For the past three years, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has been culling through hundreds of bicycling and hiking pathways to create the Rail-Trails Hall of Fame.
It's not an easy task. There are currently 1,631 abandoned railroad rights-of-way that have been converted into bicycling and hiking trails in the U.S. They account for 19,578 miles of paved or gravel pathways.
So far, they've chosen 15 rail-trails. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy wants to wrap up the Top 25 on the Honor Roll in time for its 25th anniversary, which is next June. Be looking for almost monthly announcements about the last 10 trails to make the list.
GAP was first
The choices are based on scenery, frequency of use, history, facilities alongside the trail and geographic distribution.
The Great Allegheny Passage was the first to make the honor roll. There are lots of reasons why that was a good choice for launching the Rail-Trail Honor Roll, not the least of which were the efforts by local organizations to link the disconnected portions of old railway route between Cumberland, Maryland, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In February 2008, the staff chose Seattle's Burke-Gilman Trail (pictured above on a busy Saturday morning a couple of years ago). It serves as a commuter thoroughfare as well as a route for recreational cyclists. Like many on the list, the Burke-Gilman doesn't stand alone, but serves as a part of a network of trails in the Seattle area.
Most recently, in May, the George S. Mickelson Trail of South Dakota was chosen.
The list
Here's a list of all 15 that have been chosen so far. The link will take you to a description of the trail at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. (On the locater map below, click on link to see larger map, then scroll to “bicycling” under “More” tab to locate and follow the actual trails.)
Bizz Johnson Trail, California, November 2008
Burke-Gilman Trail, Washington, February 2008
East Bay Bicycle Path, Rhode Island, September 2010
Elroy Sparta State Trail, Wisconsin, September 2008
Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, Florida, October 2007
George S. Mickelson Trail, South Dakota, May 2010
Great Allegheny Passage, Maryland and Pennsylvania, July 2007
Illinois Prarie Path, Illinois, August 2008
Katy Trail State Park, Missouri, September 2007
Little Miami Scenic Trail, Ohio, December 2009
Minuteman Bikeway, Massachusetts, June 2008
Monon Trail, Indiana, March 2009
Pere Marquette Rail-Trail of Mid-Michigan, Michigan, October 2009
Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga trails, Georgia and Alabama, June 2009
W&OD Trail, Virginia, December 2008
View Rail Trail Honor Roll in a larger map
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