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Focus Term: Tourism and Economic Development


Blog
Indiana’s Big 4 Trail
January 11, 2022
Surrounded by tree canopies, beautiful countryside and the charm of small towns, the Big 4 Trail traverses a Midwestern wonderland. The developing rail-trail serves as an important regional connector—spreading diagonally across Boone County, crossing into Clinton County and, eventually, continuing into Tippecanoe County.
Indiana's Big 4 Trail | Courtesy Town of Zionsville
Blog
Trail Moments | Letting the Good (and Bad) Times Roll: New York Bike Shop Opens in the Midst of a Covid World
January 03, 2022
Simon’s bike rental shop, a first for the town, is situated on Hurleyville’s Main Street, just steps from the rail-trail. “It’s 7 miles of beautiful, flat pavement.”
Fortress Bikes interior | Courtesy Hal Simon
Blog
Breaking News: The Rock Island Trail Is On Track to Be Game-Changer for Missouri
December 14, 2021
The State of Missouri announced that they have officially railbanked the 144-mile Rock Island Railroad corridor.
Graphic by RTC, photo courtesy Missouri Rock Island Trail Inc.
Blog
Federal Grants RAISE the Bar for Active Transportation Investments
November 23, 2021
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced nearly $1 billion in RAISE grants this cycle, “that will improve infrastructure, strengthen supply chains, make us safer, advance equity, and combat climate change.”
Courtesy Getty Images
Blog
Taters and Trains: The Great Big Baked Potato and the Northern Pacific Line
November 10, 2021
In 1908 Hazen Titus was the new superintendent of dining cars for the now-defunct Northern Pacific Line when he overheard a conversation.
Sheet music image | Courtesy University of Colorado, Music Library
Blog
The Build Back Better Act Could Create New Opportunities for Trail and Active Transportation Funding
November 06, 2021
The Build Back Better Act includes programs that address critical transportation and infrastructure issues, such as economic development, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and equity.
Georgia's Silver Comet Trail | Photo by Seth Holladay
Blog
Close Ties: Louisiana Bootlace Trail Network
October 26, 2021
Trail advocates in Louisiana are coming together with a vision to create a 100-miles-plus trail network loop that will lace together a dozen parishes.
Part of the developing Louisiana Bootlace Trail Network, New Orleans’ Wisner Trail is nestled between two popular recreational amenities - City Park and Bayou St. John. Photo by Jennifer Ruley, courtesy City of New Orleans.
Blog
Iowa’s Raccoon River Valley Trail
September 10, 2021
In pastoral west-central Iowa, the Raccoon River Valley Trail has won this year’s blue-ribbon prize: entrance into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame.
Perry's depot along the Raccoon River Valley Trail | Courtesy Raccoon River Valley Trail Association
Blog
Connections of Land, Sea and Sky: Olympic Discovery Trail
September 07, 2021
The Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) is a showcase of some of the most renowned cultural and natural assets on the North Olympic Peninsula.
The Elwha River Bridge in Port Angeles along the Olympic Discovery Trail has two decks—one for vehicles and one (below it) for pedestrians and bicyclists. | Photo by John Gussman
Blog
Southern New Mexico’s Cloud-Climbing Trestle Trail Preserves Unique Piece of Railroad History
July 26, 2021
The Cloud-Climbing Trestle Trail is one of a network of trails rooted in the history of the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railway (A&SM), also known as the Cloud-Climbing Railroad.
The 122-year-old Cloud-Climbing Trestle, also known as the Mexican Canyon Trestle | Photo by Cindy Barks