Why Use Trails?

Nine Can’t-Miss Moments from Our Guidebook Mapping Trips!

Posted 08/29/18 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Biking, Encouraging Trail Use, Gear, Health and Active Living, History Happened Here, Mapping and Technology, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, RTC in Action, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?, Wild and Wonderful

Kinzua Bridge Skywalk | Photo by Anthony Le, courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

We here at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy are a lucky bunch. Not only do we get to spend our days blazing the way for built and budding trails across the country, but, for a few weeks every summer, we also get to explore and map trails for our regional guidebooks.

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Delaware River Trail | Photo by Laura Stark

Find the Fun with a Scavenger Hunt on Greater Philadelphia’s Circuit Trails

Posted 07/27/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Circuit Trails, Community Events, Connected Systems, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, History Happened Here, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Destinations, Trail Use Tips, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?, Wild and Wonderful

Walking, bicycling, skating, wildlife viewing—these are all the usual suspects of trail use, but this summer, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and our friends with the Circuit Trails are challenging visitors and residents in the Greater Philadelphia region to add another fun activity to the list: scavenger hunting! The Circuit Trails Scavenger Hunt, running now through Sept. 22, provides the perfect opportunity to revisit some favorite spots or explore new ones on the ever-expanding 300-miles-plus trail system throughout Philadelphia, and Camden, New Jersey.

Elizabeth River Trail | Photo by TrailLink user krmurphy

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Reflects on Its 32nd Year As America’s Voice for Trails

Posted 06/12/18 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails, Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, Best Of, Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Facts and FIgures, Florida, Funding, Hall of Fame, History Happened Here, IHTC, Louisiana, LowerRioGrande, Miami LOOP, Missouri, Nebraska, Rock Island, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Texas, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?, Wisconsin

Here’s just a quick snapshot of our successes in 2017. To learn more about our work, download our FY 2017 Annual Report.

Left to Right: Senators Sean O’Brien and Steve Wilson | Photo by Brian Housh

Ohio Senators Steve Wilson and Sean O’Brien on Creating a Statewide Trail System

Posted 05/11/18 by Amy Kapp in Policy, America's Trails | Tagged with IHTC, Ohio, State and Federal Programs, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

In Spring 2017, Ohio launched the Ohio Legislative Trails Caucus, a bipartisan group of state-elected officials committed to connecting Ohioans via a statewide trails network. RTC recently chatted with Sens. Wilson and O’Brien about their passion for walking and biking, their goals for the caucus and their vision to improve the quality of life for all citizens.

Opening Day for Trails celebration on the W&OD Trail | Photo by Joe LaCroix, courtesy RTC

A Home Run: 2018 Opening Day for Trails

Posted 05/03/18 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Capital Trails Coalition, Circuit Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, IHTC, Local Organizing, LowerRioGrande, Maintenance and Volunteers, OpeningDay, RTC in Action, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail Use Tips, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

This year, thousands of people from coast to coast went outside to celebrate the sixth annual Opening Day for Trails (Opening Day). Although the country was a mix of sunshine and snow, trail users came on foot, wheel, hoof, ski and everything in between to kick off the spring season on their local trails. Thanks to everyone who joined us in showing their love for America’s magnificent trails by celebrating Opening Day. And a big thank you to our magnanimous sponsors at Performance Bicycle, Fuji Bikes, KEEN, Topo Designs and Patagonia for making the day extra special by providing some great prizes.

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, Encouraging Trail Use, Gear, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, How-to, Mapping and Technology, OpeningDay, 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.

Pedaler’s Palate at SXSW: Four Cyclists Dish on Food, Cycling and the Real Foods Movement

Posted 03/20/18 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, How-to, SXSW, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

I love food (I have designed entire vacations after cuisine), and I was very excited to attend the panel, Pedaler’s Palate: Food, Cycling + How They Collide, at SXSW 2018 in Austin—which was moderated by Kate Powlison of Sram, and presented by chef and former Ironman and TEAM USA Triathlon athlete Lentine Alexis, writer/author Tom Vanderbilt (“You May Also Like: Taste in Age of Endless Choice,” Wired, Outside); and former professional cyclist Ted King of UnTapped.

RTC's Amy Kapp interviews Jeff Risom from Gehl at 2018 SXSW

Jeff Risom: Creating "Platforms for Yes" to Spur Mobility in Cities of the Future

Posted 03/16/18 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Design Strategies, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Mapping and Technology, Mode Shift, SXSW, Trail Communities, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Rails to Trails was at the SXSW Cities Summit this week, exploring the role of trails in the cities of the future. I sat down with Jeff Risom, partner and managing director U.S. of Gehl—a cutting-edge, international design firm that focuses on the intersection of quality of life and the built environment. Jeff talked about innovative solutions to making cities more equitable with regard to mobility and transportation. Here’s what he had to say—thanks Jeff!

Hank Aaron Trail | Photo by Cindy Barks

Reimagining the Civic Commons with Carol Coletta

Posted 03/15/18 by Brandi Horton in America's Trails | Tagged with Bike Commuting, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Rural Communities, SXSW, Trail Communities, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

I caught up with Carol Coletta, senior fellow with the American Cities Practice at the Kresge Foundation, at the SXSW Cities Summit to talk about reimagining the civic commons—the Kresge Foundation’s initiative focused on revitalizing and connecting public places such as parks, plazas, trails and libraries. We chatted about shifting perceptions about these public places and managing them in ways that connect people of all backgrounds, cultivate trust and counter the trends of social and economic fragmentation in cities and neighborhoods.

Brandi Horton interviews Karina Ricks at SXSW 2018 | Courtesy RTC

Live from SXSW With Karina Ricks on the Future of Mobility—and the Role of Trails for Communities

Posted 03/14/18 by Brandi Horton in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Bike Commuting, Community Events, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Design Strategies, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, IHTC, Mode Shift, Pennsylvania, SXSW, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Rails to Trails is at the SXSW Cities Summit this week, exploring the role of trails in the cities of the future. I caught up with Karina Ricks, director of the City of Pittsburgh’s Office of Mobility and Infrastructure. We talked about the city’s mobility needs and world-class trails—and the intersection of opportunity and infrastructure in a city that’s at the forefront of the future of mobility.

The Strand with bike riders, Parklands of Floyds Fork | Photo by Ted Wathen / Quadrant

Kentucky's Louisville Loop

Posted 02/12/18 by Amy Ahn in America's Trails, Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Best Of, Facts and FIgures, Kentucky, Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Louisvillians officially named the Louisville Loop in 2005, but you could argue that trails run in this city’s lifeblood. In the 1890s, pre-eminent landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. envisioned large community parks connected to the neighborhoods of Louisville via “ribbons of green.” His tree-lined parkways still exist today and will serve as spokes to the 100-miles-plus Loop, once complete.