Wisconsin

USDOT Cites RTC’s BikeAble Tool in Report on How to Assess Connectivity

Posted 04/27/18 by Shane Farthing in Building Trails | Tagged with Bike Commuting, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Health and Active Living, Mapping and Technology, Route of the Badger, Trail Communities, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability, Wisconsin

Milwaukee Skyline | Photo courtesy iStock by Getty Images

Active transportation is all about getting people where they need to go safely in a human-powered way—usually on foot or by bike. Yet we know from both research and everyday experience that many trips can be scary or stressful to make by walking or biking. Without proper infrastructure to make those trips safer, most people with a choice won’t leave their cars behind—resulting in less active and healthy lifestyles.

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White River State Trail | Photo by Traillink user dj123_45

Moms Blazing A Trail: Connecting the Route of the Badger in Union Grove, Wisconsin

Posted 03/14/18 by Katie Newcomb, Willie Karidis in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Funding, Health and Active Living, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Route of the Badger, State and Federal Programs, Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Wisconsin

Two moms balancing work, family and the urge to reconnect with nature, Petrick and Gallagher have dedicated themselves to establishing and raising awareness for the Union Grove Rails to Trails movement—an initiative to convert the Canadian Pacific Railway Corridor, an 11-mile abandoned rail corridor between Vandenboom Road and Sturtevant, into a hiking and biking trail. The new trail would extend the White River State Trail in Burlington to trails very close to Racine and to Lake Michigan.

Great Shasta Rail Trail | Photo by Christina Schmidlin with Hellikon, courtesy Great Shasta Rail Trail Association

A View From … The National Trails System

Posted 01/03/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Best Of, California, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Encouraging Trail Use, Federal, History Happened Here, Legal Issues, Maryland, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Success Stories, Tourism , Trail Destinations, Trails of the World, Virginia, Walkability and Bikeability, Washington, Wild and Wonderful, Wisconsin

In 2018, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act, which provided an incredible legacy for all Americans. Five of these iconic American experiences are listed below along with rail-trails that weave in and around them.

Westside Trail | Photo by John Becker

Nine Hot New Rail-Trails in 2017

Posted 12/11/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Wisconsin

Say hello to the newest batch of rail-trails! We’ve highlighted a few of these remarkable new pathways here—which are connecting people with each other and nature, providing new opportunities for physical activity and active transportation, and creating healthy thriving communities throughout the nation.

San Francisco Bay Trail in California | Photo by Cindy Barks

These Eight Trail Networks Are Connecting Millions of Americans

Posted 12/06/17 by Amy Kapp, Laura Stark in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Best Of, California, Capital Trails Coalition, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Ecology and Environment, Facts and FIgures, History Happened Here, IHTC, LowerRioGrande, Maryland, Miami LOOP, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Texas, Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Young Champions

In eight diverse areas across the country, through our TrailNation™ program, RTC is investing in projects that demonstrate what’s possible when trails are seamlessly linked together to form complete systems that are well integrated into the communities they serve—providing low-stress, high-quality and environmentally friendly transportation and recreation for all.

Milwaukee Skyline | Photo courtesy iStock by Getty Images

A Plan for the Route of the Badger to Reconnect Milwaukee

Posted 08/28/17 by Willie Karidis in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Case Studies, Design Strategies, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Facts and FIgures, Walkability and Bikeability, Wisconsin

Southeast Wisconsin has more than 340 miles of world-class trails and the potential for incredible low-stress bicycling routes, but the honest assessment of access to many of those trails is a story of inequality.

Trails are a great place to spy a variety of beautiful birds, including the bald eagle! | Photo courtesy Boyd Dwyer | CC BY-SA 2.0

Nine Great Birding Rail-Trails to Crow About

Posted 05/15/17 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, Trail Destinations, Wild and Wonderful, Wisconsin

Whether you’re an avian aficionado, ornithologist, fan of fowl or simply a person who enjoys the subtle sight of a feather stretching across the wind, you’ll want to check out these nine great birding trails!

Fallasburg Covered Bridge (Lowell, Michigan) along the North Country Trail/Iron Belle Trail | Photo by Tom Pidgeon Photography

Best of the Midwest: Five Major Trail Developments in America’s Heartland

Posted 11/14/16 by Brian K. Housh in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, IHTC, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Route of the Badger, State and Federal Programs, Wisconsin

Today, representatives of 22 bike/ped organizations and government agencies from six states are convening in Illinois for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s 2016 Midwest Policy Summit. The bike/ped landscape in the region has changed dramatically in recent years, and there are many major projects in the works. Here are five big happenings in the Heartland that are changing the face of active transportation (in no particular order).

Opening Day 2015 in Concord, California | Photo by Barry Bergman

Celebrate Opening Day for Trails With RTC on April 16!

Posted 04/13/16 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Taking Action, Trail Use | Tagged with California, Community Events, District Of Columbia, Maryland, Ohio, OpeningDay, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

Thousands of people across the country have pledged to get out and celebrate trails on Saturday, April 16—the nation’s fourth annual Opening Day for Trails. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is hosting some awesome rides and events in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and California. Here's more info!

Glacial Drumlin State Trail in Wisconsin | Photo courtesy Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin | CC by 2.0

Meet the Badger: 500-Mile Trail Network Takes Hold in Southeast Wisconsin

Posted 03/03/16 by Amy Kapp in Building Trails | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Route of the Badger, Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Destinations, Wisconsin

In October 2014, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) formally launched an initiative in Southeast Wisconsin that could have an enormous transformative effect on the region and America’s rail-trail future. The goal of the project, appropriately dubbed the Route of the Badger, is to connect completed trails in seven counties—Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha—into a world-class destination trail system.

Elroy-Sparta 50th Anniversary Celebration - left to right: Stephanie Klett, Wisconsin secretary of tourism; Kurt Thiede, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Keith Laughlin, RTC president; Brigit Brown, Wisconsin trails coordinator; and former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson | Photo courtesy RTC

The Trail That Started It All: Elroy-Sparta Celebrates 50 Years

Posted 06/15/15 by Elizabeth Striano in Success Stories, America's Trails | Tagged with Community Events, Success Stories, Wisconsin

Earlier this month, one of the oldest rail-trails in the nation turned 50! RTC President Keith Laughlin joined local leaders and residents from several towns along the trail’s path at a 50th anniversary ceremony sponsored by Friends of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail.