The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a national nonprofit organization aiming to create a network of trails from former rail lines, recently announced their nominations for the Rail-to-Trials Hall of Fame.
At 89 miles and growing, central Iowa’s Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) is the longest trail on this year’s list, and RRVT fans are invited to vote the trail into the Hall of Fame. The five candidates for 2018 induction into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame include:
- Raccoon River Valley Trail, central Iowa’s premier trail, soon to meet the HTT in Perry
- Cardinal Greenway, Indiana’s longest trail at 62 miles
- Snohomish County Centennial Trail, first championed by four horsewomen in Washington
- Tunnel Hill State Park Trail, an Illinois trail featuring a 543-foot tunnel
- Wood River Trail, crossing two of the 10 remaining Pegram bridges in Idaho
Unlimited Hall of Fame voting is open to everyone and runs from July 9 to July 13. Links to online voting will be posted daily at the Dallas County Conservation Board Facebook page.
The RRVT now enjoys about 350,000 walkers, bicyclists, joggers, skiers, skaters, snowmobilers and outdoors enthusiasts annually, but after the Let’s Connect link trail connects the RRVT with the High TRestle Trail, the connected pair promise to become an even more popular destination and powerful economic engine for regional development.
With a federal infrastructure bill in play for 2018, and a renewal of federal transportation legislation only two years away, now is the time to advocate for trails, according to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, which works to connect trail corridors in order to build healthier places for healthier people.
