Great American Rail-Trail

Photo courtesy Getty Images

Reflecting on 2022: Capturing Once-in-a-Generation Opportunities for Trails, Walking and Biking

Posted 12/08/22 by Ryan Chao, Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Demand for Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Equity, Federal, Funding, Great American Rail-Trail, Rail-Trail Champion, RTC in Action, Trail Moments, TrailNation, Why Use Trails?

This December, we’re taking time to reflect on the challenges and changes, hard work and persistence, that’s made up the fabric of this impactful year. As we bid farewell to 2022, we take stock of our impact and extend our appreciation to the many partners, friends and supporters who’ve worked so passionately to make our collective achievements possible.

Atlantic Greenway South Beach Trail, part of the Miami LOOP | Photo by Lee Smith

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Awards $300,000+ to Support Inclusive Trail Projects Across the Nation

Posted 11/14/22 by Mary Ellen Koontz in Building Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Capital Trails Coalition, Circuit Trails, Funding, Great American Rail-Trail, IHTC, Miami LOOP, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action

RTC has awarded a combined $300,000+ in grants to 25 organizations working in rural, suburban and urban communities across the country as part of the 2022 Trail Grants program.

National Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming | Photo by Amy Kapp

10 Great Places of Learning Along the Great American Rail-Trail

Posted 11/04/22 by Zach Zimmerman in Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here, Top10, Tourism , Trail Destinations, Trail Use Tips, Why Use Trails?

The Great American Rail-Trail® and its hosts trails connect to many places of learning, history and culture where students can take a break from the grind of classwork and explore. Here are some of our favorites.

Arriving home at the end of the Great American Rail-Trail journey | Photo courtesy David Berrigan

Trail Moments | Fulfilling a Lifelong Dream on the Great American Rail-Trail

Posted 11/03/22 by David Berrigan in Trail Use | Tagged with Connected Systems, Encouraging Trail Use, Gear, Great American Rail-Trail, How-to, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail Use Tips, Why Use Trails?

The stars aligned a few years ago when family, work and life combined with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s announcement of their Great American Rail-Trail® project to push me toward a serious commitment to a long-distance bike trip.

Washington's Olympic Discovery Trail | Photo by TrailLink user stevelee73

Five Leaf-Peeping Destinations Along the Great American Rail-Tail

Posted 10/26/22 by Agueda Pacheco Flores in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with District Of Columbia, Great American Rail-Trail, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Trail Destinations, Washington

While the warmth of the long summer days may be behind us, the beauty of the outdoors is not. More than half the trees across North America will morph into bright orange, yellow and deep red as fall comes into full swing.

Angela Mitchell and Ivory Levert, Co-Founders, Black Women In Nature | Photo by Doreen Dawkins

#TrailMoments With Black Women In Nature (@BlkWomenInNature)

Posted 10/07/22 by Black Women In Nature in Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Great American Rail-Trail, Health and Active Living, Ohio, Trail Moments, Why Use Trails?

Meet Ivory Levert and Angela Mitchell, the power pair beyond Black Women In Nature, and learn how they’re inspiring more people to get outside on the trail!

Photo courtesy Albert Ting

#TrailMoments with Albert Ting (@pootie_ting)

Posted 10/06/22 by Albert Ting in Trail Use, America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with District Of Columbia, ebike, Encouraging Trail Use, Great American Rail-Trail, Health and Active Living, Mode Shift, Trail Businesses, Trail Destinations, Trail Moments, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

For me, the positive impact that going car-free has on air quality, reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing traffic congestion far outweighs the benefits of owning a car.

Ian’s ride on the Great American Rail-Trail began with a ceremony on the National Mall. | Photo by Anthony Le, courtesy RTC

World Record Holder Sets Out on 475-Mile Wheelchair Trek on the Great American Rail-Trail

Posted 09/23/22 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Equity, Great American Rail-Trail, People with Disabilities, Why Use Trails?

Ian Mackay formally started the ride accompanied by his teammates and dozens of supporters who rode alongside him in wheelchairs and on bikes from the National Mall to the C&O Canal Towpath trailhead in Georgetown. Chants of “Let’s go, Ian!” filled the background.

Megan Gray | Photo by Jovanka Novakovic, courtesy RTC

Trail Moments | Equestrian Finds Emotional Freedom on the Trail

Posted 09/20/22 by Megan Gray in Trail Use | Tagged with Great American Rail-Trail, Trail Moments, Why Use Trails?

My motto has always been “emotional freedom starts on the trail,” and it’s something I’ve trademarked for my business, as I truly believe in it. In the process of being out there on the trail—if you have lost yourself somewhere along the way—I promise you that trails will help you find yourself again. Hope is always there, and you are never, ever alone.

Photo by Micheli Oliver

#TrailMoments with Vanessa @vanessa_chav

Posted 09/14/22 by Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada in Trail Use | Tagged with Great American Rail-Trail, Trail Moments, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Here, being outdoors seems associated with having the right type of gear, body, ability, partners and knowledge. I am grateful for my multicultural upbringing because it has allowed me to challenge this perception, and expand the narrative of who belongs outdoors. (Spoiler: everyone belongs outdoors!)