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Meet America's New Rail-Trails of 2018

Posted 12/17/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, California, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington

Ribbon cutting ceremony for the launch of phase 1 of the Wasson Way rail-trail in Cincinnati, Ohio | Photo courtesy City of Cincinnati

This year was an exciting one for the rail-trail movement; as 2018 comes to a close, nearly 2,100 rail-trails are now open across the country. These trails add value in so many ways—increasing our mobility, improving our health, spurring economic development, protecting our environment and creating powerful connections within and between communities. Please join us in welcoming some of these newest arrivals!

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Baltimore, Maryland | Photo by Side A Photography

Eight Critical Wins for TrailNation in 2018

Posted 12/05/18 by Liz Thorstensen in America's Trails, Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, Best Of, Biking, California, Capital Trails Coalition, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Facts and FIgures, Florida, Funding, Health and Active Living, Health Organizations, IHTC, Local Organizing, LowerRioGrande, Mapping and Technology, Maryland, Miami LOOP, New Jersey, Route of the Badger, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Virginia, Walkability and Bikeability, West Virginia, Wisconsin

This past year, RTC worked with hundreds of partners across TrailNation to secure funding, provide technical expertise and generate public support for trail networks that are proving vital to the people and places they serve. Here is a spotlight on some of the critical project advances we made in 2018—and how they are bringing to life our vision of trails at the heart of healthy, thriving communities.

San Antonio Riverwalk | Photo courtesy Getty Images

Where Will You #OptOutside on Nov. 23? (Here Are 8 Trails for the Bucket List!)

Posted 11/09/18 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Alaska, Best Of, California, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Kentucky, Ohio, OpeningDay, Texas, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail Use Tips, Urban Pathways, Virginia, Walkability and Bikeability, Winter Uses

Here are some of our favorite trails to help you #OptOutside on the day after Turkey Day, Nov. 23—straight from our staff and other trail users around the country. For lots more, check out RTC’s free trail-finder website, TrailLink.com, which maps more than 34,000 miles of multiuse trails!

Along the newly opened Three Creeks Trail in San Jose, California, a 30-foot water tower serves as an iconic reminder of the city's cannery days. | Photo by Yves Zsutty, courtesy City of San Jose

San Jose’s Three Creeks Trail: Recalling the Valley of Heart’s Delight

Posted 09/11/18 by Yves Zsutty in America's Trails | Tagged with BATC, California, Demand for Trails, Health and Active Living, History Happened Here, Local Organizing, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability

San Jose’s newly opened 0.8-mile stretch of the Three Creeks Trail is the first phase of a planned trail system that will connect three other trail systems across the city. The urban trail also delivers the 60th mile of the growing San Jose Trail Network, one of the largest urban trail networks in the nation.

South Beach Trail | Photo by Lee Smith

Rails-to-Trails State Policy Mid-Year Recap: What’s Happening

Posted 07/11/18 by Andrew Dupuy, Brian K. Housh in Policy, America's Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, California, Capital Trails Coalition, Connected Systems, Florida, Funding, IHTC, Maryland, Miami LOOP, Minnesota, Ohio, State and Federal Programs, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

With a majority of our states’ legislatures having adjourned for the year (or not meeting at all in 2018), let’s take a look at how Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) has recently supported trails, walking and biking through its work in America’s state capitols, particularly this past spring. The news is good: States continue to increase their commitments to connecting healthy, thriving communities through enhanced networks of safe trails, bike lanes and walking paths.

Katy Trail State Park | Photo by Aaron Fuhrman

RTC’s 2018 Doppelt Grants Invest in 9 Trail Projects, Filling Critical Gaps in Trail Funding

Posted 05/22/18 by Eli Griffen in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with California, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Funding, Hall of Fame, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Trail Communities

Since 2015, RTC’s Doppelt Fund has awarded nearly a half-million dollars in grants to nonprofits and government agencies working to develop and improve multiuse trails. This year, RTC is awarding the most annual funds yet to the most awardees, with more than $140,000 going to 10 worthy recipients.

San Francisco Bay Trail in Fort Mason, California | Photo by Cindy Barks

How California’s “Prop. 68” Could Be a Big Win for Trails, Walking and Biking

Posted 04/16/18 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with BATC, California, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Facts and FIgures, Funding, Local Organizing, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities

The Parks, Environment and Water Bond, on this June's statewide ballot as Proposition 68, or “Prop. 68,” includes major funding opportunities for trails, biking and walking. We’re encouraging all California voters to get out and vote yes in June on this long overdue $4 billion investment in parks, trails and clean, safe water.

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.

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.

Photo by Ada Hao, courtesy RTC

A Message to President Trump and Congress: Trails Transform Our Nation

Posted 01/17/18 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with Bike Commuting, Biking, California, Connected Systems, Federal, Florida, Funding, Kentucky, Miami LOOP, Pennsylvania, TrailsTransform, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability, West Virginia

President Donald J. Trump is on the verge of releasing his principles for a bill to fund infrastructure over the next 10 years. He and his top officials have already given some clues about what the bill will include, but one thing we have yet to see is the role that trails will play.

Great Shasta Rail Trail | Photo by Christina Schmidlin with Hellikon, courtesy Great Shasta Rail Trail Association

A View From … The National Trails System

Posted 01/03/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Best Of, California, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Encouraging Trail Use, Federal, History Happened Here, Legal Issues, Maryland, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Success Stories, Tourism , Trail Destinations, Trails of the World, Virginia, Walkability and Bikeability, Washington, Wild and Wonderful, Wisconsin

In 2018, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act, which provided an incredible legacy for all Americans. Five of these iconic American experiences are listed below along with rail-trails that weave in and around them.

San Francisco Bay Trail in California | Photo by Cindy Barks

These Eight Trail Networks Are Connecting Millions of Americans

Posted 12/06/17 by Amy Kapp, Laura Stark in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Best Of, California, Capital Trails Coalition, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Ecology and Environment, Facts and FIgures, History Happened Here, IHTC, LowerRioGrande, Maryland, Miami LOOP, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Texas, Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Young Champions

In eight diverse areas across the country, through our TrailNation™ program, RTC is investing in projects that demonstrate what’s possible when trails are seamlessly linked together to form complete systems that are well integrated into the communities they serve—providing low-stress, high-quality and environmentally friendly transportation and recreation for all.