1000 Great Rail-Trails: A Comprehensive Directory: The Official Rails-To-Trails Conservancy Directory

by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Where ribbons of steel once crisscrossed the nation, now there are ribbons of green. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has helped convert thousands of miles of unused railroad beds to multiuse activity... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0762728191
• ISBN13: 9780762728190
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Globe Pequot Press
• Length: 309 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Excellent trip-planning resource!

This book contains summary information for each trail, to make it possible to plan a bicycling trip across America! And it also gives local contact numbers, web addresses, and other essentials. This is a must-have for bikers who love peace and nature.

I wouldn't call it comprehensive, but it is valuable resource

The book is chaptered by state and each state has a greyish picture of that particular state with little numbers placed on it to show you about where the trail will be. You then find that number in the chapter to find out more info. The numbers are sometimes scattered like 4,25,42 for a similiar area. I do wish they had been a little better on their grouping of numbers. Instead of numbering alphabetically, each area should have its own set of numbers like instead of 4,25,42 have that area part of the 20s. Maybe even number starting from the north of the state and heading south. This way I don't have to flip back and forth in the chapter to find trails in the same area. While the alphabetical helps when looking for a specific trail by name, most times I'm looking at area not names. Maybe break each state up in sections, north, central, and south. That way you can have alphabetical, but also a better grouping of trails together. each listing gives the name of the trail its end points, mileage, surface, usage (such as hiking, biking, horses, etc), location, and contact info. The end points need to be more clear it will only list the city or cities the trail starts and ends at. Thus if a trail stays within one city it will only show that city as end point. Occasionally you'll get a street name, but more often then not you won't. There needs to be a bit more clarity, all listings need a street address for their start and end. The rest of the info is sufficient enough. Telling me basically what I need to know. The contact info will give me names, address, and even a website if available. The only thing I could readily think of to add to the info beyond the expansion of the end points was to add parking areas for the trails. Parking areas are not always at the end points. Its nice to know where parking areas are. While I could contact the number provided, many of the numbers would be a 9-5 number. As well as, if the listing would at least tell me how many parking areas along a trail. Though adding the address to at least a couple of the more popular parking areas or ones with water and restroom. It could say parking area: 5 and then give me at least addresses for 1 or 2 of them. As an example, a trail near where I live has three parking areas. One at its start point and two along the way, but not one at the end point. Out of these three, one has restrooms, the other has only a drinking fountain, and the third has nothing but a map. If you were to at least list 1 or 2 of these parking areas it would be helpful. A comparison of sorts... The book,Biking USA Rail-Trails, is put together a bit better then this as far as format, but it has slightly different listings and not all are true rail-trails. While, 1000 Great Rail-Trails, doesn't have the lines depicting the trail on the map, nor does it have any pictures, the layout isn't put in a pretty graph, and it doesn't have the extra facts info such as cross-country trails, trails that run along