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Family riding along the Cross Alameda Trail through Jean Sweeney Park | Photo by Laura Cohen and Rolf Bell

City of Alameda Celebrates Opening of Newest Trail Connection

Posted 03/04/20 by Ben Kaufman, Mary Elise Conzelmann in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with BATC, California, Community Events, Demand for Trails, Local Organizing, TrailNation

On Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, hundreds of people came out to celebrate the opening of a new segment of the Cross Alameda Trail (CAT), a developing 4-mile rail-trail across the island city of Alameda just south of Oakland in California’s Bay Area. The newly minted 0.9-mile section of trail—which stretches east from Main Street to Constitution Way along Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway and Atlantic Avenue—is a vital new walking and biking connection for Alameda and the region. This nearly mile-long trail segment connects to an existing 0.6-mile segment of the CAT to form 1.5 miles of continuous rail-trail between Alameda Point and the new 25-acre Jean Sweeney Open Space Park.

View from the Ivanhoe Trestle along New River Trail State Park | Courtesy Virginia DCR

Nine Romantic Trail Destinations That Will Make You Swoon

Posted 02/10/20 by Amy Kapp, Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with BATC, Best Of, California, Great American Rail-Trail, Hall of Fame, Hawaii, IHTC, Iowa, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tourism , Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail Use Tips, TrailNation, Virginia

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we thought it was a great time to bust out this list of top romantic rail-trails in the United States, chosen for their “swoon-worthy” romantic views, date-worthy amenities and just plain good old-fashioned charm. Here are nine, great, date-worthy trail destinations to try and catch cupid’s arrow!

Lake Easton State Park in Washington | Courtesy Washington State Parks

Eight Scenic State Parks for RV Camping Along the Great American Rail-Trail

Posted 01/29/20 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Great American Rail-Trail, Hall of Fame, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, TrailNation, Washington

To experience a trail of such length—the Great American spans more than 3,700 miles—some may prefer to hop in an RV to cover greater distances and experience more trails within the route. Near many of these trails, travelers can often find state parks tucked along the banks of scenic rivers or lakes, providing idyllic settings for camping. Here are a few of these picturesque parks along the Great American that are perfect for a long-distance journey of RV-plus-trail.

Oak Leaf Trail in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, along the Route of the Badger trail network | Photo courtesy Front Room Photography

RTC President's Message: Connecting America Like Never Before

Posted 01/14/20 by Ryan Chao in America's Trails | Tagged with Ecology and Environment, Georgia, Great American Rail-Trail, Route of the Badger, TrailNation, Wisconsin

At RTC, we try to share the diversity of our country’s vast trails and the people behind them. But if there’s one thing you’ll find consistent in nearly every story and we share through our channels, it’s how trails connect us. In the most literal sense, they serve as a means to get from place to place, and figuratively, trails grant us deep and meaningful connections to each other and to nature.

Connectivity Evolution: Examining a Decade of Rails-to-Trails’ Impact, 2010–2020

Posted 12/31/19 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Success Stories, Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Capital Trails Coalition, Caracara, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here, IHTC, Miami LOOP, Recreational Trails Program, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Transportation Alternatives, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Here’s a look at RTC and a decade of rail-trails—their power and their impact. As the 2010s built momentum, opportunities to maximize the power of these essential community assets became clear, and a new focus took hold at RTC and across the movement: that of regional connectivity and, ultimately, connecting the country by trail like never before. Check out RTC's connectivity evolution over the past decade.

Graphic courtesy RTC

Ask Me Anything: RTC President Ryan Chao and Midwest Director Eric Oberg Chat Trails, Tourism and Transportation

Posted 12/06/19 by Brandi Horton, Ryan Chao in America's Trails | Tagged with Champions, Route of the Badger, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, TrailNation, Wisconsin

Through a special live-streamed Ask Me Anything-style conversation, we caught up with Ryan Chao, president of team RTC, and Eric Oberg, director of trail development for the Midwest Regional Office.

Great American Rail-Trail preferred route reveal in South Cle Elum, Washington | Photo by Kathy Young

Seven Ways Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Brought Big Impact in 2019

Posted 12/05/19 by Amy Kapp in Success Stories, America's Trails | Tagged with BATC, Circuit Trails, Great American Rail-Trail, IHTC, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Recreational Trails Program, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Transportation Alternatives

This year, America and the rail-trail movement saw giant leaps, and small-but-no-less-important bounds, that have helped to achieve RTC’s goal of connecting the country by trail like never before. From major advancements like the launch of the 3,700-mile Great American Rail-Trail, to critical regional and local successes that have delivered new opportunities for mobility, active transportation and economic investment, the impact is being felt in communities of all shapes and sizes across the United States.

Keith Laughlin riding Caracara Trails | Photo courtesy RTC

Former Rails-to-Trails President Keith Laughlin Named 2019 Rail-Trail Champion

Posted 12/02/19 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails | Tagged with Champions, Connected Systems, Great American Rail-Trail, RTC in Action, TrailNation, Transportation Alternatives

Former Rails-to-Trails President Keith Laughlin Named 2019 Rail-Trail Champion. When Keith Laughlin became the second president of RTC in 2001, he did not envision he’d help usher in a golden age for trails.

Bicyclists gathered outside of the Richmond BART Station on Nov. 16, 2019, to ride together to the opening of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge bike and pedestrian path | Photo courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

New Transbay Crossing: Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Bike and Pedestrian Path Opens in California

Posted 11/18/19 by Ben Kaufman, Mary Elise Conzelmann in Building Trails | Tagged with BATC, Bike Commuting, Biking, California, Connected Systems, TrailNation, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

On Nov. 16, 2019, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge bicycle and pedestrian path—a new 6-mile trail that parallels I-580 in the San Francisco Bay Area, officially opened to the public in a special ribbon cutting ceremony. The opening of the new pathway—a fully protected east–west pedestrian and bicycle connection across the Bay—signifies an exciting time in California trail history, as people can now safely walk and bike between the North and East Bay for the first time.

Photo courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Shining a Light on the Transformative Impact of Trails in the Quad Cities

Posted 09/12/19 by Brandi Horton in Building Trails, Policy, America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Great American Rail-Trail, Illinois, Iowa, Local Organizing, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

The Riverfront and Great River trails, both host trails of the Great American and “spines” of a regional trail system between the states. Yet, while those trails have been so important to the region’s riverfront revitalization strategy, there is much more benefit that could be realized if two key gaps are filled, one in the Riverfront Trail in Davenport, Iowa, and the “Critical Gap Connector” between the Great River Trail and the Hennepin Canal Parkway in Illinois.

The Empire State Trail in New York City | Photo by Scott Stark

Rail-Trail State Policy 2019: Here’s What’s Happening Right now

Posted 08/29/19 by Andrew Dupuy, Brian K. Housh in Policy | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Funding, Local Organizing, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Texas, TrailNation

This year, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s state policy arm focused on strategies aimed at building financial support for trails, walking and bicycling over the long term, including the creation of advocacy infrastructure that should pay dividends for active transportation for years to come. Here’s a brief snapshot of where we are right now.

Bikers on tour of Caracara Trails | Photo by John Faulk, Frontera Media

A Closer Look: Connecting the Lower Rio Grande Valley by Trail

Posted 08/12/19 by Ryan Chao in America's Trails, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Caracara, Connected Systems, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, RTC in Action, Texas, TrailNation

Caracara is the name of the trail system developing throughout Cameron County, Texas, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley—a project that Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is honored to count among its TrailNation™ portfolio. The Caracara Trails will be a system unlike any other in a truly unique and special part of America—more than 428 miles of connected multiuse trails, U.S. Bicycle Routes and paddling trails all designed to inspire physical activity for residents and a regionwide “active tourism” economy.