On the fourth Saturday of every April, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) invites everyone to get outside for Celebrate Trails Day, our springtime celebration of America’s trails and trail networks. Celebrate Trails Day is more than a day outside. It’s an opportunity to grow awareness and appreciation for all the ways that trails make a difference for […]

A region brimming with great trails makes for an appealing outdoor destination. That is why the Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition (IHTC) is working to complete and connect a system of shared use trails across 51 counties in western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, eastern Ohio, and southwest New York. IHTC’s vision is that this “Industrial Heartland” […]

When we think about what it takes to develop a successful trail network, engagement is inherently part of the equation. But figuring out how to engage the many different people—local residents, elected officials, the business community and more—can be overwhelming. One way to approach this is by thinking about the many moments that take place […]

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors to build healthier places for healthier people. All over America, hospitals and regional healthcare systems are beginning to tap into the enormous potential of trails to address local health problems. Trails are now […]

Trail advocates sometimes use the old mantra, “Build it and they will come,” to describe the immediate success of new trails. But complexities of the built and social environments in urban areas present factors that may affect trail use and require programmatic interventions to encourage use once the trail is constructed. Research indicates that strategies […]

This primer explores the benefits of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s Urban Pathways Initiative (UPI), a program that advocates for equitable investment in vulnerable communities to promote the health, transportation and environmental benefits of trail use. UPI provides community-based assistance to groups and municipal agencies which promote or develop pathways intersecting low-income communities. This report shares lessons learned from UPI and focuses on strategies to encourage […]

This sample resolution produced by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy provides a template to use with government entities you would like to support your trail project.