TrailBlog Page 3

Live from SXSW With Karina Ricks on the Future of Mobility—and the Role of Trails for Communities

Posted 03/14/18 by Brandi Horton in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Bike Commuting, Community Events, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Design Strategies, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, IHTC, Mode Shift, Pennsylvania, SXSW, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Brandi Horton interviews Karina Ricks at SXSW 2018 | Courtesy RTC

Rails to Trails is at the SXSW Cities Summit this week, exploring the role of trails in the cities of the future. I caught up with Karina Ricks, director of the City of Pittsburgh’s Office of Mobility and Infrastructure. We talked about the city’s mobility needs and world-class trails—and the intersection of opportunity and infrastructure in a city that’s at the forefront of the future of mobility.

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White River State Trail | Photo by Traillink user dj123_45

Moms Blazing A Trail: Connecting the Route of the Badger in Union Grove, Wisconsin

Posted 03/14/18 by Katie Newcomb, Willie Karidis in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Funding, Health and Active Living, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Route of the Badger, State and Federal Programs, Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Wisconsin

Two moms balancing work, family and the urge to reconnect with nature, Petrick and Gallagher have dedicated themselves to establishing and raising awareness for the Union Grove Rails to Trails movement—an initiative to convert the Canadian Pacific Railway Corridor, an 11-mile abandoned rail corridor between Vandenboom Road and Sturtevant, into a hiking and biking trail. The new trail would extend the White River State Trail in Burlington to trails very close to Racine and to Lake Michigan.

How to Be Equipment-Ready for Your First Long-Distance Trail Ride

Posted 03/13/18 by Tom Sexton in Trail Use, America's Trails | Tagged with Repairs and Trail Safety, Biking, Encouraging Trail Use, Gear, How-to, Most Essential, Sojourn Series, Trail Use Tips

If you’re planning a long-distance ride spanning several days or even a week—you’re probably hitting the trails to get in tip-top physical shape. But fitness is only one part of the equation—as the shape of one’s bike and gear can also help to determine one’s overall experience.

Photo by Justin Smith

Seven Reasons You Should Go on a Trail Adventure

Posted 03/08/18 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Biking, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability, Wild and Wonderful

Do you favor seaside escapes over sleeping under the stars? Would you prefer a trip with the entire family or a solo expedition to find yourself? How about a relaxing retreat instead of rollercoasters? RTC's Sojourn might be perfect for you!

Hudson River Valley Greenway, a segment of the developing Empire State Trail in New York | Photo by Scott Stark

State Policy Snapshot: A Look at Trail Funding and Advocacy in 2017 and Beyond

Posted 03/01/18 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy, Success Stories | Tagged with BATC, California, Circuit Trails, Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Florida, Funding, IHTC, Local Organizing, LowerRioGrande, Miami LOOP, New York, Ohio, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Tennessee, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy monitors state legislative houses across the country to look for opportunities to advocate for new and innovative funding programs—as well defend and support trail funding under attack. And in 2017, RTC helped pass more than $103 million in recurring funding and more than $238 million in one-time funds for trails, walking and biking in states around the country.

Mario Brown from the Center for Health Equity at the University of Pittsburgh and Adventure Cycling member George Thomas in front of Bertie Hall, along the Niagara River Recreation Trail in Ontario, Canada, during the 2007 inaugural tour of the Underground Railroad Bicycling Route | Photo by C. Spratling, courtesy Adventure Cycling Association

Five Rail-Trails Along the Underground Railroad

Posted 02/15/18 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Canada, Connected Systems, Facts and FIgures, History Happened Here, New York, Ohio, Trail Businesses

Spanning more than 2,007 miles between Alabama and Canada, the Underground Railroad (UGRR) Bicycle Route, memorializes the network that helped slaves escape to freedom before and during the Civil War.

A Prescription for Congress: Invest in Transportation That Meets Americans' Needs

Posted 02/13/18 by Patrick Wojahn, Kevin Mills in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Federal, Funding, Government Agencies, Mode Shift, Partnership for Active Transportation, Private Fundraising, State and Federal Programs, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

President Trump released his proposal for federal policy to build—and rebuild—our nation’s infrastructure. More infrastructure investment could be great for America, but only if it is invested in a balanced transportation system that meets the evolving needs of 21st-century America. Balanced transportation means investing in maintenance for our roads and bridges. It means investing in public transit and rail systems.

The Strand with bike riders, Parklands of Floyds Fork | Photo by Ted Wathen / Quadrant

Kentucky's Louisville Loop

Posted 02/12/18 by Amy Ahn in America's Trails, Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Best Of, Facts and FIgures, Kentucky, Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Louisvillians officially named the Louisville Loop in 2005, but you could argue that trails run in this city’s lifeblood. In the 1890s, pre-eminent landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. envisioned large community parks connected to the neighborhoods of Louisville via “ribbons of green.” His tree-lined parkways still exist today and will serve as spokes to the 100-miles-plus Loop, once complete.

Photo by Ada Hao, Courtesy RTC

First Glimpses of Infrastructure Proposal Trickle Out: Here's What It Could Mean for America's Trails

Posted 01/25/18 by Kevin Mills in Policy, America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Cross-Sector Collaboration, Federal, Funding, Government Agencies, Partnership for Active Transportation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability

During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Trump promoted an idea that nearly all Americans agree on: Fund infrastructure to revitalize America’s crumbling roads, railways, water systems and more. Since then, RTC has been closely tracking the prospect of an infrastructure bill to maximize opportunities for trails, walking and biking.

Chicago Lakefront Trail | Photo by TrailLink user kristincreager

Best Trails of 2017 According to You!

Posted 01/25/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Success Stories, Health and Wellness, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, California, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Encouraging Trail Use, Hall of Fame, Health and Active Living, History Happened Here, IHTC, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Route of the Badger, TrailNation, Vermont, Walkability and Bikeability

America has an amazing collection of multiuse trails with scenery and experiences as diverse as the country itself. More than 3,800 trails are currently included on TrailLink.com, our nationwide trail-finder database—and more are added every week. Here, are the top 10 most-viewed trails by the 7 million+ trail enthusiasts who visited the website last year.