TrailLink Frequently Asked Questions

I didn't receive the activation email. How do I activate my TrailLink account?

TrailLink staff can manually activate your account. Please send your request to TrailLinkSupport@railstotrails.org.

How do I reset my TrailLink password?

Go to the Forgot Password page on TrailLink.com and enter your email address. You'll be emailed a link to change your password. Note that the link will expire a few hours after it's sent, so if you see an error message when you click the link, go back to the Forgot Password page and begin the process anew. Note that passwords are case sensitive and must be a minimum of 8 characters.

How do I change my TrailLink username?

Unfortunately, at this time our system does not support updating usernames after they have been registered. We understand that this can be an inconvenience for some users, and hope to add this feature in the future. Until that time, if it is critical for you to change your username, we suggest re-registering with your preferred username using a different email account.

The TrailLink website won't recognize my email address. What should I do?

If your email address has recently changed, or you have more than one email address (such as a work email and a personal email), try logging in with your old or alternate email address. Once you log in, you'll be able to update your email address in your TrailLink profile. If that doesn't work, please contact TrailLinkSupport@railstotrails.org for assistance.

My email address has changed. How do I update my contact information?

You can update your contact information in your TrailLink profile. To access your profile, first log in with your username and password. Once logged in, you should see "Hello" appear at the top of the TrailLink website along with your username. Click on your username to enter your profile, then click the green "Edit Profile" link to make any changes. When finished, click the "Save profile" button at the bottom of the screen.

I'm logged in to TrailLink, but it keeps asking me to reset my password when I try to view a map. What should I do?

Try clearing out the cache and cookies in your internet browser, then log in again. You should be able to find instructions for clearing your browser's cache and cookies in your browser's Help menu at the top of your screen. Instructions for a variety of internet browsers can also be found online.

I'm an RTC member, but I can't log in to TrailLink; why?

Your RTC online membership credentials are different than our TrailLink website credentials. Therefore, the login that you use for our member website (railstotrails.org) doesn't provide access to TrailLink.com. To obtain login information for TrailLink, simply fill out the brief online registration form.

Does my donation allow me access TrailLink?

Thank you for your support! Your donation entitles you to all the member benefits that the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has to offer. However, since the TrailLink registration process is different than the RTC membership process, you'll need to register for TrailLink separately. To obtain a login for TrailLink, you will need to complete this brief online registration form.

How do I print the map I see on TrailLink?

Go to the File menu of your internet browser (upper left-hand corner) and select Print. This will print what is currently shown on your screen. You can zoom in and out of the map and then click Print again to print different sections of the map.

When I'm viewing a trail map, how do I see where any nearby trails are?

When viewing a trail's map on TrailLink, you can see nearby trails by clicking the green Legend button above the map. In the Legend menu, check the box for "Nearby Trails" and they will appear on the map. Click the Legend button again to close the menu.

I'm planning a long-distance trip across the country. How can I plan my route using TrailLink?

You can use our national map to see how trails link up across the country to plan your route. To do so, go to TrailLink.com and click on "Explore Trails" in the top menu, then click "Browse the Map." Our national map will come up centered on Washington, DC, but you can zoom out to see trails in other areas. At first, the map will only be populated with circular icons that you can click to find more information about a particular trail. To view all the trail routes in the national map, click the green "View All Trail Paths" button in the lower right corner of the map. The trail routes will then appear as red lines.

If you only want to see certain types of trails, such as only rail-trails or only paved trails, click the "Filter results by" button directly above the map, then check the box for whichever filters you want to apply to your search.

Additionally, you may wish to explore our Hall of Fame rail-trails, many of which are quite long.

I don't want to see all of the waypoints marked on the trail map; how do I get rid of them?

To suppress the waypoint symbols that appear on TrailLink maps: click the green Legend button directly above the map. Uncheck the boxes for any symbols that you do not wish to appear on the map, then click the Legend button again to close the menu.

I tried to submit a trail photo online, but it's not going through. What should I do?

Photos are not automatically accepted for publication on TrailLink. They are manually reviewed by TrailLink staff during normal business hours, so please note that there will be a delay between the time that you submit your photo and when it appears online. Most often when photo submissions do not go through, it's because its file size is too large. Photos submitted to TrailLink must be 8 MB or smaller.

Don't see your question answered here? You can send any TrailLink-related questions to TrailLinkSupport@railstotrails.org.