Prepared by Darrow Vanderburgh-Wertz
Shared-use pathways along the banks of irrigation canals, flood channels, and other waterways can serve important recreational and transportation functions. The easy grade, scenic interest, and minimal road crossings make shared-use paths along waterways highly attractive as trails for recreation, transportation, and a healthy, active lifestyle, particularly in urbanized areas.
by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC)
The linear, unbroken character of waterways provide opportunities for shared-use paths of significant length and importance. The 110-mile-long trail located on top of Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee in Florida is a prime example of a levee trail. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail follows an old canal path along the Potomac River for 184.5 miles and is a fabulous recreational resource for the region. In the more urban environment of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Arroyo de los Chamisos Trail, which runs along a cement-lined arroyo (wash), provides an important and direct pedestrian and bicyclist connection from densely populated residential neighborhoods into major commercial districts, schools, hospitals and other trails such as the Santa Fe Rail Trail. The Rio Hondo bicycle path in eastern Los Angeles County follows the Rio Hondo, a tributary of the Los Angeles River, and connects residents to schools, community centers, businesses, and regional trails on the San Gabriel and Los Angeles rivers.
There are also some common concerns that arise from cities, trail users, adjacent homeowners, and water districts, such as water security, public safety and maintenance costs. This paper discusses, in brief, the following preliminary considerations as well as strategies to address common concerns that arise in the process of developing a trail along a waterway:
Published July 2011
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.
RTC’s mission, and its value, is magnified in urban areas, where one mile of trail can completely redefine the livability of a community. Where trails are more than just recreational amenities, creating opportunities for active transportation and physical activity—improving our health and wellbeing—as they safely connect us to jobs, schools, businesses, parks, and cultural institutions in our own neighborhoods and beyond.
Visit Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC)
County of Los Angeles Trails Manual
The purpose of this Trails Manual is to provide an accessible resource that can be used for trail planning, design, construction, and maintenance within the County of Los Angeles
Market Research: Equity of Access to Trails
This study has been conducted in response to the imperative offered by the JEDI Task Force.
Fort River Birding and Nature Trail
The Fort River Birding and Nature Trail is a universally accessible trail. It was presented with the 2014 Paul Winske Access Award by the Stavros Center for Independent Living.
For trails to be considered “sustainable” they must meet these recreational needs while providing adequate protection to the environment while minimizing trail maintenance.
