Celebrating 2024’s New Rail-Trails
As 2024 takes its final bow, we applaud the new rail-trails that have made their debuts this year, joining more than 2,400 others already being enjoyed across America. Here, we spotlight just a few of these exciting pathways that are helping communities thrive and making a difference in people’s lives.
High Trestle Trail to Raccoon River Valley Trail Connector (Iowa)
Two of Iowa’s most notable rail-trails are now linked, thanks to the High Trestle Trail to Raccoon River Valley Trail Connector. The new trail was essential to creating a paved, 120-mile loop in the Des Moines area and closed a key gap in the Great American Rail-Trail®, the nation’s first cross-country, multiuse trail. The new trail spans 9 miles between the rural cities of Perry and Woodward, and residents welcome the trail for its economic potential and the opportunity to be more active outdoors.
Del Rio Trail (California)
With more than two dozen unique art pieces lining Sacramento’s Del Rio Trail, the 5-mile pathway offers a truly one-of-a-kind experience. With easy access to its surrounding neighborhoods and a connection to the Sacramento River Parkway trail that heads downtown, the rail-trail also serves as a safer transportation alternative to busy Freeport Boulevard, which it parallels. The Sacramento Zoo and a handful of parks are also within reach of the paved, largely tree-lined north-south route.
Clear Fork Rail Trail (West Virginia)
The idea for the Clear Fork Rail Trail, nestled in Appalachia just outside the former coal town of Whitesville, bubbled up from a “Turn This Town Around” initiative and was supported by a $2 million Abandoned Mine Lands grant. Winding through lush woodlands along the river with a multitiered waterfall along the way, the serene, 5-mile rail-trail (with another 10 miles planned) serves as a recreational gem for residents and is anticipated to draw in visitors as well.
Yellowstone Shortline Trail (Montana)
After being a dream held by locals for decades, Montana’s 9-mile Yellowstone Shortline Trail has become a reality, offering opportunities to be active outdoors and connect to the region’s history through interpretive signage. From the historic district of West Yellowstone to Reas Pass, the scenic, paved pathway winds along the South Fork of the Madison River and through Custer Gallatin National Forest following a rail line that once transported tourists to Yellowstone National Park.
Related:
Overwhelming community support turns a long-held dream to restore a historic railroad corridor into an accessible trail for residents and visitors on the outskirts of Yellowstone National Park.
New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway (New Hampshire)
Eight miles of the New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway now stretch from Portsmouth to the Hampton/North Hampton border, with plans to continue south to Seabrook on the Massachusetts state line. Tracing a former Pan Am Railways route, the crushed-stone trail offers an experience of deep New England woodlands while providing access to neighborhoods, a new skate park, a golf course and a model airplane airfield. It’s also part of East Coast Greenway efforts to connect trails from Maine to Florida.
Mineral County Rails to Trails + Austin Woodhouse Scenic Loop (Montana)
In the rugged terrain of western Montana, the first section of a trail that will traverse Mineral County opened in June 2024. Anchored by Tarkio, where there is a popular launching point for whitewater rafting trips on the Clark Fork River, the hardpacked dirt pathway weaves through tall pines for about 2 miles. It serves as a pleasant alternative to traveling on the paralleling I-90 and will be a link in the Great American Rail-Trail® developing across the country. For more adventure, the trail also connects to the Austin Woodhouse Scenic Loop that adds another 2.5 miles and runs closer to the river along a former Milwaukee Road corridor.
This article was originally published in the Winter 2025 issue of Rails to Trails magazine and has been reposted here in an edited format. Subscribe to read more articles about remarkable trails while also supporting our work.
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