Meet the 2024 Hall of Fame Nominees
Three multiuse trails are up for a chance to join Rails to Trails Conservancy’s Hall of Fame and they need your support to take the honor! Since 2007, RTC has honored over 35 trails across the country with this recognition based on merits such as scenic value, high use, trail and trailside amenities, accessibility, historical significance, excellence in management and maintenance of facility, community connections and geographic distribution.
With your help, one of the stellar nominees below will join the ranks of other iconic trails in the Hall of Fame. The choice is not easy as all three candidates check every box to be inducted.
Now—drumroll, please! It is time to introduce this year’s nominees.
Hawaii’s Ke Ala Hele Makālae is the 2024 Hall of Fame trail! After being nominated for the outstanding experience and social, economic and quality-of-life benefits it provides, the trail was chosen to receive this honor through a national public vote.
Ke Ala Hele Makālae (Hawai‘i)
Stretching 8 miles from Lydgate Beach Park to Kuna Bay (Donkey Beach) on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i, Ke Ala Hele Makālae offers a paved route along breathtaking beaches that provide opportunities to spot whales, monk seals and other wildlife. The rail-trail, whose name translates to “The Path that Goes by the Coast,” provides island residents and visitors with a safe and scenic space for exercise, transportation and socializing. Extensive sports, social and recreational facilities can be found at Lydgate Beach Park, which is also home to two lagoons perfect for calm ocean swimming. The trail also connects with the Kawaihau Elevated Boardwalk, providing the most densely populated residential area on the island with a connection to the coast.
Insight into local culture, ecology and history are also explorable while on the Ke Ala Hele Makālae with wayfinding and interpretive signage. Its ADA-compliant design makes it accessible to people of all ages and abilities, including those in wheelchairs and strollers. While on the trail, people can enjoy its amenities, participate in the events hosted on the trail and reach the coastal communities of Ahihi Point, Wailua Beach Park, Lydgate Park and Kapa’a, the most populous town on Kaua’i. The trail is planned to expand to 17 miles, reaching from Nawiliwili to Anahola, providing even more active transportation and recreational opportunities.
Santa Cruz Loop (Arizona)
Following a massive flood in 1983, Pima County began building riverbank protection along the Rillito and Santa Cruz rivers. With the riverbanks stabilized, nearby residents were seen using the unpaved maintenance access points on top of the banks to walk their dogs, run or ride bikes. Today, the protections are part of the 41.8-mile Santa Cruz Loop, a segment of the larger Chuck Huckelberry Loop trail system. Running alongside the Santa Cruz River across Tucson from Avra Valley Road to West Valencia Road, the Santa Cruz Loop entices its users with its Sonoran Desert environment. The paved pathway is also a segment of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, which follows the route taken by Juan Bautista de Anza on his journey to establish the modern-day San Francisco, California.
Last year, hundreds of thousands of people frequented the Santa Cruz Loop, some being employees of businesses near the trail encouraged to walk and bike to work by the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean Air Program. Artwork (including murals, sculptures, metal work and carved concrete), exercise stations, drinking water, restrooms and playgrounds make this trail an exceptional experience. Seamlessly connecting the surrounding communities with the bustling urban downtown, the Santa Cruz Loop is known as a community asset that enhances lives and amplifies tourism, while also facilitating flood control.
Razorback Greenway (Arkansas)
Northwest Arkansas’ Razorback Greenway is a transportation and recreation corridor comprising 22 connected individual trails providing opportunities to reach key destinations, including parks, schools, restaurants and retail businesses. Spanning more than 40 miles, the paved route connects seven communities: Fayetteville, Johnson, Springdale, Lowell, Rogers, Bentonville and Bella Vista. Expanding its reach, the trail also has connections to the region’s 200-mile network of paved, shared-use trails.
The Razorback Greenway is also an important gathering space for numerous events throughout the year, including the NWA Bike-a-Palooza and the biannual Square 2 Square bike ride that sees over 2,000 bicyclists from across the country for a day of cycling and community. With some sections seeing up to 50,000 people a month, the popular trail has become a cultural and economic staple of Northwest Arkansas, helping to cement its identity as a hub for bicycling, active transportation and outdoor recreation.
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