Articles
Submit Your Photos for the National Recreation Trail Photo Contest
American Trails sponsors the annual contest for photographs of designated National Recreation Trails (NRT) across the country. Our annual contest provides awards in several categories and shows off entries (and previous winners) on the NRT website. The deadline is Dec. 15 of each year.
A Complicated Collaboration
Boston’s South Bay Harbor Trail (SBHT) is an ambitious, linear, recreation project that provides residents and visitors to the city with multiple quality-of-life benefits, including economic, transportation, health, social justice, and environmental. When complete, the 3.5-mile, shared-use path will connect five of the city’s diverse neighborhoods to the burgeoning Seaport District and revitalized Boston Harbor.
The San Antonio Trail Design Strategy
The city of San Antonio, Texas, has been pursuing a long-standing, ambitious initiative aimed at developing a city-wide network of off-road greenway trails that encircle the city.
A Walk Through Trail Design
“In every walk with nature, one received far more than he seeks.”
--John Muir (naturalist) known as the "Father of the National Parks" and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the U.S. (1838-1914)
Beyond Playgrounds And Plants
Just five years after Oklahoma’s statehood in 1907, one of Oklahoma City’s oldest parks was purchased and became home to Will Rogers Gardens. The land, previously a dairy farm, began a transformation in 1932 when Henry Walters, the City Horticulturalist, designed the gardens’ ponds, plant beds, overlooks, and basic structures.
Concrete, Asphalt, Gravel
Ranging from large, multi-use trails that offer a wide variety of recreation and transportation uses to nature trails that create opportunities to enjoy the natural environments within a city, most
A Closer Look
Unless you are a trail manager or an ADA-compliance supervisor, you may not know there has been a flurry of activity to address public spaces after the Department of Justice (DOJ) amended several areas of
TrailBlazers Unite
When park visitors share their ideas, the results can be amazing. After years of being part of Red Oaks Waterpark’s River Walk program, where participants walk for fitness in the 990-foot, slow-moving lazy river after hours, a
A Reflective Respite
The benefits of spending time outdoors have long been documented by writers and naturalists. Henry David Thoreau once said, “An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day,” and in the wise words of
Trails On The Brain
Are trails just lines randomly drawn on maps? While some people may perceive them this way, trail planners would most certainly disagree because of the thoughtfulness and care with which they approach
Gaining Ground
As recently as 2004, mountain-bike trails were non-existent in Brown County State Park in Nashville, Ind. So what transformation took place to being recognized as one of the premier trail systems in
New Miles Added To Great American Rail-Trail
Marshallville, Ohio—In late September, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) joined Rails-to-Trails of Wayne County to celebrate the ribbon cutting for 2.4 miles of new trail on the Heartland Trail. It marks the
For The Health Of It
From mountains that roll in like waves to rivers, no one spot in Tennessee looks the same from day to day as each vibrant seasonal change transforms the landscape. It’s no wonder that nature is so beneficial to
Traversing The Four Mile Creek Trail
On a recent, warm Sunday afternoon in October, a diverse spectrum of people could be found cycling, running, and power-walking through the Four Mile Creek section of the Virginia Capital
Trail Maintenance
“Happy trails to you, until we meet again.Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.”--”Happy Trails,” Dale Evans Rogers The average person walking along a beautiful tree-lined trail in a park is pr
Move Your Trail Off Of My Land
After two years and more than 15,000 hours of labor, the rerouting of Fiery Gizzard Trail in Tennessee has been completed. The project began in June 2015 after two landowners asked
A Bird’s-Eye View
Building coalitions that see a tourist destination as a shared product strengthen and strategically align a community’s economy. More and more, destinations are breaking down
More Than Meets The Eye
A long, flat, abandoned stretch of land and a community asking for recreational trails seems like a match made in heaven, right? Well, maybe.
Forging A Path
What is 35 miles long and requires 8,000 trail maps, 18,000 dog-litter bags, and several recycle bins? AnswerСthe trail system in Vernon, Conn.
Equestrian Trails
But the trail plan has no mention of hot-pink muck buckets, one of the eye-catching amenities that draw media attention to the connectivity, boardwalks, and successes of the multi-use equestrian trails managed by Oakland County Parks and Recreation.