Resource Library:

Planning And Design

Subcategories • Accessible Trail DesignCase StudiesCost EstimatingFeasibility StudiesLivable/Active CommunitiesLand Acquisition and ConservationMaster PlansSignage and InterpretationTrailheadsTrail Networks DesignTrails as TransportationClosing Trail System GapsWildlife and Habitat



published Jul 2019

DCR Trails Guidelines and Best Practices Manual

by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation

The DCR’s Trails Program seeks to provide a safe, quality recreation experience for a diverse range of trail users while practicing sound stewardship of the Commonwealth’s natural and cultural resources. This “Trails Guidelines and Best Practices Manual” meets this responsibility by providing a consistent set of trail management policies, guidelines, procedures, and best practices in sustainable trail development.


published Feb 2020

Rail Trail Development: A Best Practices Report

This report focuses on the issues surrounding the proposed development of the Palouse to Cascades Rail-Trail.


published Feb 2012

Community Trail Development Guide

by Virginia Department of Transportation

VDOT developed this guide to aid the process of grassroots trail planning, based on the knowledge of experienced planners, research of best practices around the nation as well as the State, and the understanding gained from trail development process in the Town of Middleburg.


published Sep 2009

Hollow Rock Access Area Master Plan

The planned Hollow Rock Access Area is a multi-jurisdictional project to conserve significant natural and cultural resource lands along New Hope Creek and to make portions of the site available for low-impact recreational uses.


published Sep 2007

Historical and Interpretation Study, Trail of Tears National Historic Trail

by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The purpose of this study is to provide baseline historical information pertaining to those portions of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail that cross onto lands managed by the FWS at the White River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Arkansas, the Wheeler NWR in Alabama, and the Tennessee NWR in Tennessee.


published May 2014

United States Access Board - Outdoor Developed Areas

by U.S. Access Board

The Access Board is responsible for developing accessibility guidelines for the construction and alteration of facilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) of 1968.


posted Aug 6, 2020

Strategic Agenda for Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation

by Federal Highway Administration

The 2016-2021 Strategic Agenda for Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation builds on 25 years of progress toward increasing walking and biking safety and activity throughout the United States. The 1994 National Bicycling and Walking Study: Transportation Choices for Changing America set the stage for advancing safe, accessible, comfortable, and well-used pedestrian and bicycle transportation networks, with a focus on increasing trips and reducing injuries and fatalities.


published Apr 2014

Palmetto Trail Statewide Master Plan

by Palmetto Conservation Foundation, Alta Planning + Design

The Palmetto Trail Statewide Master Plan establishes a ten-year vision for completing and expanding the Palmetto Trail from South Carolina's mountains to its coast.


published Jan 2011

The Sioux Falls MPO Multi-Use Trail Study

by Alta Planning + Design

The Big Sioux trail loop was developed several decades ago to control flooding, but Sioux Falls continues to invest in the trail to connect inter-urban areas. This study includes planning and design processes, appropriate infrastructure, costs, timing, potential obstacles, design standards, implementation policies and funding. It is an aesthetically pleasing plan that presents several options for the trail with maps and graphics to complement it.


posted Aug 3, 2020

CDTC New Vision Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan

by Capital District Transportation Committee

This document will review CDTC’s accomplishments in improving the bicycle and pedestrian travel environment throughout the region and identify any shortfalls. It will propose new goals, with a focus on improving the health and increasing economic activity in the region related to bicycling and walking. The document also includes an implementation plan to help CDTC prioritize bicycle and pedestrian programs, projects and initiatives to have the greatest regional impact and achieve the most goals. This updated document has been renamed the Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan.