trailnation

Reimagining Public Spaces

Posted 10/12/21 by Ryan Chao in America's Trails | Tagged with COVID-19, Demand for Trails, Featured Magazine Articles, Health and Active Living, Mode Shift, Route of the Badger, Trail Moments, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Met Branch Trail | Photo by India Kea

Last year, when the team at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) was elbow deep in defining the elements of our next strategic plan, a global pandemic had upended the world, and calls for justice were bringing focus to the deep and far-reaching impact of racial inequities. In that moment, we explored the strengths of our movement, our role in bringing solutions to these significant social challenges and the opportunities ahead. What we found captured our imagination and brought reason for hope.

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Met Branch Trail | Photo by India Kea

Reimagining Public Spaces

Posted 10/12/21 by Ryan Chao in America's Trails | Tagged with COVID-19, Demand for Trails, Featured Magazine Articles, Health and Active Living, Mode Shift, Route of the Badger, Trail Moments, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Last year, when the team at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) was elbow deep in defining the elements of our next strategic plan, a global pandemic had upended the world, and calls for justice were bringing focus to the deep and far-reaching impact of racial inequities. In that moment, we explored the strengths of our movement, our role in bringing solutions to these significant social challenges and the opportunities ahead. What we found captured our imagination and brought reason for hope.

Three Rivers Heritage Trail in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Photo by Jake Lynch

New USDOT Report Provides 25 Years of Lessons Learned for Rails-with-Trails

Posted 06/25/21 by Kelly Pack in America's Trails | Tagged with Capital Trails Coalition, Circuit Trails, Federal, Rail-with-Trail, Success Stories, TrailNation, Walkability and Bikeability

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released Rails-with-Trails: Best Practices and Lessons Learned—a long-awaited update to its first release, published in 2002. Offering in-depth insights on the design, development, operations and benefits of rails-with-trails in America, the report has served as an authoritative resource for trail builders for nearly two decades.

Graphic courtesy RTC

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.

White River State Trail | Photo by TrailLink user lkgatu

Wisconsin’s White River State Trail

Posted 06/14/21 by Shelby Deering in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Route of the Badger, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, TrailNation, Wisconsin

Although Wisconsin has its fair share of urban destinations, like Madison and Milwaukee, to see the true nature of the state, one has to get off the beaten path—literally. That’s where the White River State Trail comes in.

Capital Crescent Trail in Washington, D.C. | Photo by Jon Lowenstein

History Along the Great American Rail-Trail: A Kick-Off With the Creators

Posted 06/14/21 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here, Trail Destinations, TrailNation

In 2019, TrailLink.com™, RTC’s national trail-finder website, embarked on an ambitious historical exploration of the developing Great American Rail-Trail, with a goal to shine a light on the people, landmarks and innovations that encapsulate this iconic 3,700-mile route between Washington, D.C., and Washington State.

Montana's Headwaters Trail System | Photo by Scott Stark

Top 10 Trails in Montana

Posted 05/06/21 by Amy Grisak in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Great American Rail-Trail, Montana, Top10, Trail Destinations, TrailNation

Montana has plenty of room to roam. With roughly 30-million acres of state and federal lands, choosing the path less traveled is a distinct possibility. Wide open spaces take you through rolling grasslands and bucolic farmland, and past peaceful waterways within sight of, if not surrounded by, spectacular mountains. And the trails within towns, such as the former Milwaukee Road that is now part of the Riverfront Trail in Missoula, give users opportunities to explore the nuances of neighborhoods and natural areas within these more populated, but rarely crowded, regions. With continual improvements on the trail systems throughout the state every year, here is a handful of our current favorites.

Gurney Street Trail pilot project along the planned Richmond Industrial Trail | Photo by Anya Saretzky, courtesy RTC

Richmond Industrial Trail Will Transform Neighborhoods and Lives in North Philadelphia

Posted 04/19/21 by Paola Tejada Lalinde in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Art, Circuit Trails, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Pennsylvania, TrailNation

A vision for a 1.9-mile walking and biking greenway is taking shape along the Richmond Industrial Track—a railroad corridor in North Philadelphia that has seen decline in recent decades, but is undergoing renewal. The developing multiuse path—aptly named the Richmond Industrial Trail—is a first-of-its-kind project in the area that will connect five communities and serve more than 40,000 residents living within a half-mile of the corridor.

Maryland's Jones Falls Trail | Photo by Side A Photography

Top 10 Trails in Maryland

Posted 03/08/21 by Robert Annis in America's Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, Best Of, Hall of Fame, Maryland, Top10, Trail Destinations, TrailNation

If you’ve been on Maryland’s Trails, then you know there’s much more to the state than just crabs, Old Bay and Baltimore Orioles baseball. The Free State offers a host of trail offerings for nearly every user, and its mild winters allow those riders and hikers to make the most of them year-round. Here are just 10 of our favorite pathways.

Wisconsin's Elroy-Sparta State Trail | Photo by Eric Reischl Photography

Top 10 Trails in Wisconsin

Posted 03/04/21 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Route of the Badger, Top10, Trail Destinations, TrailNation

With more than 101 rail-trails spanning nearly 2,000 miles, 25,000 miles of snowmobiling routes, and a national scenic trail that traverses 1,000 miles of glaciated terrain, Wisconsin is clearly a place where the outdoors reign supreme. Here are just 10 of our favorite Badger State trails.