May 16 2012

Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) in Keystone, Colorado

 Trailsnet and ActiveTravelTours Will Be At TBEX 2012

logo for TBEX in Keystone Colorado

Sure trailsnet.com is all about trails, but it’s also considered to be a travel blog, too. So I am looking forward to attending TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange) in Keystone, Colorado this summer. It will be a great time to connect with fellow bloggers, learn new trends in the blogging industry, and enjoy some time up in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. If you are a fellow blogger, I look forward to meeting you. For those of you who follow trailsnet, hopefully TBEX 2012 will help me improve trailsnet so it is a useful resource for trail lovers and trail travelers.

I will also be representing ActiveTravelTours.com at TBEX, so I look forward to meeting travel writers and continuing to make trailsnet and ActiveTravelTours the best active travel blogs on either side of the Mississippi.

 

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/05/16/travel-blog-exchange-tbex-in-keystone-colorado/

May 14 2012

Rail Trails: United States Bad News, Australia Good News

Trail Searches Going Down on the Internet

Is the golden age of rail trails already behind us in the United States? If you look at Google Insights statistics, it looks that way. It looks as if fewer people are searching for rail trails and trails in general, while far fewer people are looking for bike trails. At the bottom of this post is one of the many Google Insights reports I viewed when looking at trail trends worldwide. Rather than just looking at my results, I highly recommend you do some trail research on your own. I don’t claim to be an expert on Google Analytics or Google Insights. However, it seemed pretty clear to me that interest in trails in general and rail trails in particular is on the downswing in the United States and some other major countries. We could blame it on many factors: economic downturn, competing forms of recreation and transportation, lack of funding, etc. But, of course, those are just excuses. With their many benefits for health, the environment, and recreation, trail use and interest should be on the rise rather than in decline. But enough bad trail news, lets look at some good trail news.

Trail Interest on the Rise in Australia, New Zealand & Canada

Fortunately there is some good news about trails. While internet trail searches are down in the United States and some European countries, searches are up in Australia and New Zealand. I’m not sure about Australia, but I know that New Zealand in particular has recently made a concerted effort not only to build new trails but (and this is important) also to connect their trails and to publicize trails. I can’t emphasize that last point enough. It doesn’t matter how much money, time and work goes into building trails; if they are just a hodgepodge of unconnected lines on a map that nobody knows about, things will start to disappear. Interest will disappear, funding will disappear, internet searches will disappear, trail users will disappear… I don’t believe we have even gotten out of the starting blocks unless we have:

To end this on a positive note, one trail statistic is going up worldwide. People are showing a continually increased interest in hiking trails. As you can imagine, I have some thoughts on that, too. But now it’s time to give you a break from my preaching and show you a graphic representation. This is just to pique your interest. Hopefully, you’ll do some searching on your own and share your thoughts in the comments section below.

trail information on Google Insights

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/05/14/rail-trails-united-states-bad-news-australia-good-news/

May 06 2012

3G Stepper is a Great Personal Transportation Vehicle for Trails

New Personal Transportation Vehicle for Upright Riding

Trail running is great exercise, but a little hard on the feet, knees and back. Bike riding on trails is lots of fun, but sometimes atrailsnet lead writer tries out a 3G Stepper personal transportation vehicle on California's Huntington Beach Trail. pain in the neck, literally. It would be perfect to combine the two. The upright position of running combined with the smooth, rolling cadence of bicycling would make the ideal trail ride. Too bad there’s not a personal transportation vehicle for that. Or is there?

3G Stepper Combines Best of Trail Running and Bike Riding

For those with plantar fasciitis, bad knees or a sore back, trail running can be a real pain. For some bicycle riders, daily bike trips can cause pain in the lower back or neck. But we all love the trail and have a burning need to burn some calories. Fortunately, there’s a wide selection of personal transportation vehicles out there that are much easier on the body than some of the traditional trail transportation vehicles. One such vehicle is the 3G Stepper. Founded by Gary Silva, the 3G Stepper is a fun alternative to biking or trail running. It allows the rider to stand upright while pedaling the vehicle a bit like a bicycle.

Best on Paved Trails or Cement Trails

Although the 3G Stepper personal transportation vehicle can probably be ridden on packed gravel trails or even the road, it works best on asphalt trails or cement paths. I tried a 3G Stepper on the Huntington Beach Trail in Southern California, and it was love at first pedal. I hope to get the chance to demo the 3G Stepper in Colorado where it would be a big hit on such trails as Glenwood Canyon Trail or Platte River Trail near Denver. If any of you have had experience with personal transportation vehicles such as the 3G Stepper or any other stand up pedal vehicles, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

 

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/05/06/3g-stepper-is-a-great-personal-transportation-vehicle-for-trails/

May 03 2012

Trail of the Couer d’ alenes rail-trail in Idaho » trailsnet.com

Idaho Rail-Trails

trail bridge over lake coeur d' alene in northern idaho

trail bridge over lake

If there’s a rail-trail heaven, then it may be located in northern Idaho. Two of the greatest rail-trails on the planet are located there. One of them is the Route of the Hiawatha and the other is the Trail of the Couer d’ Alenes. These trails are very different from one another:

  • One is a paved trail and the other is a gravel trail.
  • One of them travels through tunnels and over trestles, while the other wanders a long a river and around and over a giant lake.
  • One of them is totally out in the boondocks while the other goes through small & large towns.
  • One of them is a fairly long trail and the other is an extremely long trail.

All differences aside, you really should do both of these trails… if possible in the same trip. Either one is worth a trip to Idaho. Put them both together and they’re possibly the greatest trail tandem in the world. Feel free to visit the Route of the Hiawatha page on trailsnet. Below you will find an excerpt from the Trail of the Coeur d’ alenes web page:

river trail in idaho

trail follows river

This perfectly paved piece of peaceful paradise is a powerful path to plenty.

Let’s list its assets: It’s long, smooth, scenic, uncrowded, plenty wide, accessible by numerous forms of human-powered transportation, set amidst forests, rivers, and a huge lake, and is planned to connect with numerous other incredible trails including the amazingRoute of the Hiawatha.

Eventually, energetic travelers will be able to pedal from near Missoula, Montana all the way to the Pacific Ocean via a network of trails that are already well on their way to completion. It will be trail nirvana.

via Trail of the Couer d’ alenes rail-trail in Idaho » trailsnet.com.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/05/03/trail-of-the-couer-d-alenes-rail-trail-in-idaho-trailsnet-com/

May 01 2012

Rails to Trails Conservancy Timeline

Sorry if this takes a long time to load. But it’s a nice timeline of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy history.  You can also view it in flipbook, list, or maps format. For more information about Rails to Trails Conservancy, see the description below this timeline. Thanks to Jenifer G for creating and sharing this timeline.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy on Dipity.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., whose mission it is to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.

via Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Timeline.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/05/01/rails-to-trails-conservancy-timeline/

Apr 28 2012

Navigate Swiss Trails via Electric Bike

International Trails, Electric Bikes & Travel

trail in swiss alps

Swiss Alps trail

Rarely do I find three of my favorite topics in one article; a recent New York Times travel article seemed to reassure me that all is well in the universe. The article was especially interesting because it highlighted a network of trails in Switzerland, revealed a fleet of electric bikes with which to navigate those trails and reassured me that some publications still publish a travel section. All three of those topics are wonderful, indeed.

For 50 Swiss francs a day, about $62 at $1.25 to the franc (with discounts for multiple days), you can rent an electric bike from one of 400 rental stations around the country and then set out on some 5,600 miles of well-marked bike paths. With hundreds of places along the way to obtain fresh batteries free, you don’t need to be a whippet-thin racer to roll for days through the spectacular Swiss hinterlands — up steep mountain passes and past soft meadows, burbling matterhorn in swiss alpscreeks and curious cows.

via The Swiss Alps on an Electric Bicycle – NYTimes.com.

 Swiss Trails

With the help of smooth trails and an electric bike, just about anyone can pedal the Swiss Alps. It’s like mountain biking without a mountain bike. But if you’re not into biking at altitude, you’ll be glad to find out that a group called Swiss Trails has a plethora of Switzerland bike rides that don’t involve heavy duty mountains. Some of the bicycle trails include the:

And more…  Have you ever biked in Switzerland or been on any Swiss trails? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/04/28/navigate-swiss-trails-via-electric-bike/