Connected Systems

New Jersey’s Cape May County Trail Network

Posted 08/01/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Connected Systems, District Of Columbia, Featured Magazine Articles, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Trail Destinations

The bike- and pedestrian-friendly Route 52 bridge plays a key role in the region’s growing trail network. | Photo courtesy South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization

South New Jersey’s Cape May County offers an outdoor recreation mecca within easy driving distance of Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

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Park Linéaire le P’tit Train du Nord | Photo courtesy Jean-Pierre Lavoie | CC BY 2.0

A View From … The Great Trail in Canada

Posted 06/28/17 by Laura Stark in Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Canada, Connected Systems, Featured Magazine Articles, Tourism , Trail Destinations

It’s a fitting way for Canada to celebrate its 150th birthday: In 2017, The Great Trail will be fully connected, enabling people to cross the country on a series of greenways, waterways and on-road routes to experience Canada’s rugged wilderness, rural beauty, historical attractions, vibrant cities and charming small towns up close.

The trail offers unbeatable views of the Pittsburgh skyline | Photo by Kelly Carter, courtesy Friends of the Riverfront

Pennsylvania’s Three Rivers Heritage Trail

Posted 04/07/17 by Laura Stark in Trail Use, America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Local Organizing, Pennsylvania, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Spiraling outward from downtown Pittsburgh, the 24-mile Three Rivers Heritage Trail traces the banks of three waterways—the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio—that lifted the city to prominence as America’s industrial powerhouse. The development of this paved pathway, which began more than 25 years ago, sparked a biking revolution that is continuing to turn the famed “Steel City” into “Wheel City.”

Fallasburg Covered Bridge (Lowell, Michigan) along the North Country Trail/Iron Belle Trail | Photo by Tom Pidgeon Photography

Best of the Midwest: Five Major Trail Developments in America’s Heartland

Posted 11/14/16 by Brian K. Housh in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, IHTC, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Route of the Badger, State and Federal Programs, Wisconsin

Today, representatives of 22 bike/ped organizations and government agencies from six states are convening in Illinois for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s 2016 Midwest Policy Summit. The bike/ped landscape in the region has changed dramatically in recent years, and there are many major projects in the works. Here are five big happenings in the Heartland that are changing the face of active transportation (in no particular order).

Atlantic Greenway (East Coast Greenway) | Photo courtesy RTC

Bright Days Ahead: $Millions Shine on a Promising Future for Florida Trails

Posted 10/20/16 by Amy Kapp in Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Florida, Funding, Miami LOOP, State and Federal Programs

Millions have recently been awarded to two major trail network projects in the Sunshine State, as Florida moves toward a statewide system of trails that impact economic development, active transportation and community health. Here’s a quick glance at what’s going down in Florida—and why RTC and trail advocates in the Sunshine State are looking up to a brighter future.

Mount Vernon Trail in Washington, D.C. | Photo by Brandi Horton

Capital Trails Coalition Begins Creation of World-Class Trail Network in DC

Posted 10/13/16 by Amy Kapp, Katie Harris in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, District Of Columbia, Walkability and Bikeability

On the morning of Oct. 13, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) joined the Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA), the National Park Service, REI and a crowd of more than 40 people along the Mount Vernon Trail in Washington, D.C. to formally announce the creation of the Capital Trails Coalition.—which is working to complete a world-class multi-use trail network in the D.C. metro region.

Anacostia Riverwalk Trail in Washington, D.C. | Photo by Milo Bateman

How Will Trails Change the Course of America by 2036?

Posted 09/16/16 by Keith Laughlin in Health and Wellness, Taking Action | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Featured Magazine Articles, Mode Shift, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

Imagine that we are celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2036. What do we want the world to look like? How will our lives be different? And—perhaps more importantly—what do we need to achieve over the next 20 years to make this vision a reality?

Ohio and Erie Canalway Towpath Trail under the I-80 overpass in Summit County, Ohio | Photo by Bob Callebert

A View From ... The Industrial Heartland Trails Network

Posted 09/13/16 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Featured Magazine Articles, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Trail Destinations, West Virginia

The Industrial Heartland Trails system is a collection of nearly three dozen pathways featuring scenic wilderness, dramatic railroad tunnels and trestles, welcoming trail towns and historical sites from the birthplace of America’s Industrial Revolution. The system is ambitious and breathtaking in scope: 1,450 miles of trail spiraling out across four states: Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and New York. Here is a sampling of the beauty to be found within the network.

Inaugural September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance ride, Liberty State Park, Sept. 10, 2015 | Photo by Gail Zavian

Trail of Tributes: September 11 Memorial Trail Honors America's Fallen Heroes

Posted 09/08/16 by Maureen Hannan in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Featured Magazine Articles, Trail Destinations

Fifteen years after the 9/11 tragedy, the September 11th National Memorial Trail provides a reflective journey of pilgrimage and remembrance, nation-building and resilience in America. Read about the route, which links three national memorials honoring America's fallen heroes and first responders.

RTC Youth Sojourn participants cross the Ben Franklin Bridge between Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey, on the Circuit Trails network. | Photo by Blake Rubin

23 Youth Tackle 170-Mile Watershed Sojourn in Pennsylvania and New Jersey

Posted 09/01/16 by Anya Saretzky in Health and Wellness, Success Stories | Tagged with Circuit Trails, Community Events, Connected Systems, Ecology and Environment, Encouraging Trail Use, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Schools and Young People, Young Champions

As a culmination of our summer youth programming in the Greater Philadelphia Area, RTC brought 23 young people together this August for our second annual Youth Sojourn—a five-day bike ride over 170 miles of Circuit Trails in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Led by RTC Youth Engagement Coordinator Jolie Chylack and several Youth Leaders, the sojourn capped off a great summer of watershed health education programming.

The Ohio and Erie Canalway Towpath Trail in Cleveland, Ohio | Photo courtesy Canalway Partners

Enter the TIGER: $7.95 million Grant for Cleveland Metroparks Bodes Well for US Trails

Posted 08/10/16 by Eric Oberg in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Federal, Funding, Ohio, Products of Good Policy, RTC in Action, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

Recently, Cleveland Metroparks was awarded a $7.95 million TIGER Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to help complete a $16.45 million regional trail network through the city and traversing parts of Northeast Ohio. Included among a record-setting eight bike and pedestrian TIGER grants awarded in 2016 totaling $94 million-plus, the project, “Reconnecting Cleveland,” is part of a new and groundbreaking trend: Local communities are recognizing that trails are critical to healthy, balanced transportation systems.

Martin Olav Sabo Bridge over Hiawatha Avenue along the Midtown Greenway in Minnesota | Photo courtesy Tony Webster | CC by 2.0

10 More Game-Changing Rail-Trails

Posted 06/10/16 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Best Of, Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Heritage and Restoration, Tourism and Economic Development, Transportation and Health

Earlier in 2016, we posted "Ten Trails That Helped Build the Movement" in honor of RTC’s 30th anniversary in 2016. But of course, with almost 2,000 completed rail-trails across the country, we just scratched the surface. In 1986, there were only 250 miles of rail-trails. Three decades later—thanks to a lot of passionate people—rail-trails have transformed America. Here are 10 more game-changing rail-trails (in no particular order) that have had an impact, as destinations, recreation magnets, economic drivers or transportation connectors, in the U.S.