OHIO, USA — Spring is here, and the outdoors are calling.
And one of the great ways to enjoy this beautiful weather is with Rails-to-Trails.
Getting out and enjoying northwest Ohio is practically a way of life.
One way to do that is with a series of multi-use public paths called Rails-to-Trails that many may not even be aware that we had.
"Sometimes these multi-use trails become sort of access points to the outdoors for people where they live, can also connect them to things that are even more epic," said Brandi Horton with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
The Rails-to-Trails program began in 1986 by taking unused railroad paths and turning them into usable public pathways.
"It's been happening for more than 40 years, and really originated in communities where people saw these abandoned or no longer used railroad corridors and thought, 'gosh there's better things we can do with this space’,” said Horton.
The program has since expanded beyond that original goal. These days it’s about helping people all across the country connect through safe outdoor spaces.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is the nation's largest trails organization.
Horton says this weekend is the perfect time to check out a local trail as part of Celebrate Trails Day.
“Make a plan to do that and share your stories," said Horton.
Right now Ohio has 110 trails that are part of Rails-to-Trails...totaling more than a thousand miles of walking, hiking, biking and running paths. That includes the trail circling the Docks along the Maumee river in east Toledo and the Wabash Cannonball Trail near Montpelier.
“The small towns that the trail goes through you can still see and experience the railroad history that's there, the history of those rail towns that are now becoming trail towns," said Horton.
With another 45 projects in progress, Ohio could soon see an additional 278 miles of potential rail-trails
In Michigan, the total distance of trails is more than double Ohio’s total with nearly 25-hundred miles of trail.
Combined, that makes our region the perfect at-home destination for enjoying the outdoors.
"When you think about connecting trails and why they're so important, they just provide access to nature in ways that are incredibly unique and also kind of bring you to new and different places and experience them in really intimate and special ways,” said Horton.
For more information on Ohio’s Rails-to-Trails, click here.
For more information on Michigan’s Rails-to-Trails, click here.
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