Colorado

Top 10 Trails in Colorado

Posted 02/04/21 by Scott Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Colorado, Top10, Tourism , Trail Destinations

Colorado's Rio Grande Trail | Photo by Scott Stark

In various rankings, Colorado has been deemed the No. 1 most active state, the second-best state in which to live and the fourth-happiest state overall. Here is a selection of our favorite Colorado trails, a mixture of urban and remote experiences across the Front Range and Rocky Mountains.

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Mineral Belt Trail | Photo by Scott Stark

Four Rail-Trails That Are Part of Transformative Environmental Clean-up Projects

Posted 04/21/20 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Colorado, Ecology and Environment, Featured Magazine Articles, Heritage and Restoration, IHTC, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, TrailNation, West Virginia

In honor of Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary this year, Rails to Trails magazine is highlighting four rail-trails that have had a transformative Cinderella story, going from industrial dumping grounds to beloved community assets.

Potential Midtown Greenway extension over the Mississippi River | Photo courtesy Midtown Greenways Coalition

RTC’s Doppelt Fund Supports 10 Multiuse Trail Projects in 2019

Posted 05/30/19 by Eli Griffen in Building Trails | Tagged with Repairs and Trail Safety, Colorado, Demand for Trails, Florida, Funding, Georgia, Heritage and Restoration, Iowa, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Rail-with-Trail, RTC in Action, Trail Communities, Virginia, Washington

With National Trails Day just around the corner, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019 Doppelt Family Trail Development Fund grant program!

Mineral Belt Trail | Photo by Laura Stark, courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Colorado’s Mineral Belt Trail

Posted 10/15/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Colorado, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

Leadville residents jokingly refer to Denverites as “low landers.” Colorado’s two-mile-high city, nicknamed Cloud City, certainly has a heavenly rail-trail. Forming a nearly 12-mile paved loop around the city, the Mineral Belt Trail offers spectacular views around every bend: the dramatic Rocky Mountains, meadows of sagebrush and passage through the Historic Mining District on the east side of the city.

Animas River Trail | Photo by Cindy Barks

Colorado’s Animas River Trail

Posted 11/08/17 by Cindy Barks in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Best Of, Colorado, Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Funding, Health and Active Living, Rail-with-Trail, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Trains and trails: In Durango, Colorado, the two are inseparable. For walkers and bicyclists along the town’s scenic Animas River Trail, the white-and-gray plumes of steam rising from the old locomotives and the echo of train whistles are common sights and sounds.

Photo courtesy OneFuller | CC BY-NC 2.0

Notice: Upcoming Railroad Abandonment in Larimer County, Colorado

Posted 10/17/17 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Abandonment Notices, Colorado, Corridors and Railbanking

On or about October 10, 2017, BNSF Railroad Company filed for the abandonment of 0.5 miles of track between Milepost 74.5 and Milepost 75.0 in Fort Collins, Larimer County, Colorado. We are providing this information because it presents an opportunity to develop a real regional asset: a multiuse trail that can accommodate hikers, bikers, equestrians and other appropriate uses.

The Banks-Vernonia State Trail is a verdant beauty running through its two namesake towns | Courtesy Oregon State Park

Explore These Six Trails to Get Your Nature Fix

Posted 08/16/17 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Best Of, California, Colorado, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, History Happened Here, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Trail Destinations, Vermont, Virginia, Why Use Trails?

Being able to spend time outside to connect with nature is a uniquely special feeling and has many health benefits. It’s also something we believe that everyone should be able to experience. Thankfully, trails enable people of all ages and abilities to do just that. In urban, suburban and rural places all across the country, trails can take us to (and are!) incredible natural spaces.

Rio Grande Trail in Colorado | Photo by Rhonda Mock

Help Us Choose the 2017 Rail-Trail Hall of Fame Inductee

Posted 07/06/17 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails | Tagged with Colorado, Hall of Fame, Louisiana, Nevada

We have a serious problem, and we need your help. This year, there are three extraordinary rail-trails nominated for induction into our prestigious Hall of Fame—but only one can win. Will you help us choose? The 2017 nominees: Colorado’s Rio Grande Trail, Louisiana’s Tammany Trace and Nevada’s Historic Railroad Trail.

Ashton-Tetonia Trail in Idaho, part of the Greater Yellowstone Trail system | Photo by Camrin Dengel

RTC’s Doppelt Fund Helps Move the Needle on Six Rail-Trails in 2017

Posted 05/31/17 by Eli Griffen in Building Trails | Tagged with Colorado, Demand for Trails, Funding, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Wyoming

Today, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) announced the recipients of the 2017 Doppelt Family Trail Development Fund grant program, awarding more than $100,000 to enhance or complete multiuse trail projects in six communities across the United States. This year’s projects, which aim to fill gaps in existing trail systems, support expansion and maintenance needs, and measure economic impact, were chosen from a pool of applications totaling $5 million in asks (an increase of nearly $1 million from last year alone)—speaking to the growing demand for trails nationwide.

View from the Walkway Over the Hudson rail-trail in New York | Photo by Aaron Schmidt

5 Amazing Rail-Trail Destinations for Your Bucket List

Posted 04/12/16 by Laura Stark in Trail Use, America's Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Colorado, Featured Magazine Articles, Hall of Fame, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Trail Destinations

In recognition of this year’s 30th anniversary of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, RTC is conducting a public vote for the 30th addition to our Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. We thought that it was the perfect opportunity to share with you why this year's nominees are also amazing destinations you won't want to miss. Here's a little more info for you, plus travel and bike rental info!

Spectacular mountains along the Rio Grande Trail | Photo courtesy Roaring Fork Transportation Authority

Colorado’s Rio Grande Trail

Posted 04/11/16 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Colorado, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

The windswept beauty of sage brush and scrub oaks, richly scented forests of ponderosa and spruce, verdant crops and ranchlands ringed in jagged mountains and crystal clear rivers: These are the visual postcards of Colorado. The beloved Rio Grande Trail traverses this rich mix of terrains along a 42-mile route (nearly all paved) winding from the famed ski town of Aspen to Glenwood Springs.