about trailsnet.com – If you want to find a trail on the internet, trailsnet is the place to look. We have a comprehensive list of trails, organized by state. Our trail descriptions include a brief list of important trail facts, a longer description of the trail, trail photos, and a trail map.
about our trails – We’re all about trails! For a good idea of the types of trails found on trailsnet, take a look at the following two lists.
Characteristics of trailsnet trails:
- accessible
- appropriate for all ages & abilities
- multi-use (see list on right)
- recreational and commuter
- safe
- accessible to hikers & bikers
- suitable for active travelers
- usually fairly lengthy
- family friendly
- senior friendly
- often handicapped accessible
Types of trails found on trailsnet:
- bike trails
- hiking trails
- equestrian trails
- recumbent trails
- Trikke trails
- inline skate trails
- Eliptigo trails
- snowshoe trails
- nordic ski trails
- rail trails
about active travel – Many people access trailsnet to find local trails for a day or weekend outing and that is wonderful. But one of the main goals of trailsnet is to promote active travel for couples, singles, families, seniors; for people of all ages, shapes, sizes, and abilities. Active travel is not quite the same as adventure travel. Whereas adventure travel is quite adrenaline-oriented, active travel is geared to a much wider audience and caters more to such characteristics as scenery, history, family gatherings, relaxation, exercise, and environmentally-friendly vacationing.
about trailsnet founder – Kevin Purdy is the founder of trailsnet and a huge trail fan. His love of rec-trails (see below) began in the late 1990s with the birth of his daughter. He went from avid mountain biker to occasional mountain biker quite rapidly. He wanted to continue enjoying the fun and fitness of biking, but in a way that was safer and more inclusive of his young daughter. On a three-generation trip to the Trail of the Hiawatha in Northern Idaho, Kevin discovered the joys of rail-trails and began a lifelong pursuit of family-friendly, multi-generational, mixed-use trails.
Since then, Kevin has traveled to most of the U.S. states in pursuit of the longest, friendliest, and most scenic trails in existence. He has documented his trail travels on the trailsnet website, trailsnet blog, and Everytrail guides. His future goals include traveling the world in pursuit of even more trails and publishing books to document his many trail discoveries and share them with you.
about rec-trails – Rec- trails have many names and is often incorrectly called a mountain bike trail. For the best idea of what constitutes a rec-trail, take a look at the characteristics… and types… charts found above. Those charts provide the “list version” of the rec-trail definition. To help you better understand what is meant by a rec-trail, I have provided two more lists (seems rather bureaucratic). The first one basically shows what is not a rec-trail. The second list gives you some common synonyms for rec-trails.
The common alternatives for rec-trails include the road and mountain bike trails. Here’s a list of how rec-trails differ from the road (as in road biking) and mountain (as in mountain biking) trails:
- safer
- less stressful
- more inclusive
- not necessarily on a mountain
- both utilitarian (commuter) & fun
- available for all ages & abilities
- relaxing as opposed to competitive
- urban, suburban, & rural locations
other names for rec-trails:
- rail-trails
- commuter trails*
- multi-use trails
- canal trails
- bike trails
- urban trails
- greenways
- green-belts
- park trails
- bike paths
- family trails
- all-season trails
* I realize that the terms commuter trail and rec-trail seem a little oxymoronic but I have yet to come up with the perfect name for this type of trails. I welcome any and all suggestions.
