Encouraging Trail Use

West Virginia and Pennsylvania’s Parkersburg to Pittsburgh Corridor

Posted 04/16/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Bike Commuting, Community Events, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Facts and FIgures, Health and Active Living, IHTC, Maintenance and Volunteers, Pennsylvania, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Communities, Trail of the Month, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, West Virginia

Morgantown's Caperton Trail, part of the Mon River Trail System | Photo by James Riel

The P2P: It’s a small acronym that holds a world of promise. Extending from Parkersburg to Pittsburgh (P2P), the developing 238.5-mile route connecting northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania by trail would be a gamechanger for the dozens of small, rural Appalachian towns that have seen the Cinderella story of the highly successful Great Allegheny Passage so close at hand.

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2017 Opening Day for Trails on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Photo by Amy Kapp

Useful Biking Gear for Trails—Plus A Few MacGyver Tips!

Posted 03/30/18 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Biking, Encouraging Trail Use, Gear, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, How-to, Mapping and Technology, OpeningDay, Sojourn Series, Trail Etiquette, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

To prepare for Opening Day for Trails, I asked my colleagues at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, some of America’s most experienced trail riders, what equipment they’ve found super useful.

Pedaler’s Palate at SXSW: Four Cyclists Dish on Food, Cycling and the Real Foods Movement

Posted 03/20/18 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, How-to, SXSW, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

I love food (I have designed entire vacations after cuisine), and I was very excited to attend the panel, Pedaler’s Palate: Food, Cycling + How They Collide, at SXSW 2018 in Austin—which was moderated by Kate Powlison of Sram, and presented by chef and former Ironman and TEAM USA Triathlon athlete Lentine Alexis, writer/author Tom Vanderbilt (“You May Also Like: Taste in Age of Endless Choice,” Wired, Outside); and former professional cyclist Ted King of UnTapped.

RTC's Amy Kapp interviews Jeff Risom from Gehl at 2018 SXSW

Jeff Risom: Creating "Platforms for Yes" to Spur Mobility in Cities of the Future

Posted 03/16/18 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Design Strategies, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Mapping and Technology, Mode Shift, SXSW, Trail Communities, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Rails to Trails was at the SXSW Cities Summit this week, exploring the role of trails in the cities of the future. I sat down with Jeff Risom, partner and managing director U.S. of Gehl—a cutting-edge, international design firm that focuses on the intersection of quality of life and the built environment. Jeff talked about innovative solutions to making cities more equitable with regard to mobility and transportation. Here’s what he had to say—thanks Jeff!

Erie Lackawanna Trail | Photo by Eric Allix Rogers

Indiana's Erie Lackawanna Trail

Posted 03/16/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Community Events, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Indiana, Success Stories, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Northwest Indiana’s Erie Lackawanna Trail offers an experience of beautiful contrasts. The region boasts sandy dunes, a glimmering Great Lake and windswept prairies, but also has a rich industrial and railroad heritage, some of the largest cities in the state, and the urbanization and cultural vibrancy that comes with its close proximity to Chicago. The diversity and bounty of these surroundings is well matched by the area’s growing system of interconnected multi-use trails that’s allowing near-seamless people-powered transportation between these natural and manmade assets. The nearly 18-mile Erie Lackawanna Trail alone connects to or is in close range of half dozen other trails.

12 Ways to Celebrate Opening Day for Trails

Posted 03/15/18 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Best Of, Community Events, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, OpeningDay, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability

This year’s Opening Day for Trails is going to be the best yet, as people across the country officially kick off spring by hitting their favorite pathways (or new ones!). Below are just 12 ways you can celebrate Opening Day in your own neighborhood and beyond.

Hank Aaron Trail | Photo by Cindy Barks

Reimagining the Civic Commons with Carol Coletta

Posted 03/15/18 by Brandi Horton in America's Trails | Tagged with Bike Commuting, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Rural Communities, SXSW, Trail Communities, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

I caught up with Carol Coletta, senior fellow with the American Cities Practice at the Kresge Foundation, at the SXSW Cities Summit to talk about reimagining the civic commons—the Kresge Foundation’s initiative focused on revitalizing and connecting public places such as parks, plazas, trails and libraries. We chatted about shifting perceptions about these public places and managing them in ways that connect people of all backgrounds, cultivate trust and counter the trends of social and economic fragmentation in cities and neighborhoods.

Brandi Horton interviews Karina Ricks at SXSW 2018 | Courtesy RTC

Live from SXSW With Karina Ricks on the Future of Mobility—and the Role of Trails for Communities

Posted 03/14/18 by Brandi Horton in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Bike Commuting, Community Events, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Design Strategies, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, IHTC, Mode Shift, Pennsylvania, SXSW, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Rails to Trails is at the SXSW Cities Summit this week, exploring the role of trails in the cities of the future. I caught up with Karina Ricks, director of the City of Pittsburgh’s Office of Mobility and Infrastructure. We talked about the city’s mobility needs and world-class trails—and the intersection of opportunity and infrastructure in a city that’s at the forefront of the future of mobility.

How to Be Equipment-Ready for Your First Long-Distance Trail Ride

Posted 03/13/18 by Tom Sexton in Trail Use, America's Trails | Tagged with Repairs and Trail Safety, Biking, Encouraging Trail Use, Gear, How-to, Most Essential, Sojourn Series, Trail Use Tips

If you’re planning a long-distance ride spanning several days or even a week—you’re probably hitting the trails to get in tip-top physical shape. But fitness is only one part of the equation—as the shape of one’s bike and gear can also help to determine one’s overall experience.

Photo by Justin Smith

Seven Reasons You Should Go on a Trail Adventure

Posted 03/08/18 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Biking, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability, Wild and Wonderful

Do you favor seaside escapes over sleeping under the stars? Would you prefer a trip with the entire family or a solo expedition to find yourself? How about a relaxing retreat instead of rollercoasters? RTC's Sojourn might be perfect for you!

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.

The Atlantic Greenway in South Beach is part of Florida’s 225-mile developing Miami LOOP. | Photo by Lee Smith

Bright Horizons: Florida’s Miami LOOP

Posted 01/12/18 by Cindy Barks, Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Best Of, Bike Commuting, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Encouraging Trail Use, Facts and FIgures, Featured Magazine Articles, Florida, Health and Active Living, Miami LOOP, Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability

Approximately 54 percent complete to date, the Miami LOOP is a 225-mile trail vision to expand transportation options, make biking and walking safer and more equitable, strengthen the regional economy, reduce the area’s carbon footprint, and improve health and wellness across Miami-Dade County. The Miami LOOP is a project of the Miami-Dade Trail Alliance and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy through its TrailNation™ program. Learn more: railstotrails.org/miami.