TrailNation Summit Sessions
Ohio’s Cleveland Foundation Centennial Lake Link Trail | Photo by Jason Cohn
Keynote & Plenary | Master Classes | World Cafe | Tours | Cohorts | Speakers
The TrailNation Summit is a unique event rooted in deep, hands-on learning, creating an experience where everyone will gain the skills, relationships and action plans they need to put their trail network vision on the fast track.
From keynotes that will tackle the challenge and opportunity of this moment to immersive master classes and mobile workshops that unpack the tools, tactics and action plans you need to move forward, each moment of the TrailNation Summit is designed to empower participants to lead their trail network project into the future. At the conference, you’ll experience …
- Immersive master classes and mobile workshops
- “World café” networking session designed for quick learning and relationship building with experts from across sectors
- First-ever trail networks “pitch fest” for people to hone their skills at packaging projects in ways that gain investment
- A chance to meet people from across the country who share your passion for making it safer and easier for everyone to walk, bike and be active where they live.
Explore the sessions and register today!
Keynote and Plenary Sessions
From Amenities to Essentials: The Case for Trails and Active Infrastructure
Nationwide, communities, states and regions are banding together to build out their visions for trail networks. In many places—rural and urban, red and blue—local and state leaders are applying their influence to accelerate the pace of progress. We’ll hear firsthand from those who have been at the helm of this progress and why they believe that trail and active transportation networks are essential to the well-being of the places and the people they serve.
1.0 AICP CM credits available.
Funding Trail Investment in a Shifting Political Landscape
In Washington, D.C., and in statehouses nationwide, 2025 marks a year of change and shifting priorities, bringing increased scrutiny to investments in trails, walking and bicycling. This session will explore strategies for aligning advocacy with new federal, state and local priorities—amplifying the economic, safety and quality of life impact of trails, while exploring the critical role of state leadership and investment, diverse funding sources, and philanthropic support in ensuring trail networks continue to grow and deliver powerful returns.
1.0 AICP CM credits available.
Joy Transforms
In a time of extreme polarization, studies show that America is experiencing a loneliness epidemic. In many communities, trail networks are spaces that spark joy and create a shared community identity, unlocking the key ingredients of place-based transformation that fuels economic growth and quality of life. Together, we’ll explore what it means to leverage joy for impact, building support and inspiring the action needed to make meaningful progress for the nation’s trail networks.
1.0 AICP CM credits available.
Philanthropy’s Role in Powering Community Growth Through Trails
As federal funding priorities shift, communities around the country are looking for innovative ways to meet the needs of their communities. Alongside a panel of philanthropic leaders, we’ll explore how to move beyond traditional funding models to address the challenges of working across municipal lines, sectors, and timelines. We’ll explore how philanthropy can, and has played a catalytic role in these efforts, not just as funders but as strategic partners in long-term, systems-level solutions.
1.0 AICP CM credits available.
Master Classes
These immersive learning sessions will feature hands-on learning with leaders in the field, alongside case studies of sustainable solutions to funding, advocacy and trail development challenges. Rural, suburban and urban cohort groups will move through the sessions as a team, walking away with the specific localized skills and new perspectives to empower local action.
Overcoming Obstacles to Trail Network Implementation
Across the country, communities face similar—yet unique—challenges as they seek to build out their trail networks. Whether we’re working in rural, suburban or urban communities, building public support and political will are essential to success. This session will focus on a range of issues unique to the geographies where we work, from community connection to health and economic revitalization, landowner opposition and rights of way, addressing mobility needs and strategies for integrating trails with existing infrastructure and transit.
1.5 AICP CM credits available.
Engaging End Users: Marketing, Messaging & Trail Activation
Regardless of the community you represent, outreach and engagement are essential to the success of your trail network. This session dives into approaches for activating your trail network through strategic outreach, inclusive messaging, media partnerships, and community-centered programming that turns occasional users into loyal stewards.
1.5 AICP CM credits available.
Mapping Trail Networks for Implementation & Advocacy
Mapping is a key step in bringing the vision of a trail network to life—essential to the implementation of and advocacy for connected trail networks nationwide. Together, we’ll explore effective mapping strategies that seek to build community knowledge of the trail system, approaches to developing comprehensive approaches for corridor analysis, and the power of collaboration across stakeholder groups.
1.5 AICP CM credits available.
Trails as Economic Engines
Increasing walkability and bikeability is a proven method for regional economic growth. Together, we’ll explore strategies for leveraging trail networks to support small businesses, increase tourism, attract talent, and drive local investment—complete with data insights and messaging tools to help advocates speak to the economic value of trails in any region
1.5 AICP CM credits available.
World Café
Big Ideas. Fast Connections. Real Solutions.
This fast-paced, highly interactive session is designed to maximize learning and connections. Participants will rotate through expert-led small-group conversations on the tools and tactics shaping trail networks today—including spatial data, market analysis, trail-user data, community-first design, funding readiness, economic impact, and effective public engagement and messaging. The World Café model emphasizes actionable insights and hands-on advice tailored to real-world trail development challenges, providing new strategies, fresh ideas, and personal connections that are the seed for lasting partnerships.
Coalition Building and Engagement
Institute for Conservation Leadership
Sarah Clark and Joy Jackson from the Institute for Conservation Leadership will share their best practices to leading your coalitions in ways that engage members, center your goals and intentions, leading to actionable results and sustainable growth for your trail network.
Corridor Acquisition
With over 30 years of conservation expertise, Dene Hofheinz Lee will share her best practices for structuring and completing land acquisitions that have created numerous parks and open spaces across the Eastern United States, providing you with the tools and resources to do the same in your own community.
Economic Development
Matt Wagner Ph.D., is an expert on downtown revitalization who will discuss the powerful role of trails in revitalization efforts and provide you with tips and strategies to both demonstrate the economic benefits of trails and collaborate with your local business community.
Evaluation Metrics
University of California, San Diego & University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Join Jim Sallis, Ph.D. (UCSD) and Laura Payne, Ph.D. (UIUC), two experts on evaluation metrics, for a conversation on how to measure success and evaluate progress on your trail network that you can leverage for funding proposals and building connections with leaders from your local council to congressional representatives.
Signage and Branding
If you’ve ever wondered how to build your trail network’s brand as a cohesive, connected system, this conversation with Guide Studio’s Cathy Fromet and Erica Deutsch is for you—hear how they worked with partners across the Industrial Heartland Trails network to develop a brand the unify communities across four states.
Trail Counts & Data
Join Eco-Counter’s Daniel Legere to hear how trail count and analytics technology can move your trail network development forward from demonstrating demand to supporting your funding applications.
Trail Planning
Trail and active transportation planning experts David Schipps, AICP and Katie Sieb, AICP will share the knowledge and expertise of Toole Design Group to learn how to keep your planning efforts moving forward through a variety of challenges, from community engagement to design and construction.
Working with Railroads
Hear from Damien D’Anna, the Director of Real Estate, Sales and Leasing at CSX Corporation for insights on how this Class I Railroad is building partnerships and collaborating with trail sponsors and government entities to encourage rails to trails developments that spur economic development.
Mobile Tours
Legacy to Livability: Trail-Driven Waterfront Revitalization in Cleveland
From its roots as an industrial powerhouse to its emergence as a 21st-century city, Cleveland is an iconic American city with a remarkable story. Take a deep dive into a series of trail projects along the banks of the Cuyahoga River and the Lake Erie waterfront, tracing more than a century of the city’s history through multiple transportation eras. Explore how Cleveland has created an impressive, connected trail system with immense regional impact along the former path of canals and amongst railroads and highways. Learn how a coalition of regional partners came together to build the momentum needed to secure transformative Federal funding and forge public-private partnerships—resulting in world-class trails and open spaces just steps from downtown.
Cleveland Foundation Centennial Lake Link Trail walk: 0.5 – 1 mile on paved trail; minimal elevation change
3 AICP CM credits available.
Restoring Access, Building Resilience: The Euclid Lakefront Story
On the banks of Lake Erie, the suburban community of Euclid has a long history of limited public access to its waterfront. Like many other communities across the country, private property development was long prioritized along the lakefront, limiting use of the lake and access for trails and recreation. However, a receding shoreline and coastal erosion have presented opportunities to restore public access to one of the region’s most valuable assets. The Euclid example informs broader county-wide lakefront planning and serves as inspiration for resilience-based equity planning across the Great Lakes region. Creative funding strategies, including public-private partnerships, tax increment financing, and grant leverage, were key to making this transformation possible. In this mobile workshop, we’ll hear from the local leaders who found innovative ways to build environmental resilience and create trail connectivity for generations to come.
Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway walk: 1.1 mile on paved trail; minimal elevation change
Euclid Creek Reservation All Purpose Trail walk: 1 mile on paved trail; minimal elevation change
3 AICP CM credits available.
Leveraging Trail Connectivity for Quality of Life in Rural and Suburban America
We’ve all heard the myth that “trails, walking and biking are just for people in cities”. Yet small towns and rural communities that invest in trail infrastructure are thriving. This workshop will highlight both the Village of Orange and the City of Solon in Cleveland’s outer ring suburbs.
In Orange, we’ll explore their innovative approach to providing walking and biking infrastructure through an enhanced sidewalk system with local leaders and Cleveland MetroParks. Along the route from Orange to Solon, you will see an in-progress rail-trail development connecting communities. Solon’s Mayor Eddy Kraus will join us to show how regional partnerships between communities are driving trail network connectivity. Alongside park district staff and land acquisition consultants, these local leaders will tell the story of how these more rural communities are centering trails, walking and biking as key to attracting residents and businesses, resulting in strong local economies and transportation choice.
Solon to Chagrin Falls Trail walk: 1.5 miles on paved trail; minimal elevation change
3 AICP CM credits available.
Cohorts, Connections and Explorations
At the Summit, we’ll learn together, we’ll challenge each other, and we’ll have fun making new friends. The Summit is designed to maximize connections, bringing participants together in cohorts grouped by rural, suburban and urban geographies so that people can create relationships and tackle comparable challenges with fresh perspectives from across the country. Time is set aside for cohort meetups and networking at evening receptions. Plus, at the TrailNation Pitch Fest, you’ll get a chance to learn how active transportation projects from across the country are positioning their projects for funding. And we won’t miss our chance to get out on the trail, teaming up with Cuyahoga Greenways, our host trail network in Cleveland, to get outside and explore the innovation driving regional trail development.
Registration open!
Full price registration for the TrailNation Summit is $475* and open through Oct. 10. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this event that will bring together hundreds of regional leaders, planners, and advocates who are working to build a future where trail networks connect people and places across the country.
Registration costs unlock full access to the Summit:
- Mobile workshops, masterclass sessions, plenary sessions
- Networking and time to build connections within tailored peer-learning cohorts
- Breakfast and lunch daily
- Two evening receptions
- Up to 13 AICP CM credits (for eligible Summit participants)!
Don’t forget to book your lodging at the official Summit hotel! RTC has secured a discounted room block at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown.
*Processing fees will be added to the total cost at checkout.
If you have questions about the TrailNation Summit or the TrailNation Collaborative, view the Summit FAQ.
For information about ways you can sponsor the TrailNation Summit, reach out to Danielle Casavant, Senior Major Gifts Officer, at danielle@railstotrails.org.
