Trail Blog by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

South Carolina’s Spanish Moss Trail

Posted 08/03/22 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Health and Active Living, South Carolina, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Aptly named for the moss-draped oaks along the route, the woodsy sections of the Spanish Moss Trail provide a cool respite in the South Carolina summers. As it winds 10 miles through Beaufort County on the state’s southern coastline, numerous bridges over salt marshes and small streams provide picturesque views and the chance to see pink-hued roseate spoonbills or snowy white egrets wading in the shallows.

Massachusetts’ Manhan Rail Trail

Posted 07/12/22 by Kaylyn Yee in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Massachusetts, Trail Businesses, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, TrailNation

In the 20 years since its construction, Rosemary Laporte has hardly missed a day on the Manhan Rail Trail, a paved 6-mile route across Easthampton in western Massachusetts. Rain or shine, she starts her day around 6 a.m. with a leisurely stroll along the beloved trail. Most days, she walks with a friend.

Idaho's Weiser River Trail | Photo by Mike Beavers

Idaho’s Weiser River National Recreation Trail

Posted 06/13/22 by Amy Grisak in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Idaho, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

When someone says “Idaho,” most people think of potatoes, but the Weiser River National Recreation Trail demonstrates there is so much more to the landscape and the people. Traveling 84 miles—from forested terrain through canyons and onto the high prairie in the west-central part of the state—there is an ever-changing beauty that evokes an appreciation of the region and the forward-thinking individuals who sought to preserve the corridor.

Kentucky’s Dawkins Line Rail Trail

Posted 05/13/22 by Austyn Gaffney in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Federal, Kentucky, Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail of the Month

The Dawkins Line Rail Trail is Kentucky’s longest rail-trail. The 36-mile crushed-stone path is now open to bicyclists, hikers and horseback riders; a short, paved portion is also available in Royalton. The trail takes visitors on a journey back in time as they wind through the bright green Appalachian forests of Breathitt, Johnson and Magoffin counties.

California’s Napa Valley Vine Trail

Posted 04/12/22 by Amy Grisak in America's Trails | Tagged with Art, BATC, Bike Commuting, California, Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Demand for Trails, Health and Active Living, Local Organizing, Mode Shift, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

It’s remarkable how a single trail brings together an entire region. As California’s Napa Valley Vine Trail grows to reach its ultimate 47-mile potential, community members and visitors realize the beauty of connectivity and accessibility.

Maine’s Eastern Trail

Posted 03/15/22 by Cindy Barks in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Maine, Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Bob Hamblen takes to the Eastern Trail on his bike, riding through various sections of the route that traverses 24 miles of southern Maine’s spectacular coastline. While he sees it as “a win” wherever he ends up on the trail, the long-time Saco resident has his favorites.

American Tobacco Trail | Photo by Dave Connelly

North Carolina’s American Tobacco Trail

Posted 02/15/22 by Melba Newsome in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Demand for Trails, North Carolina, Trail of the Month

Located in North Carolina’s Triangle Region (a metropolitan area anchored by Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, and home to three major research universities), the American Tobacco Trail connects to over 70 miles of trails and greenways through urban, suburban and rural communities.

Indiana’s Big 4 Trail

Posted 01/11/22 by Agueda Pacheco Flores in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Indiana, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Surrounded by tree canopies, beautiful countryside and the charm of small towns, the Big 4 Trail traverses a Midwestern wonderland. The developing rail-trail serves as an important regional connector—spreading diagonally across Boone County, crossing into Clinton County and, eventually, continuing into Tippecanoe County.

Jordan River Parkway Trail | Photo by TrailLink user trailrider622

Utah’s Jordan River Parkway Trail

Posted 12/06/21 by Cindy Barks in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, COVID-19, Trail of the Month, Utah

With the majestic Wasatch Mountains looming in the distance and bucolic wetlands attracting a range of birds and wildlife along the way, the Jordan River Parkway Trail can feel eons away from it all. The reality, though, is that the trail cuts a nearly 50-mile path through Utah’s most densely populated region. Traversing portions of Salt Lake City—the state’s largest city—and passing through a host of smaller towns and suburbs, the Jordan River Parkway Trail is said to be easily accessible for nearly half of Utah’s population.

Ohio’s Camp Chase Trail

Posted 11/10/21 by Christina Sturdivant Sani in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Great American Rail-Trail, Ohio, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Ohio’s Camp Chase Trail is a 16-mile pathway traversing bountiful farmlands, calming countryside and invigorating city scenes. It begins at the Wilson Road trailhead in rural Madison County, heading east toward Columbus.

Oklahoma River Trails | Courtesy Oklahoma City Community Foundation

Oklahoma’s Oklahoma River Trails

Posted 10/06/21 by Amy Grisak in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Health and Active Living, Oklahoma, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Despite the city’s sprawling nature and 680,000 residents, it has a small-town feel, partly due to roughly 90 miles of trails through 10 connected routes. These routes, including the well-loved Oklahoma River Trails, bring people to the neighborhoods, parks, world-class attractions and the flourishing downtown region.

Perry's depot along the Raccoon River Valley Trail | Courtesy Raccoon River Valley Trail Association

Iowa’s Raccoon River Valley Trail

Posted 09/10/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Great American Rail-Trail, Hall of Fame, Iowa, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

In pastoral west-central Iowa, the Raccoon River Valley Trail has won this year’s blue-ribbon prize: entrance into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. The 89-mile pathway garnered some 16,000 votes in the national competition—a figure larger than the population of most of the small towns along its route, several home to fewer than 300 people.

Trail of the Month Page 2