Getting Started: A Guide to Planning Trails

The 44-page guide covers the key topics: Getting organized, Going public, Trail planning, Integrating natural values and recreational use, and Landowner issues and concerns. This is a joint publication of Parks & Trails New York and Hudson River Valley Greenway to encourage successful trail projects at the local level.

by Parks and Trails New York

The purpose of this guide is to foster the vision of a network of trails across New York State — with the Hudson River Greenway Trail, the Canalway Trail, and several long-distance hiking trails — as backbones of the system. The best way to foster this vision is by helping you get started with trail planning in your community. The most successful trail projects are usually initiated at the local level. By developing a trail in your community, the goal of establishing a statewide network of trails across the Empire State is one step closer.

About the Author


Parks & Trails New York is New York's leading statewide advocate for parks and trails, dedicated since 1985 to improving our health, economy, and quality of life through the use and enjoyment of green space.

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