Trail Etiquette

At the top of the Continental Divide in Colorado at Loveland Pass | Photo courtesy Sam Westby

Sam Westby’s Trail Moments: Sharing the Trail Near and Far

Posted 08/09/23 by Sam Westby in Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Great American Rail-Trail, Trail Etiquette, Trail Moments, Trail Use Tips

Trails were mostly relaxing for me and my dad. There were no cars. Navigating was easy. People were friendly. It was common for someone to come up and start talking to us while we were taking a break on a bench.

Whitney Washington | Courtesy Whitney Washington

Trail Moments | Recapturing Life on a Great American Journey

Posted 04/14/22 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Great American Rail-Trail, How-to, Trail Etiquette, Trail Moments, Why Use Trails?

If a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, Whitney Washington’s 3,700-mile route across the country began with a few hard-earned turns of the bike wheel. She estimates that she traveled about 5 miles her first day, but as she gained strength and experience over the course of weeks and then months, that number grew to 20 and then 40 and then as many as 87 miles in a single day near the end of her journey.

2017 Opening Day for Trails en Three Rivers Heritage Trail en Pittsburgh, Pensilvania | Foto de Amy Kapp

Equipamiento de ciclismo útil para senderos, ¡y algunos consejos de MacGyver!

Posted 03/22/22 by Amy Kapp in Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, CelebrateTrailsDay, Encouraging Trail Use, Gear, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, How-to, Mapping and Technology, Sojourn Series, Spanish, Trail Etiquette, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Winter Uses

Para algunos de nosotros en climas fríos de invierno, la primavera marca el momento en que volvemos al ritmo de las cosas después de no haber recorrido los senderos por un tiempo. Dicho esto, es un momento ideal para que los ciclistas evalúen sus paseos en dos o tres ruedas, pongan a punto su equipo (si es necesario) y realicen inventarios de lo que necesitan para estar listos para andar en bicicleta durante el año.

Pennsylvania's Trout Island Trail | Photo by TrailLink user vicki1960

Winter “Share the Trail” Etiquette and Safety Tips

Posted 02/01/21 by Amy Kapp in Trail Use, America's Trails | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, How-to, Motorized Use, Trail Etiquette, Trail Use Tips, Winter Uses

We chatted with some of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s most knowledgeable winter trail afficionados to find out how we can all “Share the Trail” together safely—while still gleaning the best that winter has to offer on America’s trails.

Metropolitan Branch Trail | Photo by India Kea

Americans Urged to #RecreateResponsibly As Trail Use Surges During COVID

Posted 10/23/20 by Christina Sturdivant Sani in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with COVID-19, Encouraging Trail Use, Trail Etiquette, Trail Moments, Trail Use Tips, Why Use Trails?

Across the country, some trails spiked to levels more than 200% higher than the same time last year, according to trail count data released by RTC in July. Currently, trail use is still far exceeding previous usage; since the pandemic began, RTC’s trail count data shows that usage has been 60% higher [on average] than in 2019.

Wissahickon Trail in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Photo by Patrick Wittwer | CC by 2.0

Taking Care of Our Trails and Parks in the Midst of COVID-19

Posted 05/22/20 by Amy Kapp, Eric Oberg in America's Trails | Tagged with COVID-19, Maintenance and Volunteers, Trail Etiquette, Trail Moments, Trail Use Tips

As trails remain on the front lines in providing outdoor opportunities and mobility for Americans, managers continue to explore new ways to work with their communities to ensure positive experiences for record numbers of users in the face of limited maintenance resources, reduced staffing and curtailed volunteer activities.

Trail runner | Photo by Aarni Heiskanen | CC by 2.0

Here’s the Latest Expert Guidance on Outdoor Activity and COVID-19

Posted 04/18/20 by Amy Kapp in Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with COVID-19, Health and Active Living, Trail Etiquette, Trail Moments

As Americans work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 across the United States, public health professionals continue to provide important safety guidance on engaging in outdoor physical activity. Experts are urging people to stay as close to home as possible when seeking places to be active in the outdoors, and to engage in physical activity on their own. They are also suggesting face coverings as a voluntary public-health measure. New guidelines from the CDC about the safe use of parks and outdoor recreation facilities reinforce these recommendations. Here’s the latest on how to safely be outdoors in the midst of COVID-19.

Minuteman Commuter Bikeway | Courtesy Friends of Lexington Bikeways

Good Trail Etiquette Has Never Been More Essential Than It Is Right Now.

Posted 04/02/20 by Amy Kapp in Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with COVID-19, Safety and Law Enforcement, Trail Etiquette, Trail Moments, Trail Use Tips

Where trails are open—especially in areas where parks and other outdoor recreation facilities have closed—there has been an influx of new users and recognition that safe use and trail etiquette have never been so vital to the health of our nation.

Photo by Bob Wick, Public Domain

Las Reglas de Oro: Seis Cosas Que Debes Saber Para La Temporada de Senderos

Posted 09/10/18 by Alan Ibarra in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, How-to, Safety and Law Enforcement, Spanish, Trail Etiquette, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability

Sendero: Un sendero es un camino o rastro de uso recreativo, típicamente en lugares cerca o dentro de la naturaleza. Tal vez ya lo haz escuchado, pero la temporada de senderos ha comenzado oficialmente. No importa si eres una persona que viaja diariamente al trabajo, un cuidador o un ciclista de larga distancia, es importante saber y practicar las medidas de seguridad cuando usas los senderos como medio de transporte.

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

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, CelebrateTrailsDay, Encouraging Trail Use, Gear, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, How-to, Mapping and Technology, Sojourn Series, Trail Etiquette, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

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.