Rail-Trail Hall of Fame: A Selection of America's Premier Rail-Trails

by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Overview

Hike, Bike, or Ride on America’s Premier Rail-Trails with This Official Guide

All across the country, unused railroad corridors have been converted into public multiuse trails. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy recognizes the best of them through its Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. Selections are based on scenic value, amount of use, amenities, historical significance, excellence in management and maintenance, community connections, and geographic distribution. These Hall of Fame rail-trails are found in 29 states and in nearly every environment—from downtown urban corridors to pathways stretching across wide-open prairie, along coastlines and through mountain ranges.

In Rail-Trail Hall of Fame, the experts from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy present the 33 best rail-trails—from Massachusetts’ Minuteman Commuter Bikeway to Mississippi’s Longleaf Trace to Oregon’s Springwater Corridor. You’ll appreciate the detailed maps for each trail, plus driving directions to trailheads. Quick, at-a-glance icons indicate which activities each trail can accommodate, from biking to fishing to snowmobiling. Best of all, the succinct descriptions are written by rail-trail experts, so you know it’s information that you can rely on! As an added bonus, this official guide takes a look at the fascinating railroad history behind each trail.

These rail-trails represent pioneers of the movement; they inspired trail development across the nation, or they’ve revolutionized how trails impact communities along their routes. Whether you’re on feet, wheels, or skis, you’ll love the variety in this collection!

STATES REPRESENTED
Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643590547
Publisher:	Wilderness Press
Publication date:	05/05/2020
Series:	Rail-Trails
Edition description:	2nd Revised ed.
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to converting former railroad corridors to public, multiuse recreational trails that offer easy access to runners, hikers, bicyclists, skaters, wheelchair users, and equestrians. It serves as the national voice for more than 160,000 members and supporters, more than 24,000 miles of open rail-trails across the country, and more than 8,000 miles of potential trails waiting to be built—with a goal of ensuring a better future for America made possible by trails and the connections they inspire.

Read an Excerpt

Paul Bunyan State Trail (Minnesota)

• Activities: Cycling, in-line skating, fishing, wheelchair access, snowmobiling, walking, cross-country skiing
• Counties: Beltrami, Cass, Crow Wing, Hubbard
• Endpoints: Crow Wing State Park near N. Koering Road and MN 371 (Brainerd) to County Road 20 at Lake Bemidji State Park (Bemidji)
• Mileage: 119.3
• Roughness Index: 1
• Surface: Asphalt

Nestled among aspens, maples, and oaks, and featuring stunning views of several of Minnesota’s many lakes, is the 119-mile Paul Bunyan State Trail (PBST). This paved route immerses you in the quiet beauty of the north-central woodland region of the state while passing through welcoming small towns that cater to trail users by offering numerous amenities, including shuttle services. For those looking for a multiday adventure, the PBST connects to several other trails that travel for miles throughout the region, including up to the Canadian border.

Begin at the southern end of the PBST in Crow Wing State Park in Brainerd. Heading north, catch glimpses of the Mississippi River and pass through several towns as you wind through the scenic Brainerd Lakes Area, a popular recreational and resort destination. Throughout the route, see various sites that pay homage to Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. In Pequot Lakes you can relax in Paul’s chair at Bobber Park; in Pine River you can stand in his wooden baby shoes; and in Hackensack you can see a 17-foot-high fiberglass statue of his girlfriend, Lucette (this is also the site of a popular annual chainsaw carving festival).

Farther north, you’ll come to a Y in the trail. Head left toward Chippewa National Forest. This slightly hilly route provides a stunning backdrop of old growth forest with trees that are more than 350 years old and are home to bald eagles, several species of hawks, woodpeckers, and many other animals. Here you will also find an intersection with the 49-mile Heartland State Trail, which shares a corridor with the PBST through the town of Walker. With numerous services and amenities, including more than 21 campgrounds in Chippewa National Forest (as well as 1,300 lakes and streams), the area offers an ideal base for exploration of the PBST. Turn right at the Y to connect to the 6.8-mile Shingobee Connection Trail that travels to Walker, reconnecting with the PBST, but bypassing the hilly section through Chippewa. North of town, the Heartland State Trail splits off and the PBST heads northwest.

Cross the Kabekona River and continue on toward the trail’s end in Bemidji, about 37 miles away. With the headwaters of the Mississippi River nearby, this is the first city along the river and home to Lake Bemidji State Park where ambitious riders can continue on a 17-mile loop around the lake, or connect to the nearly 100-mile-long Blue Ox Trail, which continues north to the Canadian border.

RAIL-TRAIL HALL OF FAME SELECTION

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011, the Paul Bunyan State Trail is one of the longest rail-trails in the country. It offers a spectacular journey on a well-maintained route that showcases the beauty and quiet majesty of Minnesota. With classic lake vistas and dense forests home to a wide array of wildlife, the trail provides an ideal family-friendly adventure.

RAILROAD HISTORY

In the late 1800s a 12-mile section of the corridor that the PBST now follows began as a logging railroad built by the Gull River Lumber Company. By 1896 the route had been taken over by the Brainerd & Northern Minnesota Railway, and the line from Brainerd to Bemidji was established. The railway was very successful, mainly transporting timber, but also passengers who came to the many lake resorts in the region. By the 1980s, however, business had declined, and Burlington Northern Railway stopped operations.

CONTACT: dnr.state.mn.us/state_trails/paul_bunyan

DIRECTIONS

Parking and access for the Paul Bunyan State Trail is available in every town along the way.

To reach the southern trailhead at Crow Wing State Park, from the intersection of MN 210 and MN 371 in Baxter, take MN 371 S. 7.5 miles to 60th Ave. S.W./N. Koering Road. Follow it northwest 1.3 miles through Crow Wing State Park to the parking lot, which will be on your right.

To reach the parking lot in Baxter, from the intersection of MN 210 and MN 371 in Baxter, go north one block on MN 371 to Excelsior Road. Turn right onto Excelsior and go 0.75 mile to Conservation Drive; the parking lot is on the left.

The northern trailhead is located in Lake Bemidji State Park. From the intersection of US 71 and US 2/MN 197/Paul Bunyan Drive in Bemidji, head east on Paul Bunyan Drive 1.6 miles. Turn left onto Bemidji Ave. N., and go 3.9 miles. Turn right onto Birchmont Beach Road/County Road 20 and go 1.5 miles to the park’s entrance. Follow State Park Road 1 mile to the trailhead.

Table of Contents

About Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

How to Use This Book

EAST

• East Bay Bike Path
• Great Allegheny Passage
• High Line
• Hudson Valley Trail Network
• Island Line Rail Trail
• Minuteman Bikeway
• Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail and Heritage Rail Trail County Park
• Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park

MIDWEST

• Cardinal Greenway
• Elroy-Sparta State Trail
• George S. Mickelson Trail
• Illinois Prairie Path
• Katy Trail State Park
• Little Miami Scenic Trail
• Midtown Greenway
• Monon Trail
• Paul Bunyan State Trail
• Pere Marquette Rail-Trail
• Prairie Spirit Trail State Park
• Wabash Trace Nature Trail

SOUTH

• Chief Ladiga Trail and Silver Comet Trail
• Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail
• Greenbrier River Trail
• Longleaf Trace
• Tammany Trace
• Tanglefoot Trail
• Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail

WEST

• Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail
• Burke-Gilman Trail
• Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park
• Prescott Peavine National Recreation Trail and Iron King Trail
• Springwater Corridor
• Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes and Route of the Hiawatha

Index

Photo Credits

Support Rails-to-Trails Conservancy