More Trail Resources

Resources and Library:

Water & Boating Trails

What are water trails? marked routes along rivers, lakes, and coastlines for boating including: signs and route markers; maps and promotion of water routes; facilities for parking, boat ramps or docks, and places to camp and picnic; state programs for water trails.

Why water trails are better than land trails: A totally unbiased analysis by a kayaker with a disability
Water Trail Toolbox: Planning a Water Trail from Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network
CT: Connecticut River Water Trail
NE: River Recreation Management Plan for the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge - canoeing and floating (pdf 894 kb).
Bringing together a coalition of partners to develop your water trail (pdf of PowerPoint 1.2 mb)
OR: Water trail plan Willamette River (pdf 892 kb)
PA: Water Trails Partnership reports on Developing Water Trails in Pennsylvania
PA: Recommendations on Developing Water Trails in Pennsylvania
WI: Milwaukee Urban Water Trail Gap Analysis Study: improving existing water access (pdf 1.5 mb)

740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail through northeastern U.S. and Canada
Water trails join land routes as National Recreation Trails
MD: Janes Island State Park: 30 miles of water trails dissect a 2,900 acre Chesapeake Bay island
MO: Missouri River Paddling Trail runs more than 500 miles of the lower Missouri River, a joint initiative of Missouri state agencies
NY: New York City Water Trail connects rivers, bays, creeks, inlets and ocean in the five boroughs
NY: Chemung Basin River Trail Partnership
OR: Siuslaw Water Trail runs 30 miles along the North Fork and Siuslaw Rivers between Mapleton and the Pacific Ocean
WV: Coal River Group works to “Bring life back to the Coal Rivers” including a 100-mile water trail

Designated National Recreation Trails:

Alabama Scenic River Trail (AL)
Apalachicola River Paddling Trail System (FL)
Cascadia Marine Trail (WA)
Congaree River Blue Trail (SC)
Delaware River Water Trail (NJ)
Milwaukee Urban Water Trail (WI)
Potomac River Water Trail (DC, MD, VA, WV)
Schuylkill River Water Trail (PA)
Susquehanna River Water Trail (PA)

To expand our resources and coverage of water trails, we’d like to hear about your project. Please send us articles, documents, or web links we can include on our website and in future issues of the American Trails Magazine. Contact us at trailhead@americantrails.org.

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