History Happened Here Page 4

Mansion House Bridge Dedication Ceremony on the 2018 Sojourn | Photo by Wendy Palmer

On the Sunset of the Sojourn Series, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Looks Back on Its National Impact

Posted 11/05/18 by Tom Sexton in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Circuit Trails, Community Events, Encouraging Trail Use, Facts and FIgures, Health and Active Living, History Happened Here, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy was honored to bring together 300 riders from 33 states on our 2018 Pennsylvania Sojourn to explore the exceptional D&L Trail. Over five days, we biked more than 160 miles, visited trailside communities, experienced the unique cultural and natural heritage of the region, and made new friends and everlasting memories.

Ahnapee State Park Trail | Photo by Ken Bryan

Nine Cool Rail-Trails in Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail

Posted 10/24/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, History Happened Here, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability, Wisconsin

“A national trail is a gateway into nature’s secret beauties,” wrote former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, a key champion of the National Trail System Act of 1968, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail, one of 11 National Scenic Trails made possible by that legislation, is the embodiment of this sentiment, spanning 1,200 miles across the state along the edge of a glacier that left its mark on the landscape some 15,000 years ago.

Mineral Belt Trail | Photo by Laura Stark, courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Colorado’s Mineral Belt Trail

Posted 10/15/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Colorado, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

Leadville residents jokingly refer to Denverites as “low landers.” Colorado’s two-mile-high city, nicknamed Cloud City, certainly has a heavenly rail-trail. Forming a nearly 12-mile paved loop around the city, the Mineral Belt Trail offers spectacular views around every bend: the dramatic Rocky Mountains, meadows of sagebrush and passage through the Historic Mining District on the east side of the city.

2018 Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champions Award ceremony | Photo by Hung Tran

Central Author of Historic Trail Legislation Named 2018 Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champion

Posted 09/27/18 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Policy, Taking Action, Success Stories, Building Trails | Tagged with Champions, Demand for Trails, Federal, History Happened Here, Rail-Trail Champion

One of the most important moments in the history of the rail-trail movement happened behind the scenes, with little fanfare or notice, when National Park Service (NPS) staffer Peter Raynor drafted an invaluable piece of legislation in just a few words.

Along the newly opened Three Creeks Trail in San Jose, California, a 30-foot water tower serves as an iconic reminder of the city's cannery days. | Photo by Yves Zsutty, courtesy City of San Jose

San Jose’s Three Creeks Trail: Recalling the Valley of Heart’s Delight

Posted 09/11/18 by Yves Zsutty in America's Trails | Tagged with BATC, California, Demand for Trails, Health and Active Living, History Happened Here, Local Organizing, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability

San Jose’s newly opened 0.8-mile stretch of the Three Creeks Trail is the first phase of a planned trail system that will connect three other trail systems across the city. The urban trail also delivers the 60th mile of the growing San Jose Trail Network, one of the largest urban trail networks in the nation.

Trail crossing over the White River along the Cardinal Greenway near the McCulloch Riverview Trailhead in Muncie, Indiana | Photo by Tony Valainis

Indiana’s Cardinal Greenway

Posted 09/06/18 by Robert Annis in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Best Of, Encouraging Trail Use, Facts and FIgures, Featured Magazine Articles, Health and Active Living, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Indiana, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability

Decades ago, a disused railroad line found new life, becoming the Cardinal Greenway, Indiana’s longest rail-trail. But with some ambitious new projects planned, the newest member of the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame—which is also celebrating its 25th anniversary as a trail in 2018—is about to experience yet another rebirth.

Kinzua Bridge Skywalk | Photo by Anthony Le, courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Nine Can’t-Miss Moments from Our Guidebook Mapping Trips!

Posted 08/29/18 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Biking, Encouraging Trail Use, Gear, Health and Active Living, History Happened Here, Mapping and Technology, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, RTC in Action, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?, Wild and Wonderful

We here at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy are a lucky bunch. Not only do we get to spend our days blazing the way for built and budding trails across the country, but, for a few weeks every summer, we also get to explore and map trails for our regional guidebooks.

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.

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.

Great Platte River Road Archway Monument on Kearney Hike and Bike Trail | Photo by John Scharantz

A Journey Into History: Five Pathways to Explore the Historic Oregon Trail

Posted 07/27/18 by Alan Ibarra in America's Trails | Tagged with History Happened Here, Oregon

Made possible thanks to the National Trails System Act—which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year—the Historic Oregon Trail joins numerous other trails as a National Historic Trail, a category that was added 10 years after the original act was established in 1968.

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.

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.