Sojourn Series

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?

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

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.

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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!

D&L Trail | Photo courtesy Pocono Biking

Pennsylvania’s D&L Trail

Posted 01/17/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Delaware, History Happened Here, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail of the Month, TrailNation

If you’re only planning to take one bike trip this year, eastern Pennsylvania’s D&L Trail is not only at the top of our list, but also ranks in the top 10 most-viewed trails on TrailLink.com by trail users

Cedar Lake Trail in Minneapolis, Minnesota | Photo by Tony Hull, Toole Design Group

How to Prepare for Your First Long-Distance Trail Ride

Posted 02/14/17 by Tom Sexton in Trail Use, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, How-to, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations

As Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) prepares for our 2017 Pennsylvania Sojourn on the Great Allegheny Passage and Montour Trail this June, we thought it was a great time to present five simple tips for long-distance trail rides! These are useful tips for any individuals who aren’t hard bike riders but who are interested in their first longer (over the course of several days or a week) off-road trip.

Moment from the 2015 Pennsylvania Rail-Trail Sojourn | Photo by Cleo Fogal, courtesy RTC

RTC’s 2017 Pennsylvania Sojourn Is Going to Be Awesome. Here’s Why.

Posted 01/12/17 by Amy Kapp in Trail Use, Building Trails | Tagged with Maryland, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations

We’re so excited that you’ve decided to join us on Rails-to-Trail’s Conservancy’s 2017 Pennsylvania Sojourn, which—with its amazing sites, legendary route along the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and Montour Trail, and welcoming towns—promises to be an adventure of a lifetime. Here are just 10 reasons why this year’s trip is going to be awesome.

Bicyclists wave on day 1 (Sunday, June 19) of RTC's West Virginia Sojourn, which took nearly 130 riders from Parkersburg to Salem, W.Va., and back via the North Bend Rail Trail. | Photo by Mark E. Abbott

RTC Sojourners Wrap Ride in West Virginia

Posted 06/24/16 by Parkersburg News and Sentinel in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Demand for Trails, Sojourn Series, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, West Virginia

Nearly 130 bicyclists ranging in age from 7 to 77 rode into the city Wednesday to conclude Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's 2016 West Virginia Sojourn.

Former B&O Railroad bridge along the North Bend Rail Trail leading to the quaint town of Cairo, West Virginia | Photo by Mike Tewkesbury

Six Great Things You'll See on the North Bend Rail Trail

Posted 04/04/16 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Sojourn Series, Tourism , Trail Destinations, West Virginia

The North Bend Rail Trail exemplifies “Wild and Wonderful” West Virginia. For those who seek adventure on this remote and pristine pathway, RTC’s West Virginia Sojourn (June 19-22) provides a stress-free way to explore the 72-mile rail-trail with a friendly group of fellow travelers and experienced guides. Here are some of our favorite highlights from the route.

2016 RTC Florida Sojourn riders on the Black Creek Trail in Clay County, Florida | Photo by Mark Battista

Miami-to-Everglades … and Back Again: 2016 Florida Sojourn Recap

Posted 03/31/16 by Mark Battista in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Florida, Miami LOOP, Sojourn Series, Trail Destinations

Like birds winging south for the winter, more than 70 riders flocked to the sunny climate and balmy breeze of southern Florida to bike RTC’s inaugural Florida Sojourn, Feb. 29 to March 3, 2016. Here are some highlights from the four-day, 120-mile bike trek.

Artist Lorraine Vullo's labyrinth memorial at the Historic Homestead Pump House in Pennsylvania | Photo courtesy Kordite | CC by 2.0

10 Amazing Things on the 2016 Pennsylvania Sojourn

Posted 03/16/16 by Maureen Hannan in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Encouraging Trail Use, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability

RTC’s 2016 Pennsylvania Rail-Trail Sojourn will be a breathtaking 110-mile bike trip westward along the historic Great Allegheny Passage. Celebrate Mother’s Day weekend with a three-day bike ride through scenic woods and rushing waterfalls, lofty trestles and surreal tunnels, wide rivers and old coal towns! It's going to be amazing.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's Milo Bateman and Ken Bryan at Biscayne National Park near the Black Creek Trail in Florida | Photo courtesy Milo Bateman

Miami-to-Everglades Tour: Experience South Florida by Bike

Posted 01/08/16 by Ken Bryan in Trail Use, Building Trails | Tagged with Florida, RTC in Action, Sojourn Series, Trail Destinations

There are rumors of a mid-January Arctic blast coming to the Midwest and eastern seaboard, but down here in the Sunshine State, we wouldn’t know much about that. We’re too busy riding bikes and enjoying the warm weather and great outdoor scenery Florida has to offer. And you can come join us! This winter, from Feb. 29 to March 3, 2016, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is hosting our premier Florida Sojourn—an exploration of the Greater Miami region’s growing trail network.

On the Sheepskin Trail during the 2015 West Virginia Sojourn | Photo by Katie Harris

Beyond a Bike Ride: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s 2016 Sojourn Series

Posted 11/24/15 by Katie Harris in Trail Use, Building Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Florida, Sojourn Series, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

For the past 15 years, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) has hosted annual sojourns showcasing some of the country’s finest rail-trails and greenways, and the communities they connect. This year, RTC is pleased to announce that it is expanding the series to four rides over the course of 2016 with our new Sojourn Series—beginning with our Florida Sojourn in February: the Miami-to-Everglades Tour!