Hall of Fame Page 2

Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail

Posted 05/01/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Overcoming Opposition, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Virginia

Trestle on Virginia Creeper Trail | Photo by Anthony Le, courtesy RTC

Bicycling 68 miles in a day would be an accomplishment for most people. But doing it nearly every day is a testament to endurance and willpower. At 81 years of age, it seems an impossibility. Meet Lawrence the Legend. On any day of the week, you're likely to see Lawrence Dye, a slender man with big glasses, pedaling along the Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail on a bike that he says has been "a great friend."

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Greenbrier River Trail bridge | Photo by TrailLink.com/gregblume

Greenbrier River Trail, West Virginia

Posted 06/01/12 by Jake Lynch in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, West Virginia, Wild and Wonderful

The Greenbrier River Trail, through Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties in east-central West Virginia, is the perfect embodiment of these sensations. In its 78-mile length, the rail-trail contains many of the elements that make the Mountain State one of America's favorite retreats: the peaks and valleys, the lush forests, the pioneering history, the genuine hospitality of its small towns, and, of course, the river.

New York City's High Line

Posted 10/01/11 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, New York, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

It took nearly a decade of work—battling property owners, developers and city officials; filing lawsuits; lobbying politicians; cultivating influential public figures; holding design competitions; and raising $150 million to bring the mile-long High Line to life and make it such a success. In recognition of this work, and the shining example it has become for the national rail-trail movement, the High Line was recently inducted into Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's (RTC) Rail-Trail Hall of Fame.

Photo by dabiker, courtesy TrailLink.com

Oregon's Springwater Corridor

Posted 09/01/11 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Oregon, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

In a place renowned and envied for its parks, trails and general outdoors vibe, choosing the best of anything can be a major challenge. So when Mel Huie says the Springwater Corridor, a 21.5-mile rail-trail winding from the banks of the Willamette River in downtown Portland to the rural exurbs, is "the region's premier trail," it's saying something.

Kansas' Prairie Spirit Trail

Posted 08/01/11 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Kansas, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Running 51 miles between the towns of Ottawa and Iola in eastern Kansas, the Prairie Spirit Rail Trail State Park offers visitors a taste of rural, middle America at its finest—rolling pastures, lazy streams, wooded ravines, friendly townspeople, colorful wildflowers, big farms and an endless sky. And as the Prairie Spirit marks its 15th anniversary, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is adding the trail to its Rail-Trail Hall of Fame for embodying the unique natural and cultural history of the region and acting as a vanguard for other rail-trail projects.

Iowa's Wabash Trace Nature Trail

Posted 05/01/11 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Iowa, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

The Wabash Trace Nature Trail—the newest member of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's Rail-Trail Hall of Fame—winds 63 miles from the outskirts of Council Bluffs, Iowa, southeast to the small town of Blanchard near the border with Missouri. Along the way, it offers views of some of the most scenic countryside in Iowa, including the unique Loess Hills.

Minnesota's Paul Bunyan State Trail

Posted 02/01/11 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Minnesota, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

The Paul Bunyan is a signature Minnesota destination. Trail users will get their fill of aspens, maples and oaks, and horizon-spanning freshwater lakes; you'll pass 21 along the way. Famous for the big hospitality and small-town charm of the 15 communities it connects, the corridor is the newest member of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's Rail-Trail Hall of Fame.

Photo courtesy Richard Due | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Vermont's Island Line

Posted 12/01/10 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Vermont

Vermont's Island Line consists of the Burlington Bike Path and the Colchester Causeway, running from Burlington through Colchester and the edge of South Hero. The first seven miles are paved and managed by the city of Burlington. Colchester Parks & Recreation oversees the middle 5.5 miles, and the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife the final mile and a half.

Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park, Utah | Photo courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Utah's Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park

Posted 11/01/10 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Utah

Northern Utah is known for its voluminous snowfall and winter sports culture, but the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park gives tourists ample reasons to visit the area in all seasons, even when the fresh powder has all but vanished.

Route of the Hiawatha | Photo by Milt Hull

Idaho's Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes and Route of the Hiawatha

Posted 10/01/10 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Idaho, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

For trail lovers around the country, these two Idaho rail-trails hardly need an introduction: the 73-mile Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes and the 15-mile Route of the Hiawatha. They've been featured multiple times in Rails to Trails magazine, and in countless "Tell Us" responses, letters and summer remembrances. We receive gorgeous trail photos from family trips—some capturing the high-wire trestles of the Hiawatha, deep in the Bitterroot Mountains; others catching moose and expansive lake views along the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes.

Pond along Longleaf Trace | Photo courtesy Eric P | CC BY-NC 2.0

Mississippi's Longleaf Trace

Posted 08/01/10 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Mississippi, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

In Mississippi's Piney Woods country, vast forests of longleaf and slash pines once ruled the landscape. Much of that original growth disappeared in the timber boom that lasted into the 1920s, but you can still find plenty of remnants and recovering woodlands that give the state its familiar matting of pine straw and pine cones. So if you're keen to needle your way across the Pine Belt, and to re-trace the path of industry and settlement in Mississippi, you won't find a more appropriate route than the 40.25-mile Longleaf Trace.

Arizona's Peavine and Iron King Trails

Posted 07/01/10 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Arizona, Best Of, Hall of Fame, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

To say that the rail-trails of Prescott and Prescott Valley are an oasis in sunbaked, north-central Arizona is no exaggeration. Wherever water touches this arid landscape—and it does along the Prescott Peavine National Recreation and Iron King trails—jade cottonwoods cluster, popping out against the desert's pale yellow and burnt brown pallet. And, at 5,200 feet above sea level, with cool breezes tempered by hot sunshine, the two communities are ideal for trail trips in the late winter and spring.