TrailBlog Page 9

The Elwha River Bridge in Port Angeles along the Olympic Discovery Trail has two decks—one for vehicles and one (below it) for pedestrians and bicyclists. | Photo by John Gussman

Connections of Land, Sea and Sky: Olympic Discovery Trail

Posted 09/07/21 by Cory Matteson in America's Trails | Tagged with Featured Magazine Articles, Great American Rail-Trail, People with Disabilities, Tourism , Trail Businesses, Trail Destinations, Washington

Eventually stretching from Puget Sound to the Pacific Ocean, the Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) is a showcase of some of the most renowned cultural and natural assets on the North Olympic Peninsula.

Photos courtesy Dale Majors and TrailLink user protoolned, graphic by RTC

Trail Moments | How To Long-Distance Bike Tour With (Six!) Young Kids

Posted 09/03/21 by Dale Majors in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, How-to, Trail Businesses, Trail Moments, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

I know it’s intimidating to plan a route that will be safe for your family while offering sufficient camping and have other important necessities like access to grocery stores close to the trail. We’ve found that good rails-trail routes can be very forgiving to those new to bike touring. We’ve learned so much since then and wanted to share some of our hard-earned lessons to make things easier for you.

Photo by Lisa Watts, graphic by RTC

Trail Moments | The Great Bike Shortage? For Me, It Was the Great Bike Summer!

Posted 09/02/21 by Silvia Ascarelli in America's Trails | Tagged with COVID-19, Demand for Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Schools and Young People, Trail Moments, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

In late May 2020, during the early days of the COVID-induced Great Bike Shortage, I stood in line with a neighbor to buy a used bike. Her first bike. My neighbor Shahreen is in her late 30s and didn’t know how to ride a bike, so she asked me to teach her. And so began my Great Bike Summer.

Kansas's Flint Hills Trail State Park | Courtesy Kansas Tourism

Top 10 Trails in Kansas

Posted 09/02/21 by Robert Annis in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Kansas, Top10, Trail Destinations

The geographic center of the contiguous United States, Kansas served as, and remains home to, many Native American tribes, and was a frequent passing-through point for explorers and settlers heading west to find their fortune. Today, the state hosts five National Historic Trails marking these routes: the Oregon, California, Santa Fe, Pony Express and Lewis & Clark trails. In the latter half of the 19th century, railroads followed suit. Years after many of these rail corridors fell into disrepair and disuse, local Jayhawk communities saw an opportunity to offer fun, safe human-powered connections between cities, towns and parks throughout the state (although you’ll still see horses on some of the trails). This includes the creation of one of the longest rail-trails in the country.

Maine's Down East Sunrise Trail | Photo by Patrick Wojahn

Top 10 Trails in Maine

Posted 08/23/21 by Derek M. Strout in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Maine, Top10, Trail Destinations

Lighthouses, lobsters, L.L. Bean ... Maine may be renowned for these things, but we’re confident that its miles of multiuse trails belong on this list as well. Teams of visionary and devoted trail advocates across the state have created plenty of these amazing experiences for the whole family to enjoy. Here are just 10 of our favorite trails in Maine.

Michigan's Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail | Photo by TrailLink user jeanette.sheler

Top 10 Trails in Michigan

Posted 08/12/21 by Dayani Guevara in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Michigan, Top10, Trail Destinations

Michigan is home to an intricate and expansive network of multiuse trails. With 2,478 miles of rail-trails, trail users can easily weave through all parts of the state, getting a glimpse into both urban and rural environments. Michigan is also positioned in the perfect spot for breathtaking views of the Great Lakes—the state touches four of them—and the surrounding scenery. With so many beautiful trails to enjoy, here are just 10 of our favorites.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Misses Opportunity to Prioritize Walking and Biking as Essential

Posted 08/09/21 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Federal, Funding, RAISE, Recreational Trails Program, Transportation Alternatives

The U.S. Senate today passed the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, the bipartisan infrastructure deal that has been painstakingly negotiated by the White House and moderates of both parties—negotiators who were not necessarily experts in transportation policy. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s (RTC’s) analysis finds the end result to be lacking.

Tokul Trestle on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail | Photo by Eli Brownell, courtesy King County Parks

Washington’s Snoqualmie Valley Trail

Posted 08/09/21 by Agueda Pacheco Flores in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Demand for Trails, Great American Rail-Trail, Local Organizing, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability, Washington

To experience the best of what the Pacific Northwest has to offer, head to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail (SVT). It’s more than a state gem—the trail comes to represent a historical and cultural backbone of western Washington.

Photo by Shawn Gossman, graphic by RTC

Trail Moments | How a Rail-Trail Helped Save My Life and Redirect My Focus

Posted 08/06/21 by Shawn Gossman in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Health and Active Living, Illinois, Trail Moments, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

That first time I rode on the rail-trail, I fell madly in love with it and cycling. I also found my first hiking trail while riding the trail. I then started hiking and eventually created a YouTube channel to show friends and family where I hike and bike.

Indianapolis Cultural Trail | Photo by Indiana Cultural Trail, Inc.

Despite Earlier Fears, the State of State Trail Funding Looks Strong

Posted 08/04/21 by Andrew Dupuy, Brian K. Housh in Policy | Tagged with COVID-19, Demand for Trails, Funding, State and Federal Programs

As of the summer of 2021, the state of trails in the states is much stronger than we anticipated. In the summer of 2020—RTC successfully fought an attempt by some Pennsylvania legislators to raid a state outdoor recreation fund that supports trails. Expected similar assaults elsewhere never materialized.