New Jersey

These Eight Trail Networks Are Connecting Millions of Americans

Posted 12/06/17 by Amy Kapp, Laura Stark in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Best Of, California, Capital Trails Coalition, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Ecology and Environment, Facts and FIgures, History Happened Here, IHTC, LowerRioGrande, Maryland, Miami LOOP, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Texas, Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Young Champions

San Francisco Bay Trail in California | Photo by Cindy Barks

In eight diverse areas across the country, through our TrailNation™ program, RTC is investing in projects that demonstrate what’s possible when trails are seamlessly linked together to form complete systems that are well integrated into the communities they serve—providing low-stress, high-quality and environmentally friendly transportation and recreation for all.

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Tampa Riverwalk, funded by a TIGER grant | Photo courtesy Matthew Paulson | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

How Funding for Trails Moves America: 5 Trails Funded by TIGER

Posted 08/22/17 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in America's Trails, Success Stories, Policy | Tagged with Arkansas, Case Studies, District Of Columbia, Federal, Funding, Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Private Fundraising, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Trail Destinations

The federal TIGER program has funded more than $340 million in projects for trails, walking and biking to date—making it a powerful resource for those who want to create multimodal transportation choices in their communities for those who cannot or choose not to drive. Through the leveraging of additional federal, state, local and even private philanthropic sources, the highly competitive program (which also funds highway, freight rail, transit and maritime projects) promotes interplay between all levels of government and the private sector and strikes a good deal for federal transportation investments.

The bike- and pedestrian-friendly Route 52 bridge plays a key role in the region’s growing trail network. | Photo courtesy South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization

New Jersey’s Cape May County Trail Network

Posted 08/01/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Connected Systems, District Of Columbia, Featured Magazine Articles, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Trail Destinations

South New Jersey’s Cape May County offers an outdoor recreation mecca within easy driving distance of Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Trails are a great place to spy a variety of beautiful birds, including the bald eagle! | Photo courtesy Boyd Dwyer | CC BY-SA 2.0

Nine Great Birding Rail-Trails to Crow About

Posted 05/15/17 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, Trail Destinations, Wild and Wonderful, Wisconsin

Whether you’re an avian aficionado, ornithologist, fan of fowl or simply a person who enjoys the subtle sight of a feather stretching across the wind, you’ll want to check out these nine great birding trails!

Rutgers-Camden IGNITE student participants on their 2017 inaugural "new bike" ride on the Camden GreenWay | Photo by Anya Saretzky/ RTC

New Fleet of Bikes IGNITES Trail-Inspired Youth in Camden, New Jersey

Posted 05/04/17 by Anya Saretzky in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Circuit Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Schools and Young People

On April 27 at Holy Name School in Camden, New Jersey, eight fifth- through eighth-graders enthusiastically greeted their new Fuji hybrid bikes as part of the Rutger-Camden IGNITE afterschool cycling program.

RTC Youth Sojourn participants cross the Ben Franklin Bridge between Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey, on the Circuit Trails network. | Photo by Blake Rubin

23 Youth Tackle 170-Mile Watershed Sojourn in Pennsylvania and New Jersey

Posted 09/01/16 by Anya Saretzky in Health and Wellness, Success Stories | Tagged with Circuit Trails, Community Events, Connected Systems, Ecology and Environment, Encouraging Trail Use, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Schools and Young People, Young Champions

As a culmination of our summer youth programming in the Greater Philadelphia Area, RTC brought 23 young people together this August for our second annual Youth Sojourn—a five-day bike ride over 170 miles of Circuit Trails in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Led by RTC Youth Engagement Coordinator Jolie Chylack and several Youth Leaders, the sojourn capped off a great summer of watershed health education programming.

Ed Rasbach of West Chester, Pennsylvania, and his two dogs, on the Merchantville Bike Path | Photo by Laura Pedrick/AP Images

How Did 9,000 Trail Users Impact Northeast Communities? We Found Out.

Posted 05/12/16 by Liz Sewell in Trail Use, Success Stories | Tagged with Facts and FIgures, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development

Over the past 10 years, RTC has implemented 20-plus rail-trail surveys in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to determine just how much of an impact trail users have had on the region. These infographics, which are aggregates of data from more than 9,000 surveys, convey the power of local northeast pathways on tourism, health and physical activity.

Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk, part of the 750-mile Circuit Trails network | Photo by Thom Carroll

The Circuit Trails: 750-Mile Network Has Sparked a Greater Philly Transformation

Posted 04/12/16 by Heather Mistretta in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Trail Destinations

For the past five years, a web of approximately 30 multi-use pathways known as the Circuit Trails has been growing throughout the Greater Philadelphia area, with long-term plans to stretch 750 miles across nine counties. Currently at 300 miles, the Circuit Trails is like no other system in the country—connecting urban, suburban and rural communities in a 2.5-million-acre area. By the time it is complete, which is expected to be in 2040, more than 50 percent of the region’s population will live within a mile of the Circuit Trails. Additionally, the system will connect to the East Coast Greenway, enveloping a 3,000-mile off-road route that spans as far north as Calais, Maine, and as far south as Key West, Florida.

Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk, the Circuit Trails, Philadelphia | Photo courtesy Montgomery County Planning Commission

10 Reasons the Circuit Trails Are Remarkable

Posted 02/11/16 by Katie Harris in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Celebrating 30 Years, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Disparities and Underserved Communities, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Walkability and Bikeability

The Philadelphia region is home to one of the country’s largest trail networks, a visionary model that, when complete, will incorporate 750 miles of connected trails leading through urban landscapes and rural countryside. The system is called the Circuit Trails, and the network will be accessible to all residents and visitors, regardless of age, income or experience level.

Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia | Photo courtesy Mark Willard | CC by 2.0

Forty-Years-Unused Rail Line Could Mean Huge Connections for New Jersey

Posted 02/11/16 by Liz Sewell in Building Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Disparities and Underserved Communities, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Trail Communities

If transformed into a trail, a disused rail segment in Pennsauken, New Jersey, near Merchantville, could help link underserved communities to amenities in New Jersey, Philadelphia and beyond. Read about this in-progress initiative.

Ocean City, New Jersey | Photo courtesy Betty Tsang | CC by 2.0

A Look Ahead in the Northeast: Transforming a South Jersey Destination

Posted 01/14/16 by Liz Sewell in Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, New Jersey, RTC in Action, Tourism

As RTC celebrates its 30th year in 2016, we’re taking time to reflect on what’s been accomplished in the trail world and take a future-forward look at the work being done by our teams across the country. Learn what’s in store for RTC’s work in South Jersey, which includes helping to close gaps in two trails systems with the potential to impact tourism in the region and make new, safe connections for walkers and bikers.

Ben Franklin Bridge between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey, part of the Circuit Trails network | Photo courtesy Mark Willard | CC by 2.0

The Circuit Trails: Greater Philadelphia’s Burgeoning Trail Network

Posted 01/14/16 by Anya Saretzky in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, RTC in Action

In the Northeast part of the U.S., a bi-state project called the Circuit Trails is making waves in the walking and biking world. This network, when complete, will include 750 miles of trails in the Greater Philadelphia region covering nine counties in southeast Pennsylvania and South Jersey.