Trail Blog by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Trails Mean Business

Posted 11/02/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use, America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Overcoming Opposition, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Last year, Americans spent $81 billion on bicycling gear and trips, a sizable chunk of the total outdoor recreation industry which accounts for $646 billion in spending each year.

Do Trails Really Equal Dollars for Trail-side Communities? Here's What Business Owners Say

Posted 10/10/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Success Stories | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Pennsylvania, Statements of Support, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Though the communities that have developed significant rail-trail networks can attest to the positive impact trail traffic has on local businesses, elsewhere this phenomenon still has its doubters.

Photo of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad corridor © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy/Carl Knoch

Adirondack Corridor - America's Next Great Rail-Trail

Posted 10/10/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, New York, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Though there are more than 1,700 rail-trails across America, covering all different shapes and sizes, a small handful stand out as true superstars of the rail-trail movement. On this list are trails such as the Route of the Hiawatha in Idaho, the Katy Trail State Park in Missouri, and Vermont's Island Line. Right now, plans are afoot for the conversion of former rail corridor that, when completed, will immediately force its way into that elite company.

Erie Canalway Trail, New York

Posted 10/01/12 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Heritage and Restoration, New York, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

The Erie Canalway Trail, which traces the canal's route for nearly 365 miles from Buffalo to the state capital in Albany, stands to be one of the longest multi-use trails in the nation when it's completed.

Powerful Story of N.Z. Rail-Trail Rejuvenating Rural Communities

Posted 09/28/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Success Stories, Trail Use | Tagged with Overcoming Opposition, Statements of Support, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

This wonderful video from the folks at Path Less Pedaled demonstrates that the power of rail-trails is universal.

Rail-Trail Extension Brings Activity, Attention to Fryeburg, Maine

Posted 09/22/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Maine, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

The people of Fryeburg in southwestern Maine are celebrating. Their New Hampshire neighbors in Conway are envious. What's the source of all the fuss? A new section of the Mountain Division Trail is finished and set to open next week, and already the local residents and business people are anticipating it will build on the successes of the first phase.

In Pa., Neighboring Towns Now Keen for Their Slice of the Saucon Rail Trail

Posted 09/11/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Pennsylvania, Statements of Support, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Serving a number of small communities in eastern Pennsylvania's Lehigh County, the Saucon Rail Trail is very much a work in progress.

Outdoor Recreation Industry Worth $646 Billion a Year

Posted 08/21/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) this month released an economic study that found that outdoor recreation is one of America's fastest growing industries and a major job generator in both the manufacture and sale of equipment, but also in the American communities served by recreation amenities.

Photo of pioneers in Loup Valley, Custer County, NE © Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Exhibit the Perfect Reason to Plan Your Own Trail Journey

Posted 07/11/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Heritage and Restoration, Maryland, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park, better known as the C&O Canal towpath, is one of the most popular trails in the region, with hikers and riders drawn to its flat gradient, the history of the corridor, and the small, welcoming communities along the trail between D.C. and Cumberland, Md.

Photo © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy/Jake Lynch

Preparation Key to Successful Trails Tourism

Posted 06/22/12 by Jake Lynch in America's Trails | Tagged with Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses

One lesson I have learned visiting the towns and small cities along the route of the Greenway Sojourn this week is that successful trail tourism doesn't happen by accident.

Thanks to Towpath, Cycling Culture Thriving in Williamsport, Md.

Posted 06/20/12 by Jake Lynch in America's Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

The first person I met in Williamsport, Md., was the town clerk, Donnie Stotelmyer. He was on the phone with the local fire chief, finding a way to hook us up with water for a giant shower truck and 250 hot and thirsty riders. A few moments earlier he had opened the restrooms in town hall for us to use, organized a discount rate at the swimming pool, and was generally bending over backwards to accommodate the droves of arriving riders on the 2012 Greenway Sojourn.

In Brunswick, Md., Trail Business is Booming

Posted 06/19/12 by Jake Lynch in America's Trails | Tagged with Maryland, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses

I had read plenty of data and economic reports about the financial impact of trails tourism. And I had seen the trailhead parking lots full of vehicles with bike racks and horse trailers, seen the trail wayfinding signs going up outside small town burrito places, cafes and grocery stores. But arriving yesterday afternoon in Brunswick, a small town along the C&O Canal towpath in Maryland, I saw and felt the phenomenon of trail tourism like never before.

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