Celebrate Trails Day 2026: The Power of a Day on the Trail
Every year, on the fourth Saturday of April, Rails to Trails Conservancy invites everyone to join us for Celebrate Trails Day. This springtime celebration brings people together on trails across the country for walks, runs, rides, volunteer activities, community festivals and more—creating a powerful day of collective joy, impact and action for the nation’s pathways.
With America’s upcoming 250-year milestone and RTC marking 40 years of connecting people and places by trail, we set out to make the 2026 Celebrate Trails Day the biggest and best yet.
In 2013, RTC launched its first Celebrate Trails Day (known as Opening Day for Trails back then), with just a few dozen events. This year, we teamed up with 380 partners to grow the celebration and reach all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Inspired by the opportunity to attend either a group event or to enjoy their own outing along the nation’s 42,500 miles of trails, an incredible 40,000+ people were estimated to have been part of Celebrate Trails Day this year.
It was an amazing day.
We thank the 2026 supporting organizations, our partners and everyone who participated, including all the elected officials who joined events along their local trails. By showing up on America’s trails for Celebrate Trails Day, you contributed to a national moment that lifted up the health, safety, economic and quality-of-life benefits trails bring to our communities and lives.
Here’s a look back at a handful of the celebrations that took place around the country. You can also watch our full video broadcast for highlights from this joy-filled day and the difference it made.
Celebrating a Nation Connected by Trails
Just across the river from nation’s capital, approximately 100 volunteers gathered to clean up litter along Virginia’s Mount Vernon Trail. The cleanup was organized by the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail and resulted in the removal of more than 1,000 pounds of trash and lots of smiles from appreciative trail users. To start the day and celebrate the trail’s connections, RTC led a bike ride to the cleanup with Trek Bicycle and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. As a popular route and an essential link in the region’s Capital Trails Network (one of RTC’s TrailNation projects), the Mount Vernon Trail provides an important way to commute, visit historical and everyday destinations, be active and access nature.
Around the country, other celebrations invited people to explore how their local trails connect into larger systems—or how future plans will allow them to do so. In the Greater Philadelphia and southern New Jersey region, multiple events took place along the trails that comprise the Circuit Trails network, encouraging people to celebrate the network’s 500 miles of completed and in-progress trails, and generating enthusiasm for continued advancement.
Ajoa Abrokwa, the founder of She Is Focused and an RTC board member, organized three events in different locations highlighting Circuit Trails around the region:
Over in Maryland, members of the Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, invited locals to engage in fun activities and learn about the pathways that are forming the city’s network. In the Midwest, a multiday trail fest kicked off to celebrate the launch of the 800-mile Greater Indy Trailways. Farther north in Wisconsin, our partners celebrated the start of construction on a long-awaited trail spur with a ride, fun activities, music and food. The new trail will provide more safe connections for the Mequon community and link to the Route of the Badger trail network.
In the South, our team joined Groundwork Jacksonville for a celebration on the Emerald Trail system in Florida, featuring a walking tour about local history and a butterfly release. In Alabama, the Pepper Place Farmers Market brought out locals for fresh food, music, a run and opportunities to learn about Birmingham’s trails.
On the West Coast, in California, our team pedaled alongside our partners from Bike East Bay, Sports Basement and Bay Wheels—and more than 100 people—to celebrate the trails in the San Franciso Bay Area. Highlights of the event included a visit to the Bay Skyway, a priority project for the region’s 2,675-mile trail network; a whale sighting; and a chance to connect with elected officials and staff members from Caltrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission about the importance of trails and active transportation access.
Celebrating Great Moments and Momentum Along the Great American Rail-Trail
From walks and rides to ribbon-cuttings, several events were planned along the Great American Rail-Trail®, helping to cheer on this ambitious 3,700-mile project and applaud the seven years of progress made since this cross-country route was introduced in 2019.
In Ohio, RTC partnered with Five Rivers MetroParks, the Major Taylor Cycling Club and other local groups to host a festival along the Great Miami River Trail, which is part of the Great American Rail-Trail’s route through Dayton. The event invited community members to enjoy a ride along the scenic trail and to learn about its role in connecting the Great American Rail-Trail and one of the nation’s largest paved trail networks.
Events toasting new trail mileage completed along the Great American route took place in Bunker Hill, Indiana; Chadron, Nebraska; and Casper, Wyoming. We were thrilled to celebrate these new connections—and the new opportunities they bring to the towns, cities and regions they serve—along with the communities and champions who helped make them possible.
Along the border of Iowa and Nebraska, our team walked parts of the Great American Rail-Trail at a special event with America’s Walking Club, who, like RTC, are celebrating a milestone anniversary this year! And in Washington state, we spent the day with our partners at Peninsula Trails Coalition and Ian’s Ride, who planned an all-abilities ride in Sequim on the Olympic Discovery Trail, along the western end of the Great American’s route.
Uniting On the Trail for a Special Day
We were wowed by the more than 330 stellar events and activities planned across the country to welcome people outside, including those hosted by the Special Olympics team, HBCUs Outside and REI stores.
It was incredible to see all the ways—and different places—people participated in this special day on the trail, including the many individuals and their families who participated by going on their own nature hikes, runs, rides, sightseeing excursions and other outdoor adventures.
Celebrate Trails Day was much more than a day outside. It was a day full of unforgettable experiences and new memories that we hope will inspire more moments on the trail in the future!
Thank you to everyone who participated, our partners and the 2026 supporting organizations.
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