TrailBlog Page 17

Colorado’s Rio Grande Trail

Posted 04/11/16 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Colorado, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Spectacular mountains along the Rio Grande Trail | Photo courtesy Roaring Fork Transportation Authority

The windswept beauty of sage brush and scrub oaks, richly scented forests of ponderosa and spruce, verdant crops and ranchlands ringed in jagged mountains and crystal clear rivers: These are the visual postcards of Colorado. The beloved Rio Grande Trail traverses this rich mix of terrains along a 42-mile route (nearly all paved) winding from the famed ski town of Aspen to Glenwood Springs.

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Former B&O Railroad bridge along the North Bend Rail Trail leading to the quaint town of Cairo, West Virginia | Photo by Mike Tewkesbury

Six Great Things You'll See on the North Bend Rail Trail

Posted 04/04/16 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Sojourn Series, Tourism , Trail Destinations, West Virginia

The North Bend Rail Trail exemplifies “Wild and Wonderful” West Virginia. For those who seek adventure on this remote and pristine pathway, RTC’s West Virginia Sojourn (June 19-22) provides a stress-free way to explore the 72-mile rail-trail with a friendly group of fellow travelers and experienced guides. Here are some of our favorite highlights from the route.

2016 RTC Florida Sojourn riders on the Black Creek Trail in Clay County, Florida | Photo by Mark Battista

Miami-to-Everglades … and Back Again: 2016 Florida Sojourn Recap

Posted 03/31/16 by Mark Battista in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Florida, Miami LOOP, Sojourn Series, Trail Destinations

Like birds winging south for the winter, more than 70 riders flocked to the sunny climate and balmy breeze of southern Florida to bike RTC’s inaugural Florida Sojourn, Feb. 29 to March 3, 2016. Here are some highlights from the four-day, 120-mile bike trek.

Fort Duquesne Bridge and Walkway along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (the hub for the developing 1,450-mile Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition vision). | Photo courtesy Wally Gobetz | CC by 2.0

1,450-Mile Developing Trail Network to Revitalize America’s Industrial Heartland

Posted 03/29/16 by Jake Lynch in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, IHTC, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability, West Virginia

The Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition envisions a 1,450-mile system of off-road trails that will connect many of the major centers of America’s Rust Belt and industrial Appalachia. The trail network will span 48 counties across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and New York. Here's more about this ambitious project.

Photo courtesy Green Lane Project

Safer Streets Ahead for Bikers and Walkers with New Federal Safety Rule

Posted 03/21/16 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Policy | Tagged with Federal, State and Federal Programs, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

Last Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released a new and improved set of requirements designed to increase transportation safety—including safety for people who walk or bike.

The well-loved Walkway Over the Hudson serves a multitude of users. | Photo by Fred Schaeffer

New York's Hudson Valley Trail Network

Posted 03/17/16 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Celebrating 30 Years, Hall of Fame, New York, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

The morning wind playfully tousles Fred Schaeffer’s hair as he stands in quiet wonder on the Walkway Over the Hudson—something he’s done for nearly a decade of mornings since the trail opened. The view looking out over the inky waters of the river more than 200 feet below and the sleepy hillsides awakening against a softly brightening sky is one he never tires of. The enchanting setting is fitting for something once deemed impossible.

Artist Lorraine Vullo's labyrinth memorial at the Historic Homestead Pump House in Pennsylvania | Photo courtesy Kordite | CC by 2.0

10 Amazing Things on the 2016 Pennsylvania Sojourn

Posted 03/16/16 by Maureen Hannan in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Encouraging Trail Use, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability

RTC’s 2016 Pennsylvania Rail-Trail Sojourn will be a breathtaking 110-mile bike trip westward along the historic Great Allegheny Passage. Celebrate Mother’s Day weekend with a three-day bike ride through scenic woods and rushing waterfalls, lofty trestles and surreal tunnels, wide rivers and old coal towns! It's going to be amazing.

Illinois Prairie Path | Trail photo courtesy David Wilson | CC by 2.0 | Photo of Watts by Isabel Wasson

How May T. Watts Inspired the Illinois Prairie Path and U.S. Rail-Trail Movement

Posted 03/14/16 by Amy Kapp in Success Stories, Taking Action | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Champions, Demand for Trails, History Happened Here, Illinois

May Theilgaard Watts was a writer, illustrator, naturalist, scientist and teacher. Her determination that Americans stay connected to their natural landscape in a time of increasing urbanization was the catalyst that led to the formation of the 61-mile Illinois Prairie Path, which today forms a 61-mile web through the Chicago Area.

Montour Trail in Pennsylvania | Photo courtesy Jim Brown

30 Years: Birth and Evolution of the American Rail-Trail Movement

Posted 03/10/16 by Amy Kapp in Success Stories | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Demand for Trails, Federal, Funding, History Happened Here

The U.S. rail-trail movement began not with a bang—but as an intriguing idea that quietly took hold in the Midwest in the 1960s and eventually spread across the country. Here's a brief history of the rail-trail movement and a glimpse of RTC's future focus on regional trail networks.

Glacial Drumlin State Trail in Wisconsin | Photo courtesy Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin | CC by 2.0

Meet the Badger: 500-Mile Trail Network Takes Hold in Southeast Wisconsin

Posted 03/03/16 by Amy Kapp in Building Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Route of the Badger, Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Destinations, Wisconsin

In October 2014, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) formally launched an initiative in Southeast Wisconsin that could have an enormous transformative effect on the region and America’s rail-trail future. The goal of the project, appropriately dubbed the Route of the Badger, is to connect completed trails in seven counties—Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha—into a world-class destination trail system.

Napa Valley Vine Trail | Photo courtesy Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition

The Verdict Is In: California Approves $133 Million for Trails

Posted 02/26/16 by Laura Cohen in Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with BATC, California, Funding, State and Federal Programs, Walkability and Bikeability

It was another great year for trails in California’s Active Transportation Program (ATP), the largest funding source for biking, walking and trails in the state. RTC recently learned that the California Transportation Commission has approved $133 million for 59 trail projects and separated bikeways in Cycle 2 of ATP.

Screenshot from Nick Falbo’s Protected Intersections explanation video, published February 2014

Safer Streets for All: Protected Intersections Arrive in the US

Posted 02/25/16 by Momentum Mag in Policy, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Bike Commuting, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability

“Sometimes, change builds up for years. And sometimes, it bursts.” These are the words of Michael Andersen in a recent Green Lane Project article about the sudden and almost unexpected arrival of the protected intersection in American cities. In “Four US Cities Are Racing to Open the Country’s First Protected Intersection,” Andersen details the concept’s journey from relative obscurity in North America to an enthusiastic reception in Austin, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Boston, Massachusetts; and Davis, California.