Trail Blog by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Trail Moments | The Great Bike Shortage? For Me, It Was the Great Bike Summer!

Posted 09/02/21 by Silvia Ascarelli in America's Trails | Tagged with COVID-19, Demand for Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Schools and Young People, Trail Moments, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

In late May 2020, during the early days of the COVID-induced Great Bike Shortage, I stood in line with a neighbor to buy a used bike. Her first bike. My neighbor Shahreen is in her late 30s and didn’t know how to ride a bike, so she asked me to teach her. And so began my Great Bike Summer.

Trail Moments | How a Rail-Trail Helped Save My Life and Redirect My Focus

Posted 08/06/21 by Shawn Gossman in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Health and Active Living, Illinois, Trail Moments, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

That first time I rode on the rail-trail, I fell madly in love with it and cycling. I also found my first hiking trail while riding the trail. I then started hiking and eventually created a YouTube channel to show friends and family where I hike and bike.

Photo courtesy Marjorie Turner Hollman, graphic by RTC

Trail Moments | Adapting to the Pandemic: Finding Safe Outdoor Spaces in a Changed World

Posted 07/07/21 by Marjorie Turner Hollman in America's Trails | Tagged with People with Disabilities, Trail Moments, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Finding a tandem bike I could use has been a journey in and of itself, but once we located one I could get on—and stay on—safely, the sky (or at least as far as we were able to drive) has been the limit in exploring rail-trails. Pedaling along on the back of our tandem, I feel like I am flying. What an intoxicating sensation, after feeling so earthbound by the health challenges I have learned to adapt to these past nearly 30 years.

Photo courtesy Thresa Giles and Albert Grant, graphic by RTC

Trail Moments | Older, Wiser and Faster: A Friendly Competition Among Family

Posted 06/30/21 by Thresa Giles and Albert Grant in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Florida, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, Trail Moments, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Although our first ride together was only 5 miles, the after-effects were excruciating: muscle pain, fatigue and a few choice words. But despite the Florida heat and the muscle pain, we were not deterred from riding. We became a daily fixture on the sidewalks of our neighborhood. Soon, we became known as “the riding couple” on the weekends.

Miranda’s #TrailMoments from Along the Great American Rail-Trail

Posted 06/17/21 by Miranda Webster in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Great American Rail-Trail, Trail Destinations, Trail Moments, Trail Use Tips, TrailNation, Virginia, Washington, Why Use Trails?

We love that Miranda inspires people to feel more connected to the outdoors… and we REALLY love that she was able to share her experiences from along an epic 3,700-mile route that will connect the country by trail! Watch to learn about her Trail Moments, and check out her other great content by following Miranda on social media.

MaShanta Ashmon on Michigan's Clinton River Park Trail | Photo by Rachel Walker | Graphic by RTC

Trail Moments | Finding Health, Healing and Hope on the Trail

Posted 05/13/21 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with COVID-19, Health and Active Living, Michigan, Trail Moments, Why Use Trails?

After a long day of being in the house, sitting in front of a computer for seven hours, the only thing I wanted to do was close down my Zoom and go outside and ride my bike. I think that kept me sane. It truly gave me something to look forward to.

Screenshot of Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails' groundbreaking of a community mural project along Roberts Pass and Prairie Grass Trail

Celebrate Trails Day 2021: Big Celebration—Nationwide Impact

Posted 05/12/21 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with CelebrateTrailsDay, Local Organizing, Trail Use Tips, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

On April 24, 2021, we invited people and partners across the country to join us outside for Celebrate Trails Day. Thousands of people banded together to celebrate and show appreciation for these essential spaces by spending more than 139,000 minutes being physically active outside!

Washington's Olympic Discovery Trail | Photo by John Gussman

What’s It Like to Ride the Great American Rail-Trail? Just Ask These Trail Trekkers.

Posted 05/07/21 by Cory Matteson in America's Trails, Trail Use, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Great American Rail-Trail, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, Tourism , Trail Destinations, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

To commemorate the anniversary of the launch of the Great American, RTC talked to several long-distance bicyclists who have taken on the trail already—or are about to—to learn about their experiences so far, and why they’re tackling it the way they are.

Dan, Michaela and Saul Brownstein, with their dog Rufus, on the Elephant Swamp Trail in New Jersey | Photo courtesy Dan Brownsteins

Trail Moments | Adapting Trail Trips for a Hiker With a Disability: A Family’s Advice

Posted 04/15/21 by Dan Brownstein in Trail Use, America's Trails | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, How-to, Mapping and Technology, People with Disabilities, Trail Moments, Trail Use Tips, Why Use Trails?

Saul is 22 and has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He has needed to use a power wheelchair full time since about age 14, but that has not stopped him from exploring the outdoors. Saul has traveled to 42 states and several foreign countries. He has skied, surfed and skated using adapted equipment for his disability. To that end, we’ve put together a few tips for those who may have a disability or a mobility challenge, and want to get out on the trail.

Ian Mackay on Olympic Discovery Trail | Photo by Jesse Major

Five Trail Moments with Ian Mackay, Founder of Ian's Ride

Posted 04/13/21 by Ian Mackay in Trail Use, Health and Wellness, America's Trails | Tagged with COVID-19, Encouraging Trail Use, Equity, People with Disabilities, Trail Destinations, Trail Moments, Walkability and Bikeability, Washington, Why Use Trails?

I was able to retain my happiness and sanity during this difficult year by getting outside. My preferred venue: The Olympic Discovery Trail. Here are 5 #TrailMoments that were particularly special for me during the 2020 year.

Celebrate Trails Day: Ideas and Resources for Trail Fun

Posted 04/13/21 by Suzanne Matyas in Trail Use | Tagged with CelebrateTrailsDay, Encouraging Trail Use, Trail Use Tips, Why Use Trails?

This national day—“Celebrate Trails Day”—is a chance for people from coast to coast to enjoy the tens of thousands of miles of trails that connect the country. With that in mind, our team developed a list of suggestions that could help anyone have a fun time on the trail on Celebrate Trails Day and beyond!

The Loop | Photo by Gerry Loew, Pima County Communications

Arizona’s Santa Cruz River Park Trail

Posted 04/12/21 by Cindy Barks in America's Trails | Tagged with Arizona, Best Of, Bike Commuting, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Why Use Trails?

Starting in the centuries-old birthplace of Tucson in the south, the Santa Cruz River Park Trail follows the sandy and mostly dry riverbed, passing nearby murals and taquerias in neighborhoods like Midvale Park and Santa Cruz Southwest, lively shops and hotels of the downtown area, and busy parks and ballfields of the El Camino Del Cerro area in the northwest.

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