TrailLink has a database of more than 1,450 rail-trails around the country. We offer two-tiers of user-friendly information. Visit TrailLink for detailed trail descriptions, photos and reviews from users like you, and need-to-know details such as surface type, permitted uses and length. Or register to gain valuable access to trail maps, customized driving directions, and submit your own trail photos and reviews.


You can perform basic searches for rail-trails by state and zipcode, or customize your search by specifying trail activities, surfaces, regions, length and more. View photos taken from the trail and read trail-user reviews to help you pick your trip, and register to submit your own pictures and opinions. After registering, you can also view and use our trail maps, plus plot your route to the trail with our customized directions feature.


TrailLink is a site for trail users and, in many ways, by the trail users. Registering to submit trail photos and reviews helps other trail users gauge whether a rail-trail will be right for them, and even helps trail managers around the country improve their trails.

You can also become a rail-trail mapping volunteer. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has currently and personally mapped one-third of the more than 1,450 rail-trails in the country, and made that wealth of information available to the public for free. If you love to use trails and have an interest in GPS mapping, you can be a part of helping us get all 13,851 miles of rail-trail mapped over the course of 2008. Learn more about how you can become a part of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and TrailLink family.

Have you found TrailLink helpful? If so, please consider supporting Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.


Rail-trails are multiuse public paths built along former railroad corridors. Most often flat or following a gentle grade, they are suited to walking, running, cycling, mountain biking, inline skating, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, and wheelchair use. Since the 1960s, Americans have created more than 13,000 miles of rail-trails throughout the country.

These extremely popular recreation and transportation corridors traverse urban, suburban, and rural landscapes. Many preserve historic landmarks, while others serve as wildlife conservation corridors, linking isolated parks and establishing greenways in developed areas. Rail-trails also stimulate local economies by boosting tourism and promoting trailside businesses.


A rail-with-trail is a public path that parallels a still-active rail line. Some run adjacent to high-speed, scheduled trains, often linking public transportation stations, while others follow tourist routes and slow-moving excursion trains. Many share an easement, separated from the rails by extensive fencing. There are more than 115 rails-with-trails in the US.


Rail-trails are popular routes for a range of uses, often making them busy places to play. Trail etiquette applies. If passing other trail users on your bicycle, always try to pass on the left with an audible warning such as a bike-mounted bell or a polite but firm, “Passing on your left!” For your safety and that of other trail users, keep children and pets from straying into oncoming trail traffic. Keep dogs leashed, and supervise children until they can demonstrate proper behavior.

Cyclists and inline skaters should wear helmets, reflective clothing, and other safety gear, as some trails involve hazardous road crossings. It’s also best to bring a flashlight or bike- or helmet-mounted light for tunnel passages or twilight excursions.