Rail-Trail Histories

Preserving America’s Railroad History

Histories summary:

For more than 100 years, the railroad was the backbone of American travel and was integral to the development of countless communities. Rail-trails not only preserve these corridors for transportation, but provide a window to the past with restored train depots, trestles, cabooses, and other railroad relics along their routes. Explore the fascinating stories behind some of the country's most iconic rail-trails by reading our railroad histories.

  • Name
  • Length
  • Most Popular
  • State
138 Results

Air Line State Park Trail

60.3 mi
State: CT
Ballast, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Allegheny Highlands Trail

30.8 mi
State: WV
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel

American Tobacco Trail

22.2 mi
State: NC
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Arkansas River Trail

22.71 mi
State: AR
Asphalt, Concrete

Aroostook Valley Trail

28.8 mi
State: ME
Crushed Stone, Dirt
Accordion

Astoria Riverwalk

6.4 mi
State: OR
Asphalt, Boardwalk

B&A Trail

13.3 mi
State: MD
Asphalt

Banks-Vernonia State Trail

23.2 mi
State: OR
Asphalt, Boardwalk

Betsie Valley Trail

42.8 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel

Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail

25.3 mi
State: CA
Dirt, Gravel

Blackstone River Greenway

31.6 mi
State: MA, RI
Asphalt, Boardwalk, Crushed Stone, Dirt

Blackwater Canyon Trail

10.7 mi
State: WV
Dirt, Gravel

Bloomingdale Trail (The 606)

2.7 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Concrete

Boise River Greenbelt

55.8 mi
State: ID
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Burke-Gilman Trail

19.7 mi
State: WA
Asphalt

Candy Mountain Express Bike Trail

15.8 mi
State: UT
Asphalt

Cannon Valley Trail

20.9 mi
State: MN
Asphalt

Cape Cod Rail Trail

27.5 mi
State: MA
Asphalt

Capital Crescent Trail

12.7 mi
State: DC, MD
Asphalt

Caprock Canyons State Park Trailway

64.2 mi
State: TX
Ballast

Cardinal Greenway

61 mi
State: IN
Asphalt

Catskill Scenic Trail

26 mi
State: NY
Cinder, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Cedar Valley Nature Trail

70.6 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt

Chase Trail

14 mi
State: AK
Dirt, Gravel

Cheshire Rail Trail (Cheshire Branch Rail Trail)

42.4 mi
State: NH
Asphalt, Ballast, Cinder, Dirt, Gravel, Sand

Chief Ladiga Trail

32.65 mi
State: AL
Asphalt

Chippewa River State Trail

30.4 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Boardwalk, Cinder, Concrete, Gravel

Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail

202.9 mi
State: NE
Concrete, Crushed Stone

Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail

7 mi
State: TN
Asphalt, Gravel

D&L Trail

144.7 mi
State: PA
Asphalt, Ballast, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Deckers Creek Rail-Trail

19 mi
State: WV
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail

73.6 mi
State: NJ
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt

Discovery Trail (WA)

8.3 mi
State: WA
Asphalt

East Bay Bike Path (RI)

14.3 mi
State: RI
Asphalt, Boardwalk

Elroy-Sparta State Trail

33.8 mi
State: WI
Crushed Stone

Farmington Canal Heritage Trail

48.9 mi
State: CT
Asphalt

Flint Hills Trail State Park

118 mi
State: KS
Ballast, Crushed Stone

Fox River Trail (IL)

45.7 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Frisco Highline Trail

37.5 mi
State: MO
Asphalt, Gravel

Galloping Goose Trail (CO)

20 mi
State: CO
Dirt, Gravel

Genesee Valley Greenway

68.8 mi
State: NY
Cinder, Dirt, Grass, Gravel

George S. Mickelson Trail

112 mi
State: SD
Crushed Stone

Ghost Town Trail

49.2 mi
State: PA
Crushed Stone

Glacial Drumlin State Trail (Route of the Badger)

53.2 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel

Great Allegheny Passage

153.22 mi
State: MD, PA
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Great Northern Historical Trail

22 mi
State: MT
Asphalt

Great Western Trail (IA)

19 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

Greenbrier River Trail

77 mi
State: WV
Asphalt, Boardwalk, Crushed Stone

Guild-Hardy Trail

5 mi
State: TN
Gravel

Heartland State Trail

49 mi
State: MN
Asphalt

High Bridge Trail State Park

32.2 mi
State: VA
Crushed Stone

High Trestle Trail

31.74 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

Historic Battlefield Trail

10.1 mi
State: TX
Asphalt, Boardwalk

Historic Railroad Trail

4.1 mi
State: NV
Crushed Stone, Dirt

Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park

28 mi
State: UT
Asphalt, Gravel

Hockhocking Adena Bikeway

24.3 mi
State: OH
Asphalt

Homestead Trail (NE)

40 mi
State: NE
Crushed Stone

Hop River State Park Trail

20 mi
State: CT
Crushed Stone

Illinois Prairie Path

58.52 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Island Line Trail

13.4 mi
State: VT
Asphalt, Gravel

Jamaica North Trail

7.9 mi
State: NE
Concrete, Crushed Stone

Jane Addams Trail

18.9 mi
State: IL
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Junction & Breakwater Trail

8.3 mi
State: DE
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Kal-Haven Trail State Park

33.95 mi
State: MI
Crushed Stone

Katy Trail State Park

238.7 mi
State: MO
Crushed Stone, Gravel

Ke Ala Hele Makalae

8.5 mi
State: HI
Asphalt, Concrete

Kennebec Valley Trail

14.5 mi
State: ME
Crushed Stone, Dirt, Sand

Keuka Outlet Trail

6.7 mi
State: NY
Asphalt, Ballast, Dirt, Gravel

Leelanau Trail

16.6 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Lehigh Valley Trail

16.4 mi
State: NY
Crushed Stone

Little Miami Scenic Trail

77.7 mi
State: OH
Asphalt, Concrete

Longleaf Trace

45.5 mi
State: MS
Asphalt

Mass Central Rail Trail

56.36 mi
State: MA
Asphalt, Cinder, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

McQueen's Island Trail

5.8 mi
State: GA
Gravel

Medicine Bow Rail Trail

21 mi
State: WY
Gravel

Mesabi Trail

155 mi
State: MN
Asphalt, Gravel

Military Ridge State Trail

40 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Mineral Belt Trail

11.6 mi
State: CO
Asphalt

Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail

26.3 mi
State: VT
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Mon River Rail-Trail

23.7 mi
State: WV
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Monon Trail

27.1 mi
State: IN
Asphalt

Montour Trail

63 mi
State: PA
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Mountain-Bay State Trail

85.2 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass, Gravel

Nashua River Rail Trail

12.4 mi
State: MA, NH
Asphalt

New River Trail State Park

57.5 mi
State: VA
Crushed Stone

Nickel Plate Trail

37.8 mi
State: IN
Asphalt

North Bend Rail Trail

69 mi
State: WV
Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Gravel

North Central State Trail

74.9 mi
State: MI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

North County Trailway

20.7 mi
State: NY
Asphalt

Northern Rail Trail

57.8 mi
State: NH
Cinder, Crushed Stone

Olympic Discovery Trail

90 mi
State: WA
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail

236.46 mi
State: WA
Ballast, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Sand

Panhandle Trail

29 mi
State: PA, WV
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Paul Bunyan State Trail

121.7 mi
State: MN
Asphalt

Paulinskill Valley Trail

27 mi
State: NJ
Ballast, Cinder, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass

Pere Marquette Rail Trail

30.1 mi
State: MI
Asphalt

Pine Creek Rail Trail

62.5 mi
State: PA
Crushed Stone

Prairie Spirit Trail State Park

51.3 mi
State: KS
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail

28 mi
State: SC
Asphalt, Boardwalk

Raccoon River Valley Trail

88.2 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

Redbank Valley Rail Trail

50.8 mi
State: PA
Ballast, Crushed Stone

Richard Martin Trail

10.2 mi
State: AL
Crushed Stone, Gravel

River's Edge Trail (MT)

55 mi
State: MT
Asphalt, Gravel

Root River State Trail

42.1 mi
State: MN
Asphalt

Route of the Hiawatha

15 mi
State: ID
Dirt, Gravel

Sacramento River Rail Trail

11.1 mi
State: CA
Asphalt

Sacramento River Trail

12.3 mi
State: CA
Asphalt

Saint John Valley Heritage Trail

16.9 mi
State: ME
Crushed Stone

Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail

20.5 mi
State: IL
Asphalt

Santa Fe Rail-Trail

16.8 mi
State: NM
Asphalt, Dirt

Schuylkill River Trail

82.4 mi
State: PA
Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Silver Comet Trail

61.65 mi
State: GA
Asphalt, Concrete

Snoqualmie Valley Trail

31.3 mi
State: WA
Gravel

Sussex Branch Trail

21.2 mi
State: NJ
Cinder, Dirt, Grass

Swamp Fox Passage (Palmetto Trail)

46.4 mi
State: SC
Dirt, Grass

Tammany Trace

28.2 mi
State: LA
Asphalt

Tanglefoot Trail

43.6 mi
State: MS
Asphalt

The High Line

1.6 mi
State: NY
Concrete

Thermal Belt Rail Trail

13.6 mi
State: NC
Asphalt

Tobacco Heritage Trail

22.7 mi
State: VA
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Tony Knowles Coastal Trail

11 mi
State: AK
Asphalt

Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail

19.9 mi
State: MD
Crushed Stone, Dirt

Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes

73.2 mi
State: ID
Asphalt

Tunnel Hill State Trail

55.2 mi
State: IL
Boardwalk, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Virginia Blue Ridge Railway Trail

6.9 mi
State: VA
Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Wabash Trace Nature Trail

63 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Wallkill Valley Rail Trail

21.4 mi
State: NY
Asphalt, Cinder, Dirt, Gravel

West Fork Trail

22 mi
State: WV
Ballast, Crushed Stone, Gravel

Western Maryland Rail Trail

27.5 mi
State: MD
Asphalt

Western Reserve Greenway

42 mi
State: OH
Asphalt

Wilderness Road Trail

8.5 mi
State: VA
Crushed Stone

Willapa Hills State Park Trail

56 mi
State: WA
Asphalt, Ballast, Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel

Withlacoochee State Trail

45.9 mi
State: FL
Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete

Wood River Trail

36.1 mi
State: ID
Asphalt
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
The Air Line State Park Trail gets its name from the term once used to describe some railroads that conveyed the straightest practical means of connecting to points, or an “air line.” Nearly all such...
CT 60.3 mi Ballast, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
The “Wild Mary,” as the road was affectionately known, stretched through three different states, including Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, it was the last major railroad to...
WV 30.8 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel
The American Tobacco Trail is located on roughly half of the right-of-way of what was a branch once owned by the original Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). But the property predates even the NS, having...
NC 22.2 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
A section of the current Arkansas River Trail runs alongside the active railroad grade of the short line, Little Rock & Western (LR&W), situated along the south bank of the waterway somewhat west of...
AR 22.71 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The Aroostook Valley Railroad (AVR) was a small short line located in the remote northern region of Maine, and the Aroostook Valley Trail is named for this former railroad, which uses virtually its...
ME 28.8 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt
Today’s Astoria Riverwalk trail was created during the mid-1990s using primarily the former right-of-way of the Burlington Northern. The corridor runs along the waterfront of the Columbia River nearly...
OR 6.4 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk
The Baltimore and Annapolis Trail is named after the railroad that previously operated the corridor. The right-of-way carries an interesting history that traces back to the 1880s as a standard,...
MD 13.3 mi Asphalt
Accordion
The Banks-Vernonia State Trail, named for the two towns it links, has an interesting history as a railroad corridor. During its earliest years, the property was part of an interurban network known as...
OR 23.2 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk
Today’s Betsie Valley Trail lies along the northern-most section of the legendary Ann Arbor Railroad (AA), roughly 22 miles long, and is one of Michigan’s most well-known lines. The company,...
MI 42.8 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel
The Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail provides recreationists incredible scenic views of northern California. Along the corridor you will see former timberlands, cross numerous bridges and...
CA 25.3 mi Dirt, Gravel
Except for a very short segment, the route used today by the Blackstone River Bikeway follows an active railroad line owned by the Providence & Worcester Railroad (P&W). The right-of-way dates back to...
MA, RI 31.6 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk, Crushed Stone, Dirt
The Blackwater Canyon Trail follows one of the most picturesque former railroad grades ever constructed across the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. Located in north-central West Virginia, the trail...
WV 10.7 mi Dirt, Gravel
What is today Chicago’s Bloomingdale Trail, or “The 606,” was formerly a segment of the storied Milwaukee Road. Long known as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific, this railroad once stretched...
IL 2.7 mi Asphalt, Concrete
A segment of today’s Boise River Greenbelt follows a former railroad right-of-way that belonged to the Union Pacific. This large, Class I railroad is still in business and currently operates more than...
ID 55.8 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Today’s Burke-Gilman Trail follows a former right-of-way of one of Seattle’s first railroads: the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway (SLS&E). Because transcontinental lines building from the east...
WA 19.7 mi Asphalt
Trains were still plying the rails south of Richfield, Utah, along what is now the Candy Mountain Express Bike Trail until the early 1970s. The corridor was once the property of the Denver & Rio...
UT 15.8 mi Asphalt
The Cannon Valley Trail runs nearly 20 miles along a segment of the former Chicago Great Western (CGW). The so-called “Corn Belt Route” was a classic “granger” railroad (that is, a Midwestern line...
MN 20.9 mi Asphalt
The Cape Cod Rail Trail is located on Massachusetts’ beautiful Cape Cod, using a section of what was once the easternmost extension of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. The line was...
MA 27.5 mi Asphalt
The Capital Crescent Trail is located primarily in western Washington, D.C., and uses the right-of-way of the entire former Georgetown Branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.  While this line became...
DC, MD 12.7 mi Asphalt
Located in the Northern Panhandle of Texas, the Caprock Canyons State Park Trailway is the region’s longest recreational corridor and uses more than 60 miles of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy’s...
TX 64.2 mi Ballast
The Cardinal Greenway in Indiana used more than 60 miles of what was once the Chesapeake & Ohio’s (C&O) main line to Chicago. The corridor was constructed by a predecessor company at the turn of the...
IN 61 mi Asphalt
One of the most scenic recreational corridors in the Northeast is the Catskill Mountain Trail, located within New York’s beautiful Catskill Mountains. This also held true when trains still plied the...
NY 26 mi Cinder, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
During the height of the interurban industry, the state of Iowa was home to the most mileage west of the Mississippi River, behind only Texas and California. This is interesting because most...
IA 70.6 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt
Although most of the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail does follow a former railroad grade, for about a mile it follows the active Alaska Railroad (ARR) line south out of Anchorage. The ARR is Alaska’s...
AK 14 mi Dirt, Gravel
The Cheshire Rail Trail follows the former grade of the Cheshire Railroad, an early carrier established during the 1840s. It completed the corridor later that decade, reaching as far west as Bellows...
NH 42.4 mi Asphalt, Ballast, Cinder, Dirt, Gravel, Sand
What is today known as the Chief Ladiga Trail is named after a famous passenger train by the same name operated by the Seaboard Air Line (SAL), once one of the South’s largest railroads. The “Silver...
AL 32.65 mi Asphalt
The Chippewa River State Trail winds its way northward along the waterway for which it is named, running between Durand and Eau Claire along a former branch of the fabled Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul...
WI 30.4 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk, Cinder, Concrete, Gravel
Today’s Cowboy Trail spans much of the Chicago & North Western’s fabled “Cowboy Line” across central and western Nebraska. The entire route gave the C&NW access well into Wyoming, its farthest western...
NE 202.9 mi Concrete, Crushed Stone
The Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail runs along a 6.5-mile segment of the old Tennessee Central Railway between Ashland City and Cheatham Lake, along the banks of the river for which it is named....
TN 7 mi Asphalt, Gravel
Today’s popular D&L Trail covers 165 miles between Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and the Delaware River north of Pennsylvania. The section between Jim Thorpe and White Haven, which negotiates the...
PA 144.7 mi Asphalt, Ballast, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
Morgantown, West Virginia, is home to three recreational trails that trace their histories back to former rail corridors, all once part of the historic Baltimore & Ohio. The Deckers Creek Trail...
WV 19 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
A section of the expansive Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park Trail uses the former rail grade of what was originally the Belvidere Delaware Railroad. What was dubbed the “Bel Del” dates back to its...
NJ 73.6 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt
The aptly named Denver & Rio Grande Western Rail Trail spans the very western segment of the railroad for which it is named. Although the D&RGW was not a large system in terms of overall mileage, it...
UT 23.5 mi Asphalt
The former railroad corridor that now makes up much of the Discovery Trail has not seen a train since the era of the Great Depression. However, it was nevertheless a fascinating operation that...
WA 8.3 mi Asphalt
The East Bay Bike Path has grown into a popular recreational corridor in southern Rhode Island between Providence and Bristol. The route’s history traces back to the New York, New Haven & Hartford...
RI 14.3 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk
When what is now the Elroy-Sparta State Trail was in service as a rail line, the route between Elroy and Sparta, Wisconsin, was part of the Chicago & North Western Railway’s (C&NW) main line...
WI 33.8 mi Crushed Stone
The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail is one of the largest recreational corridors in Connecticut, running nearly the state’s entire length north of New Haven. It uses a former branch of the New York,...
CT 48.9 mi Asphalt
The Flint Hills Nature Trail is located on the former right-of-way of the Missouri Pacific in central Kansas. The MP, or “MoPac” as it was affectionately known, was a large Midwestern railroad that...
KS 118 mi Ballast, Crushed Stone
The Fox River Trail in Illinois used most of the former Aurora, Elgin & Fox River Electric Company’s (AE&FRE) right-of-way, running along the Fox River between Aurora and Elgin. For many years this...
IL 45.7 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
The Frisco Highline Trail is named after the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway’s former corridor between Kanas City and Springfield. This particular route was its secondary line between those two...
MO 37.5 mi Asphalt, Gravel
The Galloping Goose Trail is named after an interesting contraption once used for passenger service by the Rio Grande Southern (RGS), the railroad which originally built and operated the right-of-way....
CO 20 mi Dirt, Gravel
Many years ago, before the creation of the Genesee Valley Greenway running between Black Creek and Rochester’s Genesee Valley Park, the corridor hosted trains of the large and powerful Pennsylvania...
NY 68.8 mi Cinder, Dirt, Grass, Gravel
The George S. Mickelson Trail provides visitors with breathtaking views of South Dakota’s beautiful Black Hills. The corridor is more than 100 miles long and travels over the entire Chicago,...
SD 112 mi Crushed Stone
The Ghost Town Trail primarily follows the meandering Black Lick Creek between Ebensburg and Black Lick, while also turning north from Vintondale along the creek’s North Branch for a few miles. These...
PA 49.2 mi Crushed Stone
The Glacial Drumlin State Trail features a section of the Chicago & North Western’s (C&NW) former main line between Milwaukee and Madison. This particular corridor was constructed during the C&NW’s...
WI 53.2 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel
The Great Allegheny Passage through Pennsylvania is primarily made up of two former railroad corridors stretching from McKeesport (just south of Pittsburgh) to Cumberland, Maryland, and spans more...
MD, PA 153.22 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
The Great Northern Historical Trail is named after the railroad that once operated the right-of-way north of Somers, Montana. The Great Northern (GN) was one of the three major transcontinental...
MT 22 mi Asphalt
One of the best remembered granger railroads of the Midwest was the Chicago Great Western Railway (CGW), whose tagline was the “Corn Belt Route.” A granger railroad was one that derived a significant...
IA 19 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The Greenbrier River Trail is one of West Virginia’s premier recreation corridors, spanning nearly 80 miles along its namesake river in the eastern Appalachian Mountains. The pathway traces its...
WV 77 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk, Crushed Stone
The Guild-Hardy Trail has one of the more interesting histories of all recreational corridors converted from a former railroad grade. The right-of-way dates back to the 1880s, when the route’s express...
TN 5 mi Gravel
Today’s Heartland State Trail was originally a branch of the Great Northern Railway (GN), running between its main lines at Cass Lake and Sauk Centre. The corridor was constructed in stages during the...
MN 49 mi Asphalt
Today’s breathtaking High Bridge Trail runs along 32 miles of the former Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W) in central Virginia. Its signature feature is the nearly half-mile-long bridge that spans the...
VA 32.2 mi Crushed Stone
The history of the High Trestle Trail as a rail corridor dates to two different railroads: the popular trestle for which it is named was owned by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific (CMStP&P,...
IA 31.74 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The town of Brownsville, Texas, located near the Mexican border along the banks of the Rio Grande River, was once served by two major railroads. The Historic Battlefield Trail uses a short stretch of...
TX 10.1 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk
The Historic Railroad Tunnel Trail offers a 7-mile trek through the open desert southeast of Las Vegas. While such a landscape may sound bland and uninteresting, it actually offers magnificent...
NV 4.1 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt
Today’s Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park was once a branch line operated by Union Pacific, our country’s largest current railroad, with a current system stretching more than 32,000 miles....
UT 28 mi Asphalt, Gravel
The Hockhocking Adena Bikeway offers relaxing and scenic views of southwestern Ohio, winding its way along the Hocking River and what remains of the Hocking Canal. Much of the trail uses a former...
OH 24.3 mi Asphalt
Both the Homestead Trail and Jamaica Trail, running south of Lincoln, Nebraska, use nearly 50 miles of a former Union Pacific (UP) branch line. The history of this corridor traces back to the late...
NE 40 mi Crushed Stone
The Hop River State Park Trail follows more than 18 miles of former New York, New Haven & Hartford (NYNH&H) right-of-way in central Connecticut between Hartford and Willimantic. Unfortunately, while...
CT 20 mi Crushed Stone
The Illinois Prairie Path follows nearly the entire right-of-way of the former Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railroad (CA&E), once a prominent and important interurban serving the western suburbs of the...
IL 58.52 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
Long ago, the state of Vermont was once home to, and was served by, several different railroads. One of these was the Green Mountain State’s own Rutland, which once linked much of Vermont and its...
VT 13.4 mi Asphalt, Gravel
Both the Homestead Trail and Jamaica Trail, running south of Lincoln, Nebraska, use nearly 50 miles of a former Union Pacific (UP) branch line. The history of this corridor traces back to the late...
NE 7.9 mi Concrete, Crushed Stone
Today’s Jane Addams Trail spans nearly 15 miles, following the former Illinois Central’s (IC) branch to the state capital of Wisconsin at Madison. Coincidentally, this line and one other would...
IL 18.9 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Junction & Breakwater Rail Trail is named after the railroad that originally constructed the right-of-way between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach during the 19th century: the Junction & Breakwater...
DE 8.3 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
Today’s Kal-Haven Trail offers stunning scenery through southwest Michigan, while the right-of-way provides a relatively flat and easy surface for hiking, jogging, or cycling. For many years, however,...
MI 33.95 mi Crushed Stone
If it seems like the Katy Trail State Park goes on and on, seemingly forever, you would not be far off in that assessment! The park is the largest unbroken rail trail corridor in the country,...
MO 238.7 mi Crushed Stone, Gravel
It may seem hard to believe, but the Hawaiian Islands were not only once home to one, but many railroads. Except for the Hawaii Consolidated Railway located on the Big Island, all of the chains’...
HI 8.5 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The state of Maine has a rich heritage with railroads thanks to its thick forests and fertile soils, which created the need to move timber and agricultural products. What is today the Kennebec Valley...
ME 14.5 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt, Sand
The short Keuka Outlet Trail, located in western New York State, was once a short branch of the New York Central System (NYC). The railroad dated to the late 1870s and at that time was known by...
NY 6.7 mi Asphalt, Ballast, Dirt, Gravel
The Leelanau Trail is located near the banks of Lake Michigan along the upper reaches of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. During the corridor’s history, it served as the northernmost branch of the Manistee...
MI 16.6 mi Asphalt
{{bodyImage1}} The Lehigh Valley’s (LV) extension into Buffalo began in 1889, when founder Asa Packer became frustrated with the trackage rights agreement into Buffalo over the Erie Railroad. At...
NY 16.4 mi Crushed Stone
While you may not realize it, the popular Little Miami Scenic Trail maintains the same name as the railroad that originally built the corridor. The Little Miami Railroad (LMRR) was once one of Ohio’s...
OH 77.7 mi Asphalt, Concrete
Today’s Longleaf Trace spans a former Illinois Central line that was originally part of a rather large logging operation known as the Mississippi Central Railroad (MCRR). The history of this company...
MS 45.5 mi Asphalt
The Norwottuck Rail-Trail comprises two different sections of rights-of-way originally owned by two railroads. The segment east of Northampton (known as the Mass Central Section) is roughly 10 miles,...
MA 56.36 mi Asphalt, Cinder, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
The McQueens Island Historic Trail offers beautiful seaside and marsh views of coastal Georgia. Located east of Savannah, this recreational corridor hugs the banks of the Savannah River much of the...
GA 5.8 mi Gravel
The immediate history of the Medicine Bow Rail Trail dates back to a former Union Pacific (UP) branch that diverged from its Overland Route main line at Laramie, Wyoming, and proceeded southwesterly...
WY 21 mi Gravel
The Mesabi Trail has grown into one of the country’s largest, single rail trails, covering more than 100 miles in northern Minnesota. The corridor winds its way between Grand Rapids and Aurora while...
MN 155 mi Asphalt, Gravel
The Military Ridge State Trail encompasses 45 miles of the former Chicago & North Western (C&NW) right-of-way between Madison and Dodgeville. This particular line was fairly typical of the numerous...
WI 40 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Today’s Mineral Belt Trail provides a glimpse of Leadville’s once prominent stature as a major mining community; its route is made up of former railroad rights-of-way belonging to the three major...
CO 11.6 mi Asphalt
The Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail spans the entire length of a branch line formerly owned by the Central Vermont Railway (CV). The CV was a rather small but classic New England railroad that ran from...
VT 26.3 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Both the north and South sections of today’s Mon River Trail, located near Morgantown, West Virginia, follow a former right-of-way once operated by the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O), formerly an important...
WV 23.7 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Monon Trail follows more than 18 miles of the former Monon Railroad north of Indianapolis. Its complete name was the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway, and it became fondly remembered in...
IN 27.1 mi Asphalt
The region around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is now home to a long laundry list of trail projects that use the rights-of-way of many rail lines that once served the Steel City years ago. One of these...
PA 63 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Mountain-Bay State Trail follows a former segment of a secondary Chicago & North Western (C&NW) line that ran west of Green Bay. As was the case with much of the C&NW’s later system, this...
WI 85.2 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass, Gravel
The Boston & Maine (B&M) was one of the New England’s largest and most expansive systems, with a network stretching across much of the region. Generally speaking, its routes radiated from Boston, and...
MA, NH 12.4 mi Asphalt
Today’s popular New River Trail State Park is located within the beautiful valleys and mountains of southwestern Virginia and follows the banks of the New River much of the way. The corridor was...
VA 57.5 mi Crushed Stone
The Nickel Plate Trail is named after the railroad that previously owned the corridor known as the Nickel Plate Road. Its official name was the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, and it grew into...
IN 37.8 mi Asphalt
One of West Virginia’s premier recreational corridors, the North Bend Rail Trail is located in the state’s north-central region and spans some 72 miles from just outside Clarksburg (at Wolf Summit) to...
WV 69 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Gravel
Michigan is home to one of the highest concentrations of rail trails found anywhere in the country. The North Central State Trail is one of them, and as its name implies, the corridor is located in...
MI 74.9 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Today’s North County Trailway uses a fabled corridor that was once part of the massive New York Central System (NYC). The right-of-way’s roots trace back to the New York & Putnam Railroad, which...
NY 20.7 mi Asphalt
The history of today’s Northern Rail Trail can be traced well back to the 19th century when the corridor was constructed by the Northern Railroad. This system was one of New Hampshire’s earliest...
NH 57.8 mi Cinder, Crushed Stone
Railroads have not operated on Washington’s beautiful Olympic Peninsula since the mid-1980s, but today part of a former right-of-way is now a section of the Olympic Discovery Trail. Much of the...
WA 90 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt
The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, formerly known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, is one of several rail trails created after the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (a.k.a., the...
WA 236.46 mi Ballast, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Sand
The Panhandle Trail uses a short segment of what was once a primary component of the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad’s (PRR) main line to St. Louis and secondary route to Chicago. The history of this...
PA, WV 29 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Appropriately named, the Paul Bunyan State Trail was originally built as a logging railroad during the late 1800s and later was a branch of the Northern Pacific Railway, which acquired the property in...
MN 121.7 mi Asphalt
The Paulinskill Valley Trail travels a former segment of the New York, Susquehanna & Western’s (NYS&W) main line to Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, which was abandoned long ago. The railroad went by a...
NJ 27 mi Ballast, Cinder, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass
The Pere Marquette Rail-Trail offers the chance to hike a section of what was once Michigan’s largest independent railroad—the Pere Marquette Railway (PM). The trail runs between Midland (west of Bay...
MI 30.1 mi Asphalt
Railroads through Pennsylvania’s Pine Creek Gorge in the counties of Lycoming and Tioga had a history that could be traced as far back as the earliest days of the industry itself. However, the first...
PA 62.5 mi Crushed Stone
Today’s Prairie Spirit Trail follows part of a former Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF, a.k.a., the Santa Fe) branch line between Ottawa and Iola, Kansas. The history of this route dates...
KS 51.3 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The curiously named Swamp Rabbit Trail follows the former right-of-way of what was once the Greenville & Northern Railway, a short line running north from Greenville, South Carolina. The history of...
SC 28 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk
The Raccoon River Valley Trail has a rich history with railroads since it used two different former corridors running northwest of Des Moines, Iowa. The first section, opened to the public in the late...
IA 88.2 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The Redbank Valley Rail Trail is located on former railroad right-of-way and follows Redbank Creek much of the way, extending to Sligo via Lawsonham. All of this property was long-owned by the mighty...
PA 50.8 mi Ballast, Crushed Stone
The history of the Richard Martin Trail as a corridor for trains, located north of Athens, Alabama, can be traced back to the pre-Civil War days when a small railroad opened the route for service....
AL 10.2 mi Crushed Stone, Gravel
The River’s Edge Trail extends northeasterly out of Great Falls running along the Missouri River the entire way. This recreational corridor is composed of former sections of the Milwaukee Road and...
MT 55 mi Asphalt, Gravel
Many years ago, long before today’s Root River State Trail was created, the right-of-way between Fountain and Houston, Minnesota, was once part of the massive Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific...
MN 42.1 mi Asphalt
The Route of the Hiawatha provides recreationists the unique ability to experience the Bitterroot Mountains through northern Idaho and western Montana from the relaxation of a gentle rail bed that...
ID 15 mi Dirt, Gravel
The Sacramento River Trail provides a chance to enjoy the incredible scenery afforded along Northern California’s Sacramento River near Redding. The corridor’s history can be traced back to a...
CA 11.1 mi Asphalt
The Sacramento River Trail provides a chance to enjoy the incredible scenery afforded along Northern California’s Sacramento River near Redding. The corridor’s history can be traced back to a...
CA 12.3 mi Asphalt
The Saint John Valley Heritage Trail is a newer recreational corridor established in 2000 along a section of the old Bangor & Aroostook Railroad in the northern reaches of Maine. For more than a...
ME 16.9 mi Crushed Stone
The Sam Vadalabene Great River Road Trail uses a 20-mile section of the former Illinois Terminal (IT), which hugs the shores of the Mississippi River between Alton and Grafton, Illinois. The IT grew...
IL 20.5 mi Asphalt
The Santa Fe Rail-Trail follows the still-active rail line between Lamy and Santa Fe. It was originally constructed by the legendary Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (AT&SF) in the late 19th century....
NM 16.8 mi Asphalt, Dirt
The Schuylkill River Trail is a series of recreational corridors running between Philadelphia and Pottstown, following its namesake waterway much of the way. The trail occupies a former railroad...
PA 82.4 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
What is today known as the Silver Comet Trail, running from Smyrna, Georgia (just outside of Atlanta), to Esom Hill along the Alabama border, is named after a famous passenger train by the same name...
GA 61.65 mi Asphalt, Concrete
Today’s Snoqualmie Valley Trail uses more than half of what was once the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific’s Everett Branch (CMStP&P), once an important source of timber and related freight on...
WA 31.3 mi Gravel
The Sussex Branch Trail is named after the rail line by the same name that once ran between Branchville and Waterloo. This particular corridor began as a small, privately owned mining operation during...
NJ 21.2 mi Cinder, Dirt, Grass
While perhaps somewhat surprising given the state’s location in the Southeast, and situated along the Atlantic Coast, South Carolina was once home to a wide range of logging railroads. Today’s Swamp...
SC 46.4 mi Dirt, Grass
The current Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail was not only the first such recreational trail opened by the state during the 1980s, but it is also one of the oldest railroad corridors...
FL 21 mi Asphalt
The Tammany Trace trail is located along the northern banks of Lake Pontchartrain, running west of Slidell, passing through Mandeville where it turns north to Abita Springs and then heads west again...
LA 28.2 mi Asphalt
While the Tanglefoot Trail was only recently opened as a recreational corridor, the right-of-way dates back to the early 20th century when a small Mississippi railroad intended to connect the Gulf of...
MS 43.6 mi Asphalt
The High Line recreational corridor has a fascinating history of the days when it once ran freight trains. The route was built by the New York Central System in conjunction with New York City to...
NY 1.6 mi Concrete
The Thermal Belt Rail-Trail follows about 8 miles of a former Southern Railway line located in southwestern North Carolina. The history of the corridor dates back to a predecessor who constructed the...
NC 13.6 mi Asphalt
Once completed, the Tobacco Heritage Trail will offer a through-corridor across much of central Virginia following abandoned rail grades formerly owned by three of the state’s best remembered...
VA 22.7 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Although most of the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail does follow a former railroad grade, for about a mile it follows the active Alaska Railroad (ARR) line south out of Anchorage. The ARR is Alaska’s...
AK 11 mi Asphalt
The Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail follows about 20 miles of a once-important Pennsylvania Railroad route between Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Baltimore, Maryland. The line’s history can be traced back...
MD 19.9 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt
The history of the route that is now a part of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes is both fascinating and a bit confusing. Just after the Civil War, gold and silver were discovered in Idaho’s Northern...
ID 73.2 mi Asphalt
The Tunnel Hill State Trail is named for the railroad tunnel in the small Illinois town where it is located. The corridor was originally built during the early 1870s by a predecessor system that...
IL 55.2 mi Boardwalk, Concrete, Crushed Stone
The Virginia Blue Ridge Railway Trail is named after a bucolic short line established during the early 20th century to haul timber out of the region. It followed the Piney and Tye rivers and was...
VA 6.9 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
One of the more scenic rail trails in the Eastern United States is surely the Virginia Creeper Trail in southwestern Virginia. Within the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the corridor was first...
VA 33.7 mi Gravel
The Wabash Trace Nature Trail follows a former section of the fabled Wabash Railway’s main line to Council Bluffs, Iowa. The route was originally constructed by a predecessor system during the 1870s,...
IA 63 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail follows about two-thirds of a former railroad corridor originally built and operated as the Wallkill Valley Railroad (WV), first established directly after the Civil...
NY 21.4 mi Asphalt, Cinder, Dirt, Gravel
The West Fork Trail is a rural recreational corridor located in the eastern Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia. Its name comes from the body of water it follows, the West Fork of the Greenbrier...
WV 22 mi Ballast, Crushed Stone, Gravel
The Western Maryland Rail Trail covers about 20 miles of the Western Maryland Railway’s (WM) former main line through its home state west of Hagerstown. The WM was once an important carrier to the...
MD 27.5 mi Asphalt
The Western Reserve Greenway follows much of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s (PRR) former branch line, extending to the shores of Lake Erie at Ashtabula, Ohio. The route’s earliest history dates back to...
OH 42 mi Asphalt
The Wilderness Road Trail travels a segment of a former coal branch built and operated by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, one of the South’s best recognized systems. The L&N, also known by its...
VA 8.5 mi Crushed Stone
The Willapa Hills Trail uses the former corridor of the Northern Pacific Railway’s South Bend Branch, or Willapa Harbor Line, from Chehalis to South Bend along the banks of Willapa Bay. The branch was...
WA 56 mi Asphalt, Ballast, Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel
Today’s Willard Munger State Trail runs along a section of what was once the Northern Pacific Railway’s (NP) main line linking the Twin Cities with Duluth and following the St. Louis River much of the...
MN 71.4 mi Asphalt
Today’s Withlacoochee State Trail runs along more than 40 miles of what once was an important corridor belonging to the Atlantic Coast Line. The ACL, or Coast Line as it was also known, operated a...
FL 45.9 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete
Idaho’s Wood River Trails follows the northern periphery of what was once a railroad grade owned by the Union Pacific. The line skirted the banks of the Big Wood River much of the way. It was...
ID 36.1 mi Asphalt

Top Trail Itineraries

Capital Crescent Trail

DC,MD - 12.7 miles
Surfaces: Asphalt

Kal-Haven Trail State Park

MI - 33.95 miles
Surfaces: Crushed Stone

Banks-Vernonia State Trail

OR - 23.2 miles
Surfaces: Asphalt,Boardwalk

The High Line

NY - 1.6 miles
Surfaces: Concrete
Accordion

Pine Creek Rail Trail

PA - 62.5 miles
Surfaces: Crushed Stone

Betsie Valley Trail

MI - 42.8 miles
Surfaces: Asphalt,Crushed Stone,Gravel

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New Trail Reviews

This trail is Great, we camp in the campground, and toured all the sites on the island by bike, great trip

KT is an fun nature trail that has some issues that keep it from being perfect. The first is road crossings, which are quite frequent. Another is that the trial is somewhat bumpy, with said bumps being invisible until ride over them with your bike.

Still, the trail is a pretty good length, and keeps you away from urban noises and distractions for the most part, as it keeps you in a nature setting for the whole trip.

I would definitely recommend this trail to anyone considering it.

Similar to nearby Dalhem Center, this is not a trail per se, but a number of
them in an enclosed area, with the main trail only being a mile long (round trip). As bikes are not allowed at the colleges request, this is just a set trail loops that can be walked in a small location



Accordion

This short & smooth trail is a pleasant but very brief through a secluded marsh/wetland spot.

You might want to consider walking this one instead of another mode of transportation, as it's over before it really begins.

Still, I would recommend the trail to anyone looking for one.

Please notify when is open again. Thank you

Be aware it is closed due to the damages of hurricane. Please inform when is re opened. Thank you.

This “trail” is nothing more than a sidewalk behind a shopping center.

Rode out from bolivar. Out about 8 miles a dog chased me hard. On the way back same fellow. Would love to ride to springfield spend the night and ride back. But agreasive dog and no place to overnight park makes this a nogo for me

We were here Sunday after Thanksgiving. Nice tree lined trail through the town. Not many people.

My wife and I rode this trail for the first time today. What a great trail system. Lots of elevation and wide trails. Smooth ride and no trail issues at all. It’s amazing how high some of the sections are. Parking was great and we enjoyed both parks!

We parked on the north side of the Port Myaca dam and biked seven miles traveling north on the ridge of Lake Okeechobee. Then, we biked back. It was a wonderful ride on the paved trail. We saw one alligator, three racoons, caterpillars, birds and a beautiful view. We loved it and look forward to biking there again soon!

Clean, well kept, and paved the entire way. The trail is well marked; however, there was construction so we had to go around certain areas. Me and a friend ran the entire trail and it was beautiful.

A beautiful trail Id like to come back and do on like a weekday morning. It was a fun challenge though to skate around people and still manage around 10 mph overall. Good for a skater who can manage making it around people. Otherwise, the surface quality and scenery is beautiful.

Such a fun trail to skate. The Rickenbacker itself is a unique challenge particularly in controlling speed but also winding through the beautiful trails in Key Biscayne/Big Baggs is so much fun. Cannot recommend enough for a good skater but also remember protective gear !

Quad skated the entire trail and it’s fine. There’s roots but as long as you can manage that it’s not too bad. There’s roots quality on the south end is not too great but it’s short. The north end is more scenic than the south end. The biggest pro was that it was never too crowded. Mainly runners and a few bikes. Pathway is narrow but manageable for skaters.

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