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2021 Route Assessment Route Assessment Report May 2021 Great American Rail-Trail More Than 3,700 Miles Between Washington, D.C., and Washington State Washington, D.C. When Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) was founded in 1986, just a handful of rail-trails dotted the landscape. Today, there are more than 24,000 miles of rail-trails crisscrossing the countryside and another 8,000 miles of rail-trails ready to be built—making the Great American Rail-Trail viable for the first time. Analyses implemented in the past few years of open rail-trails and out-of-service rail corridors show the potential to build a rail-trail that spans from Washington to Washington. Hundreds of conversations with state agencies and local trail managers confirm that this is a realistic pursuit. For more information, visit: Existing Trails This map shows the preferred route of the Great American Rail-Trail, greatamericanrailtrail.org. Trail Gaps including the 145+ rail-trails, greenways and other multiuse paths that Planned Segments make the route more than 53% complete. The trail gaps that will connect Unplanned Segments those existing trails are divided into two categories: planned segments, with specific routes that are already identified for completion; and unplanned segments, where potential routes are identified and planning work is ongoing to confirm specific routes. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report, Great American Rail-Trail Route Assessment, was originally published by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) in May 2019. This updated version was published in May 2021.* Study authors: • Kevin Belanger, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy • Leah Gerber, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Suggested citation: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Great American Rail-Trail Route Assessment. Washington, DC: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2021. Other RTC staff and consultants provided expertise and skills necessary to the production of this report: Amy Ahn, Ken Bryan, Sharon Congdon, Andrea Holliday, Brandi Horton, Annie Hunt, Amy Kapp, Joe LaCroix, Kevin Mills, Yvonne Mwangi, Eric Oberg, Kelly Pack, Aishwarya Shrestha, Laura Stark, Derek Strout, Liz Thorstensen and Marianne Wesley Fowler. ABOUT RAILS-TO-TRAILS CONSERVANCY RTC is the nation’s largest trails organization—with a grassroots community more than 1 million strong—dedicated to connecting people and communities by creating a nationwide network of public trails, many from former rail lines. RTC serves as the national voice for the nation’s 40,000+ miles of rail-trails and multiuse trails, and 8,000+ miles of potential rail-trails ready to be built, with the goal of creating more walkable, bikeable communities in America. Connect with RTC at railstotrails.org and @railstotrails on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Learn more about the Great American Rail-Trail at greatamericanrailtrail.org and RTC’s network-building initiative at trailnation.org. * Trail developments have been provided as of April 2021. greatamericanrailtrail.org Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................5 METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................... 7 ROUTE SELECTION CRITERIA ...........................................................................................8 STATE STRATEGY ...................................................................................................................9 PLAN REVIEW ........................................................................................................................9 EXISTING TRAILS...................................................................................................................9 TRAIL GAPS ............................................................................................................................9 ONGOING RESEARCH ...................................................................................................... 10 STATE-BY-STATE ROUTE ANALYSIS .................................................................. 11 WASHINGTON, D.C. ............................................................................................................13 MARYLAND ...........................................................................................................................19 PENNSYLVANIA ..................................................................................................................23 WEST VIRGINIA ...................................................................................................................28 OHIO ......................................................................................................................................31 INDIANA ...............................................................................................................................45 ILLINOIS ................................................................................................................................54 IOWA......................................................................................................................................59 NEBRASKA ........................................................................................................................... 76 WYOMING ............................................................................................................................88 MONTANA ............................................................................................................................96 IDAHO .................................................................................................................................108 WASHINGTON ..................................................................................................................... 111 APPENDIX – GLOSSARY OF TERMS .....................................................................123 railstotrails.org greatamericanrailtrail.org GREAT AMERICAN RAIL-TRAIL ROUTE ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE “GREAT AMERICAN” IMPACT Now—and at an even grander scale when complete—the Great THE GREAT AMERICAN RAIL-TRAIL VISION American Rail-Trail will magnify the economic, social and community benefits that trails have delivered to people and places for decades. For Imagine pedaling across the entire country on a safe, seamless and scenic example, a study conducted by RTC in 2014 found that Pennsylvania’s pathway—or walking a local trail that connects you to historic routes from Three Rivers Heritage Trail—a trail along the route of the Great coast to coast. You’re enthralled in the experience of exploring America’s American—generates an estimated $8.3 million annually as a result heritage—its potential, its beauty and bounty, its people and places. of outdoor tourism and local business patronage. As a large-scale, Consider the intimacy of taking in all the country has to offer from the cross-country trail network, the Great American has the potential to most personal vantage point: the trail. generate billions of dollars a year for communities along its route by increasing trail connectivity between places, catalyzing new investment Spanning more than 3,700 miles, the Great American Rail-Trail promises in trailside businesses and commercial opportunities, and enhancing an all-new American experience. The trail travels through 12 states and tourism as well as outdoor recreation, which, according to a report by the District of Columbia, connecting trail users and communities from the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, is currently the fastest-growing Washington to Washington, and possibly someday from the Atlantic to the industry in the country. Pacific. As the first cross-country trail of its kind, the “Great American” will be hosted primarily by rail-trails—public paths created from former railroad As new trails and connecting corridors are developed, communities corridors—as well as other multiuse trails, offering a route across the nation along the Great American route will also gain safer walking and biking that is completely separated from vehicle traffic. Upon its completion, the access to the places they want to go—like jobs, public transportation Great American will serve more than 50 million people within 50 miles of and shopping centers. All who enjoy the Great American will have its route, as well as the millions from across the country and the world who better access to the outdoors as the trail intersects with green space will explore America’s diverse places via the trail. within communities and connects to public lands along the route. The potential for a trail of this magnitude has been on Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s (RTC’s) radar since the early days of RTC, some three THE PREFERRED ROUTE OF THE decades ago, when co-founder David Burwell first dreamed of a trail “GREAT AMERICAN” for the nation. It would not be long before this dream would transform into vision, as RTC began to track rail-trail development in the 1980s, With RTC’s commitment to complete the Great American Rail-Trail, efforts and the skeleton for a cross-country trail began to take shape. While have focused on working with trail partners and states to confirm a route the team at RTC “always knew” the potential for this trail, it also knew across the country that would provide the highest-quality experience for the significant undertaking and commitment required to get it done,
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