Trail of the Month Page 2

Ohio's Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail

Posted 06/09/16 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with IHTC, Ohio, Tourism , Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail in downtown Akron | Photo by Bruce Ford, courtesy Summit Metro Parks

Like a virtual rolling history book, remnants of an early-19th century canal unfold along the Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail as it journeys 85 miles through an eclectic panoply of landscapes in northeastern Ohio. Down the pathway, adventurers will discover a series of canal locks, restored historical buildings, interpretive signage and, of course, the canal itself—a magnificent structure of well-worn sandstone filled in some areas with water, but for the most part dry with the haunting beauty of an ancient ruin.

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Running and biking on the popular Shelby Farms Greenline | Photo courtesy Shelby Farms Park Conservancy

Tennessee's Shelby Farms Greenline

Posted 05/16/16 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Tennessee, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Memphis is singing a new song to the tune of a bike bell. The Home of the Blues, once settling near the bottom of lists ranking pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly cities, is climbing its way up thanks largely to an explosion of demand sparked by the Shelby Farms Greenline, one of the city’s most popular multi-use trails. Just last year, the city earned a Bronze-Level Bicycle Friendly Community designation, an honor that just a few years ago would have seemed unlikely if not downright impossible.

Spectacular mountains along the Rio Grande Trail | Photo courtesy Roaring Fork Transportation Authority

Colorado’s Rio Grande Trail

Posted 04/11/16 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Colorado, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

The windswept beauty of sage brush and scrub oaks, richly scented forests of ponderosa and spruce, verdant crops and ranchlands ringed in jagged mountains and crystal clear rivers: These are the visual postcards of Colorado. The beloved Rio Grande Trail traverses this rich mix of terrains along a 42-mile route (nearly all paved) winding from the famed ski town of Aspen to Glenwood Springs.

The well-loved Walkway Over the Hudson serves a multitude of users. | Photo by Fred Schaeffer

New York's Hudson Valley Trail Network

Posted 03/17/16 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, New York, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

The morning wind playfully tousles Fred Schaeffer’s hair as he stands in quiet wonder on the Walkway Over the Hudson—something he’s done for nearly a decade of mornings since the trail opened. The view looking out over the inky waters of the river more than 200 feet below and the sleepy hillsides awakening against a softly brightening sky is one he never tires of. The enchanting setting is fitting for something once deemed impossible.

The rural southern end of the rail-trail. | Photo by Kelly R Williams

Oregon’s Banks-Vernonia State Trail

Posted 01/19/16 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Oregon, Tourism , Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

A thread of black in an emerald blanket, the Banks-Vernonia State Trail weaves its way between two peaceful towns in the foothills of Northwest Oregon’s Coast Range, less than an hour’s drive from Portland. Most of the 22-mile paved pathway is enveloped by the tall trees that attracted the lumber industry in the early 1900s—a verdant mix of Douglas fir, maple, cedar and alder.

Rio Grande Trail | Photo courtesy RFTA

RTC Invites America to Choose 2016 Hall of Fame Rail-Trail

Posted 01/19/16 by Laura Stark in Trail Use, America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Celebrating 30 Years, Hall of Fame, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

In recognition of the 30th anniversary of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), we’ll be conducting a public vote for the 30th entry into the prestigious Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. Here's a quick look at our five candidates, which will be highlighted in our Trail of the Month TrailBlog feature stories between January and May. Take a look!

The North Bend Rail Trail out of North Bend State Park, near Cairo, West Virginia. | Photo by Jake Lynch

West Virginia's North Bend Rail Trail

Posted 12/09/15 by Jake Lynch in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Rural Communities, Success Stories, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, West Virginia

There aren’t many rail-trail stories like this. In the late 1980s, the abandoned CSX rail corridor that would one day become the North Bend Rail Trail was little more than an overgrown afterthought—a dumping ground, a place for derelict “partying,” an informal pathway for hunters and landowners in a densely wooded part of rural West Virginia. All that was about to change.

Florida’s Snake Creek Trail | Photo courtesy Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department

Florida’s Snake Creek Trail

Posted 11/17/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Florida, Health and Active Living, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Urban Pathways

Neighborhood trails don’t come much nicer than the Snake Creek Trail in southeast Florida. While not a rail-trail, the paved 6.5-mile route offers a similar easy and level riding experience along a pleasant, palm-tree-dotted canal connecting North Miami Beach and Miami Gardens (home of the Miami Dolphins).

Photo courtesy The Greenway Guy

Minnesota’s Midtown Greenway

Posted 10/16/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Hall of Fame, Minnesota, Rail-with-Trail, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Nestled 20 feet below street level in an early 20th-century railroad cut, Minnesota’s Midtown Greenway bypasses the street traffic crossing overhead on more than two dozen historical bridges. Combined with a smart design, which incorporates westbound and eastbound biking lanes, as well as a separate walking path, and you have a commuter’s paradise of both beauty and speed.

Heritage Rail Trail County Park | Photo by John Gensor, courtesy Steam Into History

Pennsylvania’s Heritage Rail Trail County Park and Maryland’s Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail

Posted 09/18/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Hall of Fame, Heritage and Restoration, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

The visionary Grand History Trail began rather humbly. Nearly a decade ago, Don Gogniat was sitting at a meeting of the York County Rail Trail Authority, and as he listened to those around him talking about the region’s trails, he began quietly sketching them out on a napkin. As he added the trails line by line, he saw something exciting begin to take shape: a map of a potential 250-mile Grand History Trail connecting dozens of historical sites and historically significant cities, including the nation’s capital, Annapolis, Baltimore, York, Hanover and Gettysburg.

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.