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posted Aug 18, 2020

Hank Aaron State Trail Art Concept Plan

The Friends of Hank Aaron State Trail commissioned this Art Concept Plan to lay the groundwork for the placement of public art along the Trail. This Plan identifies sites in which art could most effectively be placed, establishes principles for its placement, and explores how art can go beyond familiar conventions to reinforce the identity of the Trail and its surroundings.


posted Aug 17, 2020

The Emergence of “Fat Bikes” in the USA; Trends, potential consequences and management implications

In the USA, sales and use of “fat bikes” (bicycles with 75–120 mm-wide tires) have increased dramatically in the past five years. These bikes are designed to open new terrain to cyclists, including snow-covered trails and softer ground surfaces impossible to ride with a standard mountain bike. In this paper, we discuss the extent and possible trends of fat bike use, potential impacts, conflicts and land management approaches.


posted Aug 17, 2020

Exercise Intensity and Performance Aspects of Snow Biking through the Use of a Fat Bike

In recent years, fat bikes have become a popular option for mountain bikers. A fat bike is a mountain bike equipped with tires ranging from 9.3 – 10.1 cm wide, twice as wide as a traditional mountain bike tire (Barber, 2014). This allows them to be ridden at an inflation pressure as low as 27579 Pascal (4 PSI). The wide surface area, and low inflation pressure, of these tires allows for excellent handling of the bicycle while riding over sand, mud, and snow. It is difficult, if not impossible, for a traditional mountain bike to ride over such surfaces.


posted Aug 17, 2020

Outdoor Participation Report 2018

by Outdoor Foundation

A participant in outdoor recreation is defined as an individual who took part in one or more of 42 outdoor activities at least once during 2017.


posted Aug 17, 2020

Your Trail Shoe Recommendations

by American Trails Staff

We asked our readers to send us their favorite trail shoes. These are the results.


posted Aug 17, 2020

Old Spanish National Historic Trail

by Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service

The strategy described here provides guidance for the administration of the entire trail and a vision to be fulfilled through future, specific resources studies, and site and segment management plans. Much of the basis for the “Comprehensive Administrative Strategy” was developed during the earlier comprehensive management plan efforts.


posted Aug 17, 2020

Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express National Historic Trails Long-Range Interpretive Plan

by National Park Service

This plan provides broad-based policies, guidelines, and standards for administering the four trails to ensure the protection of trail resources, their interpretation, and their continued use. Subsequent planning efforts tier off of the Comprehensive Management and Use Plan and provide more detailed recommendations and guidance. Among the many recommendations in the Comprehensive Management and Use Plan is one calling for a trails-wide interpretive plan.


posted Aug 17, 2020

Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express National Historic Trails Comprehensive Management and Use Plan / Final Environmental Impact Statement

by National Park Service

This Comprehensive Management and Use Plan / Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express National Historic Trails is shaped, in part, by the planning requirements found in section 5(f) of the National Trails System Act. It focuses on the trails’ purpose and significance, issues and concerns related to current conditions along the trails, resource protection, visitor experience and use, and long-term administrative and management objectives. Elements of the proposed plan have been developed in cooperation with federal, state, and local agencies, as well as nonprofit trails organizations — the entities that form the core of any partnership for national historic trails.


posted Aug 17, 2020

Interview with Greg Harris of the Missouri Rock Island Trail

by Josh Adams

American Trails contributing author Josh Adams spoke with Greg Harris about the very exciting Rock Island Trail project. In 2019 the Rock Island Trail got a huge boost when a 144-mile corridor was donated to expand the trail.


posted Aug 17, 2020

National Trails System Reference Manual 45

by National Park Service

This document is designed for National Trails System partners: Federal trail administrators, local land managers and landowners, volunteer partners, and State and Tribal agencies. It focuses on America’s national scenic and historic trails with only brief mention of national recreation trails and connecting-and-side trails. It provides background to Director’s Order #45, National Trails System (see Section 2.6).


posted Aug 17, 2020

National Scenic and Historic Trails Strategy and Work Plan

by Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) National Landscape Conservation System Office is pleased to provide you with the National Scenic and Historic Trails (NSHT) Strategy and Work Plan. The purpose of this national-level strategy is to provide a 10-year framework for the development of program guidance and direction for improved management of the BLM’s NSHT Program.


posted Aug 17, 2020

Facts and Myths About Snowmobiling and Winter Trails

by American Council of Snowmobile Assns. (ACSA)

Did you know that the majority of the 135,0000 miles of snowmobile trails are open for multiple use? Read about the facts and myths of multiple use winter recreation!