Island Line

Posted 12/01/10 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Vermont

Vermont's Island Line consists of the Burlington Bike Path and the Colchester Causeway, running from Burlington through Colchester and the edge of South Hero. The first seven miles are paved and managed by the city of Burlington. Colchester Parks & Recreation oversees the middle 5.5 miles, and the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife the final mile and a half.

Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park, Utah | Photo courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Utah's Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park

Posted 11/01/10 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Utah

Northern Utah is known for its voluminous snowfall and winter sports culture, but the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park gives tourists ample reasons to visit the area in all seasons, even when the fresh powder has all but vanished.