Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Rallying for Missouri’s Rock Island Trail

Posted 08/15/17 by Brandi Horton in America's Trails, Building Trails, Taking Action | Tagged with Community Events, Demand for Trails, Local Organizing, Missouri, RTC in Action, Rural Communities, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities

Supporters of the Rock Island Trail rallied at the state Capitol in Jefferson, Missouri. | Photo by Brandi Horton

I’m just coming off of a trip to Jefferson City, Missouri, where I met dozens of people who live along the Rock Island rail corridor. Hearing their stories about what this future trail means to their lives affirmed the importance of the work that we are doing. Beyond that, though, it affirmed how critical this trail is to the well-being of the small towns it will pass through.

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The trail offers unbeatable views of the Pittsburgh skyline | Photo by Kelly Carter, courtesy Friends of the Riverfront

Pennsylvania’s Three Rivers Heritage Trail

Posted 04/07/17 by Laura Stark in Trail Use, America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Local Organizing, Pennsylvania, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Spiraling outward from downtown Pittsburgh, the 24-mile Three Rivers Heritage Trail traces the banks of three waterways—the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio—that lifted the city to prominence as America’s industrial powerhouse. The development of this paved pathway, which began more than 25 years ago, sparked a biking revolution that is continuing to turn the famed “Steel City” into “Wheel City.”

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!

Virginia Capital Trail bridge over Parrish Hill Creek | Photo courtesy VDOT | CC by 2.0

New Virginia Capital Trail to Boost Economic Development, Community Health

Posted 10/05/15 by Elizabeth Striano in Building Trails | Tagged with Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Transportation and Health, Virginia

Despite the fact that Hurricane Joaquin was developing off the coast last week—the official opening of the Virginia Capital Trail on Oct. 2, 2015, was greeted by 300 enthusiastic supporters at the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond.

Burke-Gilman Trail | Photo by Barbara Richey

What’s the Real Impact of Trail Use in America? RTC Is About to Find Out.

Posted 09/02/15 by Tracy Hadden Loh in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

This August, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) embarked on the first-ever nationwide survey of trail use, a major component of RTC’s three-year T-MAP initiative. The tools developed through T-MAP are expected to change the standards for trail development in the United States—revealing the most effective and powerful ways to integrate urban trails into full-fledged active-transportation networks.

A peaceful, rural scene along the Tanglefoot Trail | Photo by Melissa Campbell

Mississippi’s Tanglefoot Trail

Posted 08/12/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Mississippi, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

At 44 miles, the Tanglefoot Trail has edged out the Longleaf Trace for the longest rail-trail in the state and can easily rub shoulders with the Rail-Trail Hall of Famer in terms of scenery, friendly towns, historical significance and trailside amenities. Its feeling is undeniably rural; cattle and sheep roam the pastures alongside the trail, and fields of soybeans, cotton and corn unfold under a wide sky.

Trail users crossing the trestle at the Fries Junction | Photo by Tom Bilcze, courtesy Traillink.com

Virginia's New River Trail State Park

Posted 07/13/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Virginia

Nestled in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Highlands, the New River Trail State Park offers 57 miles of green. With most of the trail running under a lush canopy of trees, and the presence of two invitingly dark tunnels, the low-grade, crushed-stone trail provides a pleasant summer ride. Its proximity to the New River, which is actually one of the world’s oldest rivers (geologically, speaking), also offers prime opportunities to cool off with canoe, kayak and tubing trips, or a simple dip in the water.

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.

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.