Planning Resources to Consider in Planning New Water Trails
Water trails are a unique form of recreation – in its simplest form it consists of floating with minor balance and navigation. However, the ability to reach the water’s edge is probably one of the largest obstacles to participation.
This plan lays out multiple strategies for enhancing Iowa’s system of state-designated water trails. Some suggest new trail routes. Many strategies simply enhance the use of existing trails for more people while conserving the resources—the soil, water, and vegetation—that make our experience possible. A few strategies recommend new experience types, such as remote, multi-day trips. Most paddlers in Iowa who provided input told us the only reason they don’t paddle more frequently is limited time. The water trails program would like to change that by supporting the development of more well-designed trails throughout the state to decrease travel time. We’ve also developed several standardized features for State designated water trails in response to paddler and water trail manager support. These features include hazard warning and wayfinding signage as well as access and parking design and will increase water trail user satisfaction and expectations without becoming a burden to water trail developers and managers.
Published January 2014
National Park Service − Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program
This publication is designed to inform the reader about the services provided by the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program.
Public Lands and the Continental Divide Trail Study
The primary goal of this study was to understand who uses the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), how they use it, their preferences, and the economic impact of the CDT in the region. Additional data were also collected regarding protecting public lands and using the Continental Divide Trail in Colorado.
2022 CDT Small Business Survey
From August to December 2021, the Continental Divide Trail Coalition surveyed 136 small business owners in 38 communities located along the Continental Divide Trail to learn more about how the Continental Divide Trail impacts their businesses, the local economy, and their support for public lands.
This research investigated the influence of several use-related, environmental, and managerial factors on soil loss on recreational trails and roads at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, a unit of the U.S. National Park Service.
