May 20 2011

About Trailsnet

The “about” page on the trailsnet website has been completely rewritten and revamped. Below is the text of the page so those of you blog readers can become more familiar with the website:

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
  • running trail
  • 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.



Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/05/20/about-trailsnet/

May 19 2011

Bicycle Commuter Act

Did you know that your employer can get reimbursed, by the government, for helping you pay for a new bike?

If you’ve never heard of the Bicycle Commuter Act, you may want to check it out. According to the legislation, not only can your employer help you purchase a bike, they can also help pay for your bicycle improvements, repairs, and storage at the rate of $20 per month.

Sometimes good legislation
comes out of this place!!



Wow!! Now, in addition to fun, exercise, and environmental friendliness, you have another reason to ride your bike to work. Have a talk with your employer and see if they are willing to participate in the program. If you need to, have a copy of the Bicycle Commuter Act in hand.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/05/19/bicycle-commuter-act/

May 16 2011

Bike Stickers May not Rock…

… but they certainly roll!!

Even I’m not completely sure what that means, but I love the World’s Best Bike Stickers website!!

For those of us into trails, alternative transportation, recreation, fun, it’s nice to find a business and website that allows us to announce our passions to the world. Here are some examples of shirt and sticker slogans you’ll find on  worldsbestbikestickers.com:

  • Live Free or Drive
  • Live Fast, Ride Hard
  • If it ain’t fixed it’s broken
  • I’d rather be ridin’ the rails (my personal fave)
  • I got here by bike
  • How’s my bike riding? Dial 1-800-CARS-SUCK
  • Don’t pollute – Bike commute
  • Burn fat, not oil
Of course the shirts and bumper stickers look a lot better than my boring old list because they have awesome graphics. So you’ll just have to visit worldsbestbikestickers.com to see for yourself.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/05/16/bike-stickers-may-not-rock/

May 16 2011

Segways now allowed on the Rio Grande Trail

Should electric powered bicycles, Segways, Trikkes, and scooters be allowed on hiking and biking trails?

Should electric vehicles
be allowed on trails?

That is the current debate. How do we assure trail access to people with handicaps while still maintaining the pristine environment of the trail?

As you read this, legislators are wrestling with this issue. But local trail authorities are not waiting for a final answer. Some, like the Roaring Fork Transit Authority are taking steps to make trails more handicapped accessible. The RFTA is in charge of the Rio Grande Trail in western Colorado. The trail runs from Glenwood Springs, CO to Aspen, CO. They have decided to allow Segways on the trail; but only disabled trail-users who can prove their disability (if requested) are allowed to use electric-powered vehicles on the trail.

One of the major goals of trailsnet is to increase the visibility and usage of trails worldwide. That is why we mainly feature trails that are accessible to all ages and abilities. Providing trail access to those with disabilities is the right thing to do. Everyone should be able to use our wonderful network of trails.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/05/16/segways-now-allowed-on-the-rio-grande-trail/

May 15 2011

How far are your typical bicycle outings?

Our survey says…

Our last trailsnet poll was the most successful one so far. We had a lot of participation. In the end, the mountains were the clear favorite bike trail destination. And the mountains are a beautiful place for biking. But I have a feeling that if more people knew about some of the great bike trails found on the plains, in the cities, and alongside beaches, the vote may have been closer. Personally, I was glad to have the opportunity to vote in more than one category, because I love biking all over the place.

Which brings us to our brand new trailsnet poll over there at the top of the left-hand column. How far do you ride your bike in a typical bicycle outing? Once again, you’re allowed to vote for more than one choice or choose the ubiquitous “lengths may vary” option. The unique thing about this month’s poll is that it applies to both trail bikers and road bikers.

Take a whopping couple seconds to vote in the trailsnet “poll-o-the-month.” We want to hear from you!!

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/05/15/how-far-are-your-typical-bicycle-outings/

May 14 2011

Trail Notes = Stay Found

I often expound upon the safety virtues of trails, and it’s true that they are usually very safe places to ride your bike, hike, ride your horse, inline skate, run…

But even trails have their potential hazards. Thundershowers happen; people get lost. The best laid plans of mice & men sometimes go awry.

I started thinking about all this as a result of a comment (Thanks Barry!) regarding a recent blog-post on the trailsnet blog. Within a minute after reading a comment about the importance of letting someone know where you’re going on the trail, I came across a Twitter Feed for a website/company called TrailNote.com.

At Trails Note, their motto is “Get there. Get back. Be safe.” It’s succinct and to the point. And TrailNote has an online alert program to help you achieve your goal of trail safety. The program allows you to:

  • Give your trip details.
  • Set your trip time and date.
  • Select your return time and your contact list.
  • Mark your location.
  • Go on your trip.
Okay, technically you don’t need an online program for that last step. But TrailNote seems like a promising application to take trail safety to the next level. And best of all…. It’s FREE!!
So visit TrailNote.com, login, and check them out. Because it’s important to (Here comes another TrailNote motto.) “Protect your adventure today!”

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/05/14/trail-notes-stay-found/