Trail Blog by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

"I Didn't Want Oak Hill to Die" - Struggling City in West Virginia Turns to Rail Trail for Rejuvenation

Posted 05/31/13 by Jake Lynch in Success Stories, America's Trails | Tagged with Tourism and Economic Stimulus, West Virginia

Determined to keep her community together and inject life back into its struggling businesses, Vicki saw the White Oak Rail Trail that runs through the city as the perfect hub for a new beginning.

Photo © Kentucky Rails to Trails Council

Rural Kentucky Primed for the Opening of the Dawkins Line Rail Trail

Posted 05/30/13 by Kelly Pack in Success Stories, Building Trails | Tagged with Kentucky, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Terrific news out of Kentucky this week with the date officially set for the opening of the first phase of the much-anticipated Dawkins Line Rail Trail, which now becomes the longest rail-trail in the state.

Follow The Money: Making a Strong Case for Investing in Trails

Posted 05/21/13 by Tracy Hadden Loh in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

For those of us working toward more options for active transportation, investments in this trail infrastructure produce remarkable returns and have transformative effects on communities large and small, impressively out of proportion to the comparatively small budgets involved.

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

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

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."

Florida's $50 Million a Savvy Investment in the State

Posted 04/22/13 by Ken Bryan in Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Florida, Private Fundraising, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Florida's decision this week to set aside $50 million for the creation of a 275-mile cross-state trail is not only great news for those of us who love trails, biking, riding and hiking - it is also a tremendous shot in the arm for thousands of main street businesses and the state's economy.

Photo trail user traffic along the C&O Canal Towpath © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Local Businesses Rejoice Reopening of C&O Towpath

Posted 04/18/13 by Jake Lynch in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Local Organizing, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

When a rock slide forced the closure of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (C&O Canal Towpath) at mile 155 near the Paw Paw Tunnel in western Maryland, it was bad news for the local and interstate trail users.

Hart-Montague Trail State Park, Michigan

Posted 04/01/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Champions, Michigan, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

The rural flavor of western Michigan's Hart-Montague Trail State Park is palpable. Cherries, peaches and apples hang heavy from the trees. The lacy green leaves of the Asparagus Capital of the World's prized vegetable flutter in messy rows along the trail. Dairy cows placidly watch bicycles whir by and, in the summertime, the small town farmers markets offer a friendly bustle of activity.

Report Released: Making Trails Count in Illinois

Posted 03/30/13 by Eric Oberg in Trail Use | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Illinois, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Today, our friends at Trails for Illinois released the Making Trails Count in Illinois report. This 13-week study of trail use was done in partnership with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. The study documented that some trails in Illinois are receiving as many as 100,000 visitors a year.

Reopening Iron Horse Tunnels Would be Worth Millions to Washington

Posted 03/28/13 by Laura Cohen in Trail Use, Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Heritage and Restoration, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Washington

In central Washington, the rail-trail we know as the Iron Horse State Park is one of the truly iconic trail experiences. Part of the broader John Wayne Pioneer Trail system stretching across the state, the Iron Horse's 82 miles pass through one of the most spectacular landscapes in America.

Connection to Route of the Hiawatha a Huge Boost for the Northwest

Posted 03/22/13 by Kelly Pack in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Idaho, Montana, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Recognizing the tremendous tourism value of biking and walking trails in America's world-renowned wilderness areas, the U.S. Forest Service has announced it will expand the non-motorized trail network in Montana.

D & L Trail Worth $19 Million a Year to Eastern Pennsylvania

Posted 03/13/13 by Pat Tomes in Trail Use | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Pennsylvania, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

The D & L Trail, a 165-mile rail-trail through eastern Pennsylvania, generates an annual economic impact of more than $19 million in the communities it passes through. That is the finding of our recently published D & L Trail user survey and economic impact analysis.

Potential Economic Impact a Driver for Rail-Trail Expansion in New Hampshire

Posted 03/12/13 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with New Hampshire, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is, pardon the pun, blazing the trail when it comes to evaluating and promoting the economic impact that rail-trails can have on the communities they connect to.

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