Tourism Page 9

Granite State Rail Trail | Photo by Dick Mackay

Rail-Trail Provides Economic Engine in the Granite State

Posted 04/22/15 by Carl Knoch in America's Trails | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, New Hampshire, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities

From the Massachusetts state line to Lebanon, rail-trail development is booming in New Hampshire. The Granite State Rail Trail, when complete, will run 115 miles from the Connecticut River to Methuen. The Derry-Windham Rail Trail has been used as a multi-use pathway since the 1980s, and efforts to begin paving the trail began in the mid-2000s. Now, trail tourism is on the rise as new businesses, which cater to walkers and bikers of all ages, experience a surge of business.

Atlanta's Eastside Trail | Photo by Ryan Gravel

Transforming Atlanta

Posted 04/21/15 by Rebecca Serna in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Connected Systems, Featured Magazine Articles, Georgia, Success Stories, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Today, a decade and a half after Georgia Tech graduate student Ryan Gravel laid out a simple, elegant vision for Atlanta's former railroad tracks in his master’s thesis, it’s safe to say that the city is once again being shaped by the convergence of railroad tracks and development.

Photo by Scott Hagan | Courtesy Clark County, Nevada

Nevada’s Lower Las Vegas Wash Trail

Posted 04/10/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Nevada, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Las Vegas: The name conjures up bright lights, flamboyant shows, glitzy hotels and casinos that never close, but a growing outdoor movement is changing that perception. Get the scoop on the 13.4-mile Lower Las Vegas Wash Trail, which comprises the trail network’s eastern arc and is always a sure bet with beautiful parks, desert landscapes and vistas of the rugged mountains that ring the valley.

Jeannette and Jack Ralston after achieving their 50-state biking dream | Photo courtesy Jack Ralston

From 5th Grade to 50 States: Couple Achieves 70-Year Biking Dream

Posted 02/09/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Healthy Aging, Success Stories, Tourism

With Valentine’s Day on the near horizon, we thought it was a great time to re-run this super cool story of Jack and Jeannette Ralston, originally printed in the Spring/Summer 2013 issue of Rails to Trails. As you’ll soon find out, the Ralstons have truly shared a bike-trail romance of a lifetime. Enjoy, and Happy Heart Day! Bicycling in every state is an admirable accomplishment for anyone. Meeting that goal at 82 is something really special. In a letter that appeared in the Fall 2012 Rails to Trails, octogenarians Jack and Jeannette Ralston shared the news that they achieved their dream of pedaling in all 50 states, and that they’d used Rails to Trails to help find trails for their “cycling the nation” endeavor.

C&O Canal Towpath | Photo courtesy Trail Voice | CC by 2.0

New Proposal Could Mean User Fees for C&O Canal Towpath

Posted 01/16/15 by Amy Kapp in Trail Use | Tagged with District Of Columbia, Maryland, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

In early January 2015, the National Park Service (NPS) announced that it is proposing user fees on the entire length of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park (a.k.a. C&O Canal Towpath), which runs 184.5 miles from Georgetown in Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Md.

View of the Kinnickinnic River from the trail | Photo by John December

Wisconsin's Kinnickinnic River Trail

Posted 01/13/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Success Stories, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Wisconsin

The story of Milwaukee’s Kinnickinnic River Trail is the story of its eponymous river; paralleling each other through the city’s south side, the fate of the two is intimately intertwined. The KK River Trail, as it’s known locally, is also referred to as the “lost river.”

View of frozen Cherry Pond and the Presidential Range | Photo by John Compton

New Hampshire’s Presidential Range Rail Trail

Posted 12/09/14 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with New Hampshire, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Winter Uses

We’ve found New Hampshire’s best-kept secret—the Presidential Range Rail Trail—and winter is the perfect time to visit it. With a long snowy season, generally running between mid-December and early April, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy its spectacular views on a pair of Nordic skis or snowshoes.

Photo © Rachel Napear/Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau

Bikeway Brings Global Attention to Boston

Posted 10/28/14 by Orhan Belding in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Massachusetts, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations

In September, RTC heard from one of our friends at the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau in Massachusetts. They were seeking to roll out the red carpet for a travel writer from the U.K. on a mission to experience Boston by bicycle. It was a unique chance to promote The Hub's world-class trail network, and recognition that local officials taking cycle-tourism seriously.