Skip to main content
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Access Membership Info DONATE RENEW
  • Meet RTC
    • About
    • Equity
    • Staff
    • Board
    • Press
    • Finances
    • Careers
    • Contact
  • Our Work
    • Great American Rail-Trail
    • TrailNation
    • Funding for Trails
    • Trail Development
    • Advocating For Trails
    • Applied Research
    • Protect Trails
    • Grants
  • Experience Trails
    • Trail Blog
    • Trail Moments
    • Celebrate Trails Day
    • Hall of Fame Trails
    • Rail-Trail Champions
    • Rails to Trails Magazine
    • Share the Trail
    • Trail Use Tips
    • Find Trails with TrailLink
  • Find Trails
  • Resources
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Resource Library
    • Trail-Building Toolbox
    • Webinars
    • State Policy Hub
    • TrADE (Transportation Alternatives) Data
    • Partnership For Active Transportation
    • Trail Stats by State
  • Store
  • Ways To Give
    • Donate
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Trailblazer Society
    • More Ways to Give
http://www.railstotrails.org/trailblog/?tag=Best+Of&page=6
  • Home
  • Trailblog
  • Best Of

Best Of Page 6

Arizona's Prescott Peavine National Recreational Trail | Photo by Cindy Barks

Top 10 Trails in Arizona

Posted 06/08/21 by Cindy Barks in America's Trails | Tagged with Arizona, Best Of, Top10, Trail Destinations

From the vast chasm of the Grand Canyon to the cactus/tumbleweed landscape of the Sonoran Desert, Arizona’s trails are big on both views and culture. In fact, if it’s iconic scenes of the American West you’re after, the Grand Canyon State’s trails are among the best places to find them. Along with the classic desert and canyon terrain that Arizona is famous for, the top trails take in canal-side settings through metropolitan areas and railroad routes that once served rural communities. Here are 10 of our favorite trails for savoring the vistas and soaking up the history.

Rhode Island's Blackstone River Greenway | Photo by Milo Bateman

Top 10 Trails in Rhode Island

Posted 06/01/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Rhode Island, Top10, Trail Destinations

With nearly 80 miles of open rail-trail, Rhode Island’s pathways offer a delightfully eclectic mix of small-town charm and big city vibrancy, remote wooded ponds and wide ocean views, industrial heritage and backcountry beauty. Even better, our smallest state is part of two of the largest trail projects in the country: the East Coast Greenway, stretching more than 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida, and the burgeoning six-state New England Rail-Trail Network.

South Carolina's Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail | Photo by Barry Peters

Top 10 Trails in South Carolina

Posted 05/24/21 by Robert Annis in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, South Carolina, Top10, Trail Destinations

If you can’t decide whether to visit a still forest or coastal beach, a bustling city or more rural environments, South Carolina has you covered. Thanks to the Palmetto State’s trail system, you can often experience it all on one greenway. Best of all, exploring by foot or by bike means you’ll have an even better excuse to sample the cuisine South Carolina is known for. You’ll find plenty opportunities to refuel along the state’s trails, from small stands hawking boiled peanuts to Carolina barbecue joints to restaurants serving the incredible low-country specialties inspired by the Gullah Geechee, one of the oldest and culturally rich African American populations in the nation.

Connecticut's Charter Oak Greenway | Photo by TrailLink user ctaci

Top 10 Trails in Connecticut

Posted 05/17/21 by Gene Bisbee in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connecticut, Top10, Trail Destinations

Railroads and canals both played huge roles in Connecticut’s early economic development. Today those corridors serve as trails for bicyclists, walkers, equestrians and others seeking quality time outdoors. Many are heavily wooded, creating shade on hot summer days and colorful displays in the fall. They also provide alternative transportation opportunities for commuters in the Constitution State’s largest cities. Long-distance travelers will find 98 trail miles of the 3,000-mile-long East Coast Greenway within the state’s borders, as well as segments of the New England Rail-Trail Spine Network.

Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail | Courtesy Erin Kirkland

Alaska’s Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail

Posted 05/13/21 by Christina Sturdivant Sani in America's Trails | Tagged with Alaska, Best Of, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Local Organizing, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability, Wild and Wonderful, Winter Uses

The Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail is a beautiful oasis in the middle of Anchorage, Alaska. Running east to west from Goose Lake Park to Westchester Lagoon, the greenbelt boasts scenic views of the Chugach Mountains. “You would never know you’re going through an industrial area,” said Beth Nordlund, the executive director of the Anchorage Park Foundation.

The stunning 22-mile NorPac trail in Idaho and Montana, is a host trail of the 3,700-mile Great American Rail-Trail. | Photo by TrailLink user cstineyb

Great American Rail-Trail: Long-Distance Adventures

Posted 05/07/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Biking, Great American Rail-Trail, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Tourism , Trail Destinations

During the COVID-19 pandemic, bicycle purchases have surged, and trail use around the country has seen a sustained uptick of more than 50% over previous years. Being outside has helped millions to cope, buoying support—and demand for—projects like the developing 3,700-mile Great American Rail-Trail, the nation’s first cross-country multiuse trail. Here are just a few of the long-distance outdoor adventures to be found along this unique and vital route between Washington State and Washington, D.C.

Montana's Headwaters Trail System | Photo by Scott Stark

Top 10 Trails in Montana

Posted 05/06/21 by Amy Grisak in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Great American Rail-Trail, Montana, Top10, Trail Destinations, TrailNation

Montana has plenty of room to roam. With roughly 30-million acres of state and federal lands, choosing the path less traveled is a distinct possibility. Wide open spaces take you through rolling grasslands and bucolic farmland, and past peaceful waterways within sight of, if not surrounded by, spectacular mountains. And the trails within towns, such as the former Milwaukee Road that is now part of the Riverfront Trail in Missoula, give users opportunities to explore the nuances of neighborhoods and natural areas within these more populated, but rarely crowded, regions. With continual improvements on the trail systems throughout the state every year, here is a handful of our current favorites.

Wyoming's Platte River Trail | Photo by Traillink user kellywheeler

Top 10 Trails in Wyoming

Posted 04/30/21 by Ally Neutze in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Top10, Trail Destinations, Wyoming

Split between the Rocky Mountains and the High Plains, Wyoming captures the wild spirit and rich history of the American West. The least populous state in the contiguous United States, Big Wyoming offers some of the most scenic views in the country, many of which can be found in the state’s two beloved national parks: Grand Teton and Yellowstone.

Virginia Creeper Trail | Photo by Anthony Le

Top 10 Trails in Virginia

Posted 04/20/21 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Capital Trails Coalition, Top10, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, Virginia

The Old Dominion is truly a Commonwealth—of trails, that is, with some 49 connecting some of the country’s most renowned geographic and cultural landmarks, and 11 more on the way. Here are just some of the reasons why we think Virginia trails are truly top-notch!

New Jersey's Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail | Photo by Chuck Whitmore

Top 10 Trails in New Jersey

Posted 04/16/21 by Robert Annis in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, New Jersey, Top10, Trail Destinations

Escaping the interstate and exploring the backroads of New Jersey, it’s easy to see why it’s called the Garden State. And that’s just one reason why locals and visitors alike flock to the state’s 54 rail-trails—to get their fill of fresh air and gorgeous nature. Here are some of the best rail-trails in the state.

The Loop | Photo by Gerry Loew, Pima County Communications

Arizona’s Santa Cruz River Park Trail

Posted 04/12/21 by Cindy Barks in America's Trails | Tagged with Arizona, Best Of, Bike Commuting, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Why Use Trails?

Starting in the centuries-old birthplace of Tucson in the south, the Santa Cruz River Park Trail follows the sandy and mostly dry riverbed, passing nearby murals and taquerias in neighborhoods like Midvale Park and Santa Cruz Southwest, lively shops and hotels of the downtown area, and busy parks and ballfields of the El Camino Del Cerro area in the northwest.

Minnesota's Mesabi Trail | Photo courtesy of Iron Range Tourism

Top 10 Trails in Minnesota

Posted 04/09/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Minnesota, Top10, Trail Destinations

When it comes to rail-trails, Minnesota is a power player with more than 2,100 open miles of such pathways to explore in every corner of the state, including a half dozen rail-trails spanning more than 100 miles each. Today’s visitors can enjoy many of these long-used corridors now reshaped as trails for walking, biking, horseback riding and other outdoor pursuits.

Page 6 of 23

  • ≪ First
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • Last ≫
 Subscribe via RSS

Blog Categories

  • Taking Action
  • Building Trails
  • Policy
  • Trail Use
  • Success Stories
  • America's Trails
  • Health and Wellness

Most Popular

1. Seven Sensational New Rail-Trails to Celebrate in 2022 (12/21/22)


2. Reflecting on 2022: Capturing Once-in-a-Generation Opportunities for Trails, Walking and Biking (12/08/22)


3. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Awards $300,000+ to Support Inclusive Trail Projects Across the Nation (11/14/22)


4. Trail Moments | Fulfilling a Lifelong Dream on the Great American Rail-Trail (11/03/22)

Support the trails you love and donate
Subscribe


Sign up for eNews to get monthly updates on trail news, events and success stories from across the country.

SIGN UP FOR ENEWS

Rails to Trails Magazine

Subscribe to the RTC Magazine
Subscribe Today

Shop RTC's Trail Store

RTC Trail Shop

Explore Hall of Fame trails!

Rail-Trail Hall of Fame

Guidebook Series

Plan your next trail adventure right from home! Get your choice of one of our 13 guidebooks with your support for the trails you love!

ORDER GUIDEBOOK

Find Trails Using TrailLink

Join the Movement

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

National Headquarters:
2121 Ward Court, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20037
Phone: 202.331.9696

  • Email
  • Contact Field Offices

Get Social With Us

Great American Rail-Trail
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's TrailNation
TrailLink by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
  • Access Membership Info
  • Log in
  • Press
  • Privacy
  • Security
  • Join eNEWS
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2001-2020 Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC). All rights reserved.