Best Of Page 9

Trestle on Virginia Creeper Trail | Photo by Anthony Le, courtesy RTC

Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail

Posted 05/01/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Overcoming Opposition, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Virginia

Bicycling 68 miles in a day would be an accomplishment for most people. But doing it nearly every day is a testament to endurance and willpower. At 81 years of age, it seems an impossibility. Meet Lawrence the Legend. On any day of the week, you're likely to see Lawrence Dye, a slender man with big glasses, pedaling along the Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail on a bike that he says has been "a great friend."

Greenbrier River Trail bridge | Photo by TrailLink.com/gregblume

Greenbrier River Trail, West Virginia

Posted 06/01/12 by Jake Lynch in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, West Virginia, Wild and Wonderful

The Greenbrier River Trail, through Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties in east-central West Virginia, is the perfect embodiment of these sensations. In its 78-mile length, the rail-trail contains many of the elements that make the Mountain State one of America's favorite retreats: the peaks and valleys, the lush forests, the pioneering history, the genuine hospitality of its small towns, and, of course, the river.

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.

Route of the Hiawatha | Photo by Milt Hull

Idaho's Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes and Route of the Hiawatha

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

For trail lovers around the country, these two Idaho rail-trails hardly need an introduction: the 73-mile Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes and the 15-mile Route of the Hiawatha. They've been featured multiple times in Rails to Trails magazine, and in countless "Tell Us" responses, letters and summer remembrances. We receive gorgeous trail photos from family trips—some capturing the high-wire trestles of the Hiawatha, deep in the Bitterroot Mountains; others catching moose and expansive lake views along the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes.

South Dakota's George S. Mickelson Trail

Posted 05/01/10 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, South Dakota, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

With every curve and contour, the Mickelson Trail noses its way through the best of the Black Hills like a bloodhound. Indeed you'll feel as though you're hot on the scent of every stunning view. The result is a showcase tour of evergreen forests, rocky canyons, prairie-scapes, old mining towns and Wild West heritage.

Great Allegheny Passage | Photo by Blase Ur

Pennsylvania and Maryland's Great Allegheny Passage

Posted 07/01/07 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Imagine a continuous rail-trail 150 miles long where annually more than half a million visitors hike, bike, ride horseback, ski or fish. Imagine that trail in the making for more than two decades, growing 20 miles one year, three miles the next, a mere mile the following year, 13.5 the next—and so on. Piecemeal—the work of seven different trail-building organizations in two states.