Skip to content

Focus Term: Tourism and Economic Development


Blog
Connecticut’s Hop River State Park Trail
January 19, 2017
It’s hard to pick a favorite season to experience the Hop River State Park Trail, set amidst the dense forests of Eastern Connecticut. Sections of the 20-mile rail-trail dive through steep rock cuts that seep moisture.
In Windham, the Hop River Trail meets the Air Line Trail on this bridge over the Willimantic River. | Courtesy Connecticut DOT-DEEP
Blog
Missouri’s Rock Island Trail State Park
December 05, 2016
Just in time for the holidays, a stunning new rail-trail has arrived in Missouri. Opening Dec. 10, the 47.5-mile Rock Island Trail State Park is notable for its length.
A view from the Katy Trail bridge in Windsor looking down on Rock Island Trail State Park. | Courtesy Missouri Rock Island Trail, Inc.
Blog
Pathway to Prosperity: Missouri’s Katy Trail Is a Beautiful Model for Commerce
December 02, 2016
Missouri’s Katy Trail supports small businesses across the state and serves as a model for other rail-trail projects nationwide.
Trail's End Monument in Sedalia, 35 miles east of the Katy Trail's western end in Clinton, celebrating Sedalia's history as the first cow town | Photo by Danielle Taylor
Blog
Michigan’s Saginaw County to Bay County Connector
November 11, 2016
About 35 miles north of Flint, the 7-mile Saginaw County to Bay County Connector joins the 17.5-mile Bay County Riverwalk to Saginaw County, where it will link up to the 2-mile Zilwaukee Pathway
Massive trees line the SCTBCC, providing shade in the warm months and a virtual kaleidoscope of colors during the fall. | Photo courtesy Heidi Bulger.
Blog
Washington’s Ferry County Rail Trail
October 10, 2016
Northeast Washington’s Ferry County Rail Trail winds through a forested valley carved by the pristine Kettle River, passes through an otherworldly rock tunnel and crosses a 770-foot trestle that skims over a vast lake.
The trail's rocky tunnel is located on the northern end of the route | Photo by J. Foster Fanning courtesy Ferry County Rail Trail Partners
Blog
Pennsylvania’s Pine Creek Rail Trail
September 15, 2016
Northern Pennsylvania’s Pine Creek Rail Trail offers the perfect outdoor destination for autumn (or any season, really)
An equestrian trail parallels the Pine Creek Rail Trail between Ansonia and Tiadaghton | Photo by Linda Stager, author of the Pine Creek Rail Trail Guidebook
Blog
Five Rail-Trails in America’s National Parks
August 11, 2016
With more than 400 in the National Park System, we wanted to share this great list of five rail-trails in America’s National Parks.
Grand Teton Multi-use Pathway:Greater Yellowstone Trail, Wyoming | Photo by Camrin Dengel
Blog
Seven Wonders of the Ohio to Erie Trail
July 14, 2016
The developing Ohio to Erie Trail crosses the Buckeye State at a diagonal like a prized sash, featuring some of the best sights and experiences Ohio has to offer. Here's a quick, guided tour of some of the major highlights.
Ohio and Erie Canalway Towpath Trail (under Hope Memorial Bridge) along Cleveland's Cuyahoga River | Photo courtesy Behnke Landscape Architecture
Blog
Iowa’s High Trestle Trail
July 14, 2016
Like the entrance to an alien starship, the fantastical channel of blue lights along the signature bridge of central Iowa’s High Trestle Trail beckons curious travelers to explore.
High Trestle Trail | Photo by David V. Johnson
Blog
Destination: Virginia Beach
July 11, 2016
This destination feature highlights the sights and wonders of four trails around Virginia Beach: the Cape Henry Trail, Elizabeth River Trail, Norfolk Avenue Trail and Virginia Beach Boardwalk.
Statue of Neptune along the Virginia Beach Boardwalk | Photo by Scott Stark