Rails-to-Trails: A Path to Nature

Aug 5

A view of the river from the bike trail (Photo by Faith Forry).

This summer, my best friend and I have been enjoying riding our bikes on our local rails-to-trails path which follows a river that transects a forested valley of the Appalachian mountains. On Saturday mornings, we often ride our bikes to the next town over to enjoy breakfast at our favorite coffee shop. On the trail, we can relish the sunshine, watch wildlife, and take in the views. Every trip to the bike path offers a new discovery, and we’re left with a greater appreciation for our local environment.

Wildlife we commonly see include cautious deer, skittering chipmunks, squirrels, and groundhogs, wading herons, and a plethora of melodious songbirds including Baltimore Orioles, Yellow Finches, Cardinals, and Indigo Buntings; more rare sightings have included a porcupine, weasel, and bobcat. We’ve also excitedly watched a young beaver swimming along the river’s shore and a flock of baby turkeys (poults) crossing the trail just a few feet in front of us.

Pennsylvania’s state flower, the Mountain Laurel (*Kalmia latifolia*) along the bike trail (Photo by Rachel Dressler).

Aside from the wildlife encounters, we are also given a stunning display of native (and invasive) plants and flowers which varies along the path and evolves with the seasons. As nature enthusiasts eager to learn more, my friend and I take frequent stops along the trail to identify new plant species, and we quiz each other on our plant ID’s as we pedal along. It’s wonderful to see new plants emerge as the months go by. The everchanging landscape allows us to appreciate each stage of the year and gives us the opportunity to learn something new every time. Whether it’s a Mountain Laurel full of its parasol blooms, a Yellow Iris partially submerged by the rising river, sumac trees crowned with their red cones, or magenta Flowering Raspberries with their luscious berries, there’s always something new to look at!

Enjoying the bike trail not only gives us an opportunity to get fresh air and spend time being active outdoors, but it also provides us with an opportunity to connect with our local environment. Perhaps not everyone on the trail is as interested in plant identification as we are. However, I think anyone on the trail inevitably enjoys their time in nature. Enshrouded in forest canopy and enveloped by lush foliage, the permeating scent of blooming flowers and the sound of a rushing river and honking geese or trilling songbirds engages all of the senses. Pennsylvania’s natural beauty is a joy to experience, and we feel fortunate to be able to enjoy it with a quick bike ride or late evening walk.

In September 1963, May T. Watts wrote a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune requesting that an unused Chicago rail line be transformed into a multi-use path; this letter encouraged the establishment of the Illinois Prairie Path. In 1965, Wisconsin established the Elroy-Sparta Trail. The Illinois Prairie Path and Elroy-Sparta Trail paths are considered the blueprints that the rest of the nation’s trails followed. On October 2, 1968, the National Trails System Act was enacted, authorizing a national trail system with four categories or purposes: scenery, history, recreation, and connection. In 1976, the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act (4R) was the first law that deregulated the railroad industry; this act included a rail-trail grant program. In 1983, Congress amended the National Trails System Act to create “railbanking” in order to preserve unused rail corridors for future use via trail creation. On February 1, 1986, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) was established by Peter Harnik and David Burwell, with support by Larry Rockefeller and the National Wildlife Federation (https://www.railstotrails.org/about/history/) .

The RTC has only continued to grow over the last nearly 40 years. Across the U.S., there are over 25,000 miles of rails-trails and more than 9,000 miles of rails ready to be transformed, connecting people and places across the country (https://www.railstotrails.org/about/) . In Pennsylvania alone, there are 200 total rail-trails spanning 2,232 miles, with 82 current projects and 720 more miles of potential rail-trails (https://www.railstotrails.org/state/pennsylvania/).

If you would like to learn more about this non-profit organization and their initiative, you can visit https://www.railstotrails.org/. On their website, you can explore the Great American Rail-Trail and review the trails specific to your state. You can also visit the TrailLink website (https://traillink.com ) or mobile app by the Rails to Trails Conservancy that allows you to view an interactive map of rails-trails across the U.S. I hope you get the chance to enjoy a trail local to you and while doing so you can simultaneously experience the beauty of Pennsylvania’s landscape, flora, and fauna.