Trail Blog by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Weekly summer Landline ride at the newly rebuilt trail and boardwalk around the Needham Reservoir in Massachusetts | Photo by David Loutzenheiser

1,400-Mile LandLine Plan Is Building Active Transportation Momentum in Boston

Posted 08/29/18 by Alan Ibarra in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Community Events, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Design Strategies, Health and Active Living, Local Organizing, Massachusetts, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability

The Boston area is expected to undergo some noteworthy change in the near future thanks to the LandLine Vision Plan—a newly proposed plan by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) that aims to complete a 1,400-mile connected network of regional trails and greenways and spur new opportunities for active transportation and recreation across communities.

View from the Augusta Canal | Photo courtesy Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau

Georgia’s Augusta Canal Trail

Posted 08/13/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Georgia, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Local Organizing, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Like the fabled yellow brick road, Georgia’s Augusta Canal Trail unfolds with a soft orange hue and unexpected delights with every footstep or turn of the wheel. The packed-dirt trail, spanning just shy of 8 miles, follows an old towpath that is enveloped in history, paralleling the oldest continuously operating hydropower canal in the United States.

A jogger on the Hudson River Valley Greenway catches the last rays of the day’s light as the sun sets behind the New Jersey skyline. | Photo by Scott Stark

2020 Vision: New York's “Empire State Trail" Is Making Trails a Main Attraction

Posted 08/09/18 by Scott Stark in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Facts and FIgures, Featured Magazine Articles, Hall of Fame, Health and Active Living, Local Organizing, New York, Trail Destinations, Trails of the World, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in early January 2017 his $200 million plan to lay down 350 miles of new trails in three years to bridge the gaps in two major existing routes—the east-west Erie Canalway Trail and the north-south Hudson River Valley Greenway—and knit them together into the greater Empire State Trail (EST). Shaped like a giant sideways T intersecting near Albany, the EST will connect three corners of the state: Manhattan, Buffalo and the Canadian border near Lake Champlain.

Delaware River Trail | Photo by Laura Stark

Find the Fun with a Scavenger Hunt on Greater Philadelphia’s Circuit Trails

Posted 07/27/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Circuit Trails, Community Events, Connected Systems, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, History Happened Here, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Destinations, Trail Use Tips, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?, Wild and Wonderful

Walking, bicycling, skating, wildlife viewing—these are all the usual suspects of trail use, but this summer, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and our friends with the Circuit Trails are challenging visitors and residents in the Greater Philadelphia region to add another fun activity to the list: scavenger hunting! The Circuit Trails Scavenger Hunt, running now through Sept. 22, provides the perfect opportunity to revisit some favorite spots or explore new ones on the ever-expanding 300-miles-plus trail system throughout Philadelphia, and Camden, New Jersey.

Burke-Gilman Trail | Photo by Barbara Richey

Nation’s Mayors Support a New Vision for Connected Walking and Bicycling Routes

Posted 07/11/18 by Patrick Wojahn in America's Trails, Policy | Tagged with Capital Trails Coalition, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Mapping and Technology, Mode Shift, Ohio, Walkability and Bikeability

Just last month, the nation’s mayors met in Boston for the Annual Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors. Each year, more than 30,000 mayors from all around the country converge to help set a unified policy agenda for a diverse range of issues—including health, education, economic development and, not least in our minds, transportation and infrastructure.

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.

Maryland's WB&A Trail

Posted 06/13/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Health and Wellness, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Capital Trails Coalition, Connected Systems, District Of Columbia, Encouraging Trail Use, Federal, Funding, Local Organizing, Maryland, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability

The stars seem aligned for Maryland’s WB&A Trail, a straightforward, 13-mile pathway—beautiful in its simplicity and surroundings—that is rapidly becoming a key connector in a growing movement to improve walking and biking options in the Mid-Atlantic region. Linking Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis by a continuous, safe and scenic trail system is not just a pipe dream—it’s actually happening, and the WB&A Trail has an important place in that vision.

Elizabeth River Trail | Photo by TrailLink user krmurphy

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Reflects on Its 32nd Year As America’s Voice for Trails

Posted 06/12/18 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails, Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, Best Of, Caracara, Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Facts and FIgures, Florida, Funding, Hall of Fame, History Happened Here, IHTC, Louisiana, Miami LOOP, Missouri, Nebraska, Rock Island, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Texas, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?, Wisconsin

Here’s just a quick snapshot of our successes in 2017. To learn more about our work, download our FY 2017 Annual Report.

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.

Railroad bridge seen from the Mon River Trail | Photo by Ella Belling

The P2P: World-Class Trail Network to Kick-Start Bike Tourism Boom in West Virginia and Pennsylvania

Posted 05/17/18 by Kelly Pack, Jake Lynch in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Corridors and Railbanking, Demand for Trails, IHTC, Local Organizing, Pennsylvania, RTC in Action, Rural Communities, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability, West Virginia

The P2P corridor heads east out of the Ohio River port city of Parkersburg, along the North Bend Rail Trail, through small, rural communities like Cairo, West Union and Salem. Seventy-eight percent of the 150-mile West Virginia section is already complete, with a few key gaps in Wood, Harrison and Marion counties.

Milwaukee Skyline | Photo courtesy iStock by Getty Images

USDOT Cites RTC’s BikeAble Tool in Report on How to Assess Connectivity

Posted 04/27/18 by Shane Farthing in Building Trails | Tagged with Bike Commuting, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Health and Active Living, Mapping and Technology, Route of the Badger, Trail Communities, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability, Wisconsin

Active transportation is all about getting people where they need to go safely in a human-powered way—usually on foot or by bike. Yet we know from both research and everyday experience that many trips can be scary or stressful to make by walking or biking. Without proper infrastructure to make those trips safer, most people with a choice won’t leave their cars behind—resulting in less active and healthy lifestyles.

A cyclist enjoying the view of the Josiah White II canal boat while riding along the D&L Trail. | Photo courtesy Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor

2018 Pennsylvania Sojourn Spotlight: A Journey Along the D&L Trail

Posted 04/23/18 by Elissa Garofalo in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Connected Systems, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, History Happened Here, Maintenance and Volunteers, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability

The D&L Trail that connects residents and visitors to this amazing story as well as the health, economic, environmental and cultural attributes along its path. The D&L Trail and organization are managed by a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that coordinates the collective efforts of public, private and volunteer stakeholders who celebrate and preserve the pathway.

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