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posted Jul 24, 2023

Trail Competency Framework

by The Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands at Indiana University

A group of nationwide trail professionals representing federal agencies, trail nonprofits, and the private sector initiated this project to develop a common trail competency framework, focusing on enhancing professionalism as well as a higher level of skill.

posted May 9, 2022

Hub for Information on Trail Users

Everything you need to know about trail counters, trail user surveys, and other information to better understand and engage your trail users.*

posted Apr 11, 2022

Impact of Trails Hub

Everything you need to know about the positive impact of trails on health, environment, economics, and more.

posted Feb 14, 2022

Trail Planning and Design Hub

Everything you need to know about trail planning and design for long lasting trails.

posted Jan 18, 2022

Shared-Use Trail Hub

Everything you need to know about planning, building, and managing shared-use trails.

posted Nov 9, 2021

Trail Accessibility Hub

Everything you need to know about planning, building, and maintaining accessible trails.

posted Sep 13, 2020

12 Resources for Building Trail Stewards

by Taylor Goodrich with American Trails

Use this library of resources, articles, and trainings to create an army of effective trail stewards.

posted Aug 5, 2019

Planning Trails With Wildlife in Mind - Wildlife and Trails Primer

by American Trails Staff

The Primer provides discussion of broad wildlife topics, plus key concepts and rules of thumb to help with trail planning and management.

posted Jun 24, 2019

Volunteer Stewardship Tools

by Taylor Goodrich with American Trails

Managing volunteers to achieve high quality trail stewardship work for land managers is not easy. Explore the tools and resources available to you that will help you start, expand or enhance your outdoor stewardship volunteer program, achieving your goals, and providing exceptional service to land managers.

posted Aug 14, 2018

Fort River Birding and Nature Trail, Massachusetts

The one-mile trail provides a chance to enjoy the natural world at Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.

posted Aug 14, 2018

Pomeroy and Newark Rail Trail, Delaware

This designated National Recreation Trail runs 4.18 miles through northern Delaware and includes Recreational Trails Program funding.

posted Mar 13, 2018

Active Transportation and Parks and Recreation

by National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)

A national study on Active Transportation and Parks and Recreation.

posted Aug 12, 2019

Wildlife and Trails Checklist — Introduction

by American Trails Staff

The Wildlife and Trail Planning Checklist is a sequence of wildlife-related questions and possible steps to consider in planning a trail.


posted Aug 12, 2019

Launching Florida’s Trail Town Program

by Doug Alderson with Florida Office of Greenways and Trails

A Trail Town is a vibrant destination where people come together.


posted Aug 6, 2019

Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Area, West Virginia

Spanning nearly 400 miles across eight counties, this backcountry trail system provides for a variety of trail uses, including all-terrain vehicle use, mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding.


posted Aug 2, 2019

Why Water Trails are Better Than Land Trails

by Mike Passo with American Trails

A totally unbiased analysis by a kayaker with a disability.


posted Aug 1, 2019

8 Most Used Trail Tools for Lifting and Hauling

by Jim Schmid

These are the most commonly used Lifting and Hauling Tools with tips on using them safely and effectively.


posted Jul 31, 2019

Connecting 10 million People to the Outdoors in Los Angeles County

by Ryan Branciforte with OuterSpatial, Zachary T. Likins with Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department, Michelle O'Connor with Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department, Sheela Kleinknecht, Dora Nuñez

The story behind the development of LA Counties world-class trails mobile app and website covering 600+ parks, over 550 linear miles of trails, hundreds of points of interest.


posted Jul 24, 2019

Life Adjacent to a Rail Trail

by Craig Della Penna with The Murphys Realtors, Trailside Team

A trail advocate's bed & breakfast offers trail opponents a chance to spend the night next to a trail.


posted Jul 22, 2019

Calvin Kangas - Doing What He Loved

by American Trails Staff

Calvin was a very passionate and dedicated volunteer who always had a smile on his face. He took over the role of president of the Ni-Miikanaake Chapter of the North Country Trail Association (NCTA) a couple of years ago and has accomplished a lot of great work and built strong relationships within the local and surrounding communities.


posted Jul 10, 2019

House Creek Greenway, Raleigh, North Carolina

Large-scale sculptures are featured along this urban trail and bikeway which also includes the Reedy Creek Bridge, the longest pedestrian bridge in North Carolina.


posted Jul 2, 2019

A Cross-Country Trail to Connect a Nation: The Great American Rail-Trail

by Ryan Chao with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC)

The route of Great American Rail-Trail was formally revealed during a cross-country live event on May 8, 2019.


posted Jun 20, 2019

Counting Trail Users

by Matt Ainsley with Eco-Counter, Inc.

Until recently, user count data was collected manually through an annual volunteer effort. In 2017, however, a program in Pennsylvania took their count program to the next level by rolling out 17 automated Eco-Counters in all four corners of the state.


posted Jun 19, 2019

Photos from the International Trails Symposium in Syracuse

American Trails hosted the 24th International Trails Symposium and Training Institute in Syracuse, New York April 28 - May 1, 2019.