Resources and Library:

ECONOMIC BENEFITS of TRAILS

Enhancing communities to benefit more from trail tourism along the Great Allegheny Passage in Pennsylvania and Maryland.

From the Summer 2011 issue of the American Trails Magazine

Trail Towns: creating memorable destinations for trail users

From Trail Towns: Capturing Trail-Based Tourism, by Allegheny Trail Alliance (2005)

photo of trailer with bicycles

On the Great Allegheny Passage: A shuttle for hikers and cyclists is
an important service to encourage both trail use and town access
(Photo by Mary Shaw - All rights reserved)

The guide covers many aspects of creating towns that are appealing to trail tourists:

"Recreational use of rivers and trails can bring new visitors to nearby communities. This guide is designed to help leaders in these communities, these 'Trail Towns,' take advantage of the economic opportunity that rides or walks into town. It will help you transform your town into a more inviting and memorable tourist destination, and in the process, make your town a better place for your own residents to live, work and play."

WHAT IS A TRAIL TOWN?

A “Trail Town” is a destination along a long-distance trail. Whether on a rail trail, towpath, water trail, or hiking trail—trail users can venture off the trail to enjoy the scen- ery, services, and heritage of the nearby community with its own character and charm. It is a safe place where both town residents and trail users can walk, find the goods and services they need, and easily access both trail and town by foot or vehicle. In such a town, the trail is an integral and important part of the community.

A Trail Town is a vibrant place where people come together. It may have a bike shop, an ice cream parlor, casual restaurants, a grocery store, and quaint local shops.

It has wide sidewalks, clean streets, bike racks, and benches at convenient locations. It has places to rest for the night. It generously meets the needs of both the trail users and the town residents. A Trail Town is a friendly place that encourages trail users to visit and welcomes them with warm hospitality.

Trail Towns are not stand-alone communities; they are linked by the trail corridor. Trail users may be passing through a town on a day trip or long-distance trek, or may drive to a community and park to access a river or trail.

Trail users want to explore interesting places in their travels and will need services that your town can provide. Basic elements of a Trail Town strategy include:

• Enticing trail users to get off the trail and into your town
• Welcoming trail users to your town by making information about the community readily available at the trail
• Making a strong and safe connection between your town and the trail
• Educating local businesses on the economic benefits of meeting trail tourists’ needs
• Recruiting new businesses or expanding existing ones to fill gaps in the goods or services that trail users need
• Promoting the “trail-friendly” character of the town
• Working with neighboring communities to promote the entire trail corridor as a tourist destination.

Any trail, long or short, is a valuable asset to a community. It provides free recreation for people of all ages and fitness levels, and offers opportunities to study nature or local history. This guide is oriented to towns that connect to long-distance trails, ones that attract travelers from outside the local community and are not used solely by nearby residents. Studies show that the longer a trail is, the farther people will travel to visit it, the longer they will stay, and the more money they will spend. A day-tripper will spend four times as much as a local user will spend, and an overnight visitor will spend twice the amount that a day-tripper will spend.

For more information about the Trail Town Program®, visit www.trailtowns.org or call (724) 216-9160.

Download the 51-page Trail Towns: Capturing Trail-Based Tourism (pdf 4.8 mb)

Need trail skills and education? Do you provide training? Join the National Trails Training Partnership!

The NTTP Online Calendar connects you with courses, conferences, and trail-related training

Enjoy and share the new online, digital version of the American Trails Magazine!

Help us provide you more useful resources to keep you on the cutting-edge -- please join today!

We are advocating for your interests! Visit the Supporting Trails page to view the latest in legislative news, current issues, and opportunities, and to learn how to access funding.

Some of our documents are in PDF format and require free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.
Download Acrobat Reader

section 508 logo American Trails and NTTP support accessibility with Section 508: read more.

Related Pages:

Resources and Library:

ECONOMIC BENEFITS of TRAILS

Trail Towns: creating memorable destinations for trail users