How many trail guides have your read that start with the question:
“Would you like a glass of wine?”
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Mt. Sopris from the Rio Grande Trail
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That’s how I started my Rio Grande Trail guide. I related an episode from my own experience on this Western Colorado trail gem.
The theme of the Rio Grande Trail Everytrail guide is how to enjoy the swanky town of Aspen for a not-so-swanky price. Of course, as always, the guide includes the ubiquitous trail map, points-of-interest, trail photos, and trail description. But in addition to the everyday, “this is here and that is there” type description, I tried to give a little taste of the trail experience rather than just the trail details.
Here are some of my favorite Rio Grande Trail memorable characteristics:
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| trail bridge over the Roaring Fork River |
- The trail starts in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, one of the premiere adventure travel hotspots with whitewater rafting, top-notch hiking trails, ziplines, Segway trail tours, and of course biking trails.
- The Rio Grande Trail is 42 miles long, perfect for a day of pedaling and touring.
- Even getting to Glenwood Springs is fun with Amtrak service that lets you off right by the famous hot springs, hotels, restaurants and, best of all, two world-class bike trails.
- Aspen is a blast just to hang out, people watch, visit art galleries, and eat lots o’ gelato.
- The RFTA transit system makes your return trip a cinch since it’s found in handy locations and welcomes bikes on the bus racks.
I haven’t even mentioned the fun towns in between Aspen and Glenwood Springs, or the trail activities, or the scenery, or the wildlife, or ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/04/04/rio-grande-trail-part-ii-in-my-funky-trail-guide-series/
“Planes, trains, and automobiles … and bikes (a New Mexico biking odyssey)
Before we begin our trail exploration, let’s take a look at a couple southwestern recipes. We’ll start w/ a “Regular Trail Burrito.” Grab a tortilla, slap on some refried beans and chicken. Add a little rice & lettuce and there you have it.
Now let’s spice it up New Mexico style. We’ll toss in some green chiles, sliced jalapenos, add some spicy salsa and sprinkle on some jabeneros. Now you’ve got the Santa Fe Rail Trail. It is definitely a more spicy version of the typical rail trail.
Rather than rails to trails, New Mexico’s Santa Fe Rail Trail is more of a “rails beside trails.” For its entire length, the trail is accompanied by a functioning railroad line.”
Thus starts the description in the latest Everytrail guide by trailking (yours truly).
I got a little wild & crazy on this one and tried to add a little more pizazz to the trail description. I’m not sure whether readers will prefer that style or not. You know how it is; some things you read for fun and others for information.
I suppose it’s okay to mix them up to a certain extent, but it’s a balancing act. When does the “creativity” take away from the narrative?
Actually, the way Everytrail has their guides structured, there’s a little wiggle-room for mixing business with pleasure. It’s possible to go a little crazy in the “Overview” and then give more detailed and succinct information in the Points of Interest section… or vice-versa.
Anyway, take a look at the Santa Fe Rail Trail guide and let me know what you think. Fun, distracting, or outright annoying?
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Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/04/03/santa-fe-rail-trail-is-latest-everytrail-guide/
In addition to my own trail website, I enjoy contributing to other trail communities. After all, it is my hope that we all have the same general goal: to promote the enjoyable and healthy lifestyle that trails offer.
However, I am having trouble convincing other websites that there should be a third category of biking besides mountain biking and road biking.
My most recent foray into this topic was with Russell of Alltrails.com. First, I want to thank Russell for replying to my request. I appreciate that he took the time to consider the issue and give me a detailed reply. As with all people in the internet trail business, he is most gracious and helpful.
Here is what Russell had to say about my request:
“Thanks for the suggestion Kevin. Today we classify most of the rail trails under road biking since as you pointed out they are paved surfaces that require little to no mountain biking skills. When we spoke with users most people found adding an additional category for biking to be confusing. That being said, we do appreciate the feedback and we’ll make sure to revisit this in future updates to the site.”
This is similar to the replies I have gotten from other websites such as Everytrail, Trails.com, Mapmyride, Ride with GPS, etc. So my intent is not to say that Alltrails is out of line. In fact they are right in line with all the others. Instead, I would like to offer my own suggestions regarding this issue and hope that I can convince one of the major trail-information websites to take the bold step of adding a third category of trails called trail biking:
- Rail trails should definitely not be classified as road biking!! The obvious reason for this is because it does not involve a road, but a trail. In fact, most people who ride on rail trails are doing so to avoid riding on roads.
- It would not confuse people to add a third category. Much more confusing is to classify rail-trails as road biking. By definition, a trail is basically the opposite of a road when it comes to biking and hiking.
- Although many rail-trails are paved/concrete, many (possibly most) are not. Some are gravel, some cinder, some ballast, some dirt… Each one is different. But they all have one thing in common. They are all family-friendly and they all cater to the needs of all demographic groups, unlike mountain biking and road biking.
- Both road biking and mountain biking, at least in the minds of many people, offer some element of danger and risk. Trail biking, once again, is quite the opposite. It is relaxing and extremely safe. It attracts a completely different type of user.
- It is estimated that only 1% of Americans ride bikes on a regular basis. Despite the fact that bike riding is fun, healthy, environmentally-friendly, inexpensive, and (potentially) relaxing, something is keeping people from riding bikes on a regular basis. It is my firm belief that our stringent policy of categorizing all biking into the two narrow categories of mountain biking and road biking is a major factor in the limited biking habits of most Americans.
- I first became interested in trail biking (I was already an avid mountain biker.) when I took my one-year-old daughter on the Hiawatha Trail in Idaho. Of course she was in a bike trailer and I was pulling her behind my bicycle. It was a revelation to me. I loved the idea that I could enjoy trails with my daughter while avoiding the risks of road biking and mountain biking. Our father/daughter biking trips continued on trails such as the Withlacoochee Trail in Florida and others throughout the country. We were biking together, but we were not mountain biking or road biking. My daughter has never been interested in the rigors of mountain biking, and I don’t like the odds of serious/fatal accidents involved with her biking alongside large, fast-moving, often distracted drivers and their automobiles. (side note – Believe me, I am the polar opposite of an over-protective parent, and I would gladly allow my daughter to road-bike if she had such an inclination.)
- As I travel the country and ride the various family-friendly trails, I can’t help but notice that they attract a completely different type of recreationalist. In general, these people are incredibly friendly, laid back, nature-loving, slow-paced individuals and families. That’s what they have in common. What they don’t have in common is age, income, background, or lifestyle. They seem to come from all walks of life and have varied ages, backgrounds, and socio-economic status. Most of them have no desire to risk life and limb on a road or mountain bike trail. They just love getting out and enjoying the laid-back offerings of a safe and simple trail.
It is for the reasons listed above and many more, that I started the trails network website. I wanted to help other people find the joy of these trails without the risks of road biking and mountain biking. Trail biking is as different from these other two categories as hiking is different than backpacking or trail-running. Alas though, my website is just a small fish in a big pond and doesn’t attract the visitors that the other big websites do. And since my objective is to introduce as many people as possible to the joys of trail riding, I’d prefer to have at least one other site promote trail biking.
It isn’t my goal to change all of the various trail websites to my way of thinking. In fact, I hope that there remains variety and choices among the different sites. However, I hope I can convince just one of them to add the category of trail biking so we can spread the word about a third category of trails. It is my dream to raise the percentage of regular bikers in America from 1% to 50% or 75% or, what the heck, let’s shoot for 100%. Biking does not have to be dangerous, competitive, or mundane. I am so glad that I get to experience, on a daily basis, the joys of trail-biking throughout America. I look forward to seeing more people join me in this healthy, green, and enjoyable pursuit.
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Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/03/31/should-rail-trails-be-classified-as-road-biking/
I love it!!
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| Extra, extra read all about it!! Trails making the front page! |
In today’s newspaper, there were four trail-related news articles and two trail-related letters to the editor.
Trails are starting to make the news. I’ll admit that not all the stories are positive, but as they say in show biz: Any publicity is better than no publicity.
Examples of some of the trail topics for today were:
- “Greener Car Care: Ride Your Bike More Often”
- 15- Second Pitch for a biking business called “Bikerpelli Sports”
- Letter about a professional biker who got busted for using an illegal/unsanctioned trail
- Letter about the possibility of opening portions of a hiking trail for bikers
- On the front page of the newspaper: “Trail-use Decision Nears: City Council to vote on Plan for Management”
- Also on the front page: “Pro Cyclist Ticketed for Using Illegal Trail”
This is just for one day. Trails are big news and that’s how it should be.
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Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/03/30/trails-are-starting-to-get-more-attention/
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Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/03/29/enjoy-this-tribute-to-alternative-transportation/
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| Danube Cycle Path in Europe |
The Danube Cycle Path is one of the most popular bike routes in Europe, and as a result we found it to be a very sociable ride. As the trail is fairly flat and easily accessible, there are many families and weekend cyclists as well as long distance cyclists on the trail, and we met cyclists of many different nationalities and backgrounds. Contrary to what we expected, the cycle path does not always run directly alongside the river but winds its way inland through pretty little towns and quaint countryside on more than a few occasions, making for a more varied journey.
The Danube Cycle Path: A Ride through the Heart of Europe
As part of our bicycle tour from England to Australia, we followed the Danube Cycle Path through Europe for six weeks. The Danube Cycle Path begins at the source of the Danube river in the Black Forest in Germany and follows the river all the way to the Black Sea, through 8 countries covering a distance of 2,875km. In Germany and Austria, the cycling is almost entirely on traffic-free bicycle paths, whereas in Eastern Europe, cyclists find themselves on minor roads shared with low levels of traffic.
Thanks to its historic towns, castles and monasteries, beautiful scenery and good infrastructure, the 350km Austrian section from Passau to Vienna is the most popular part of the Danube Cycle Path. We were worried that it would be very crowded, but although we saw other cyclists regularly, it wasn’t as busy as we had expected. We found it enjoyable to meet some of our fellow cyclists, particularly at camp where we would swap stories and talk bike. Accommodation is usually easy to find, as there are many campsites and bike friendly hotels and home stays along the route, particularly on the German and Austrian section. During the busy summer months it may be necessary to book hotels in advance, but we visited in July and used campsites, which was never a problem. We also enjoyed visiting the many cafes and beer gardens along the route that always seemed to spring up just as our energy levels were wavering – it’s a great way to taste the local specialties, particularly in the Wachau, a beautiful apricot growing region. If you only have a week or so and are planning to do the Austrian stretch of the cycle path, you could fly into Vienna and take your bike to Passau on a river boat, then cycle back to Vienna.
While the German and Austrian sections of the Danube Cycle Path are enjoyable and easy to ride, they are certainly not off the beaten track. However, as soon as we left Vienna to follow the Danube further east, the number of cyclists dropped dramatically as did the facilities. Gone are the Biergartens and cafés so stock up on pastries before you leave Vienna. Suddenly the cycle path felt much more adventurous as we rode along the potholed roads of rural Eastern Europe. Accommodation wasn’t as easy to find, and while there were still campsites or hotels most nights, we also ended up camping in people’s gardens on a few occasions. Our highlights for this part of the trip were the cities of Bratislava and Budapest, the dramatic scenery of Serbia, and the cheerful people of Romania.
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| Danube Cycle Path in Europe |
In all our bicycle travels we have never found an area that appeals to such a variety of cyclists, from people on their first bike tour, to families travelling with small children, people on package tours, groups of friends cycling together and long distance cyclists like ourselves. Whether you are into food, beer appreciation, culture, scenery or socialising, the Danube Cycle Path offers something for everyone.
For more details see the excellent Bikeline guide books.
Please visit the A Bike Journey blog to read more about the two-wheeled adventures of Frederike and Guy on their amazing bike journeys around the world. In addition to great writing, it includes incredible photography.
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Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/03/28/a-bike-journey-the-danube-cycle-path-in-europe/
