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The best part of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's work is when we can provide the resources that enable local trails organizations to make good things happen in their communities. That's why we started the Pennsylvania Mini-Grants Program , which is supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - to assist local organizations that need to make small repairs and improvements to their trail, below the amounts typically requested in larger state and federal grants. It's...

In the township of Springfield, in eastern Pennsylania, local trail supporters were able to hire an engineering firm to help them build a bridge on the Indian Creek Hike & Bike Trail. Across the state in Dunbar, the local historical society got the small amount of money it needed to build two sheltered picnic tables and install them alongside the Sheepskin Trail. In Pittsburgh, Friends of the Riverfront was able to pay for the design and installation of six new map signs and two interpretive...

Excellent rail-trail news out of the Northeast this week, with communities in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania taking important steps toward opening new segments in their area. In Salem, N.H., the Eagle Tribune reported that town selectmen voted unanimously to allow work to begin on converting a 2.6-mile section of the former Boston and Maine Railroad corridor into a multi-use trail (right). The project, being referred to as the Salem Bike-Ped Corridor , has received strong local support since it was...

By T.C. Lumbar As bikemates 20 years his junior bowed out with sore legs and stiff muscles, Gus Rivera was proudly the last man standing. A year and a half earlier, and 75 pounds heavier, Rivera, 57, didn't even own a bike. At the time, he had begun a weight loss journey, shedding his first few pounds by walking. But progress was slow. "It just wasn't working as much as I wanted it to," he says. Eager to try something new, and unable to run because of joint pain, he hopped on his first bike since...

For more than 20 years, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) has been one of the strongest members of Pennsylvania's trail development, advocacy and promotion community. Thanks in part to our efforts, Pennsylvania is now a state with plenty of rail-trail activity, a strong supporter base and a wonderful network of outdoor recreation assets. Recognition of our long involvement in the state came this week with the appointment of Pat Tomes, program manager for RTC's Northeast Regional Office, to the newly...

The Susquehanna River (right) is one of Pennsylvania's most loved natural features, a broad, hearty current that winds southward through the state before emptying in Chesapeake Bay. It has also been one of the region's most important transportation routes, host to numerous ferry and cargo operations and the spine of two canal systems. With the emergence of the rail industry, train tracks were laid down right beside the obsolete canals, and so the Susquehanna continued to serve as a tracing point...

At Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's (RTC) 25th Anniversary celebration in October, we honored a group of men and women--the inaugural Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champions--who have made a remarkable contribution to the rail-trail movement during the past quarter century. We will be posting a blog story on each of the honorees during the coming weeks. Today we pay tribute to Robert "Bob" Thomas, a key figure in the development of Pennsylvania's groundbreaking trails network. Bob Thomas is a widely recognized...

For people who love trails, long rides, picturesque towns, farms, mountains and rivers, Pennsylvania is a great place to be. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) has a long history of involvement in Pennsylvania, helping local trails groups, volunteers and agencies develop some of the best trails networks in the country. Our annual Greenway Sojourn has had a lot to do with that, highlighting opportunities for new trails and celebrating existing routes. This year's Sojourn took us to an area that is...