Rail trails and state trails

A 22-mile crushed-limestone rail-trail following the Baraboo River valley between Reedsburg and Elroy, forming the eastern anchor of the famous Elroy-Sparta trail system and passing through classic Driftless Area scenery.

A 48-mile crushed-limestone rail-trail winding through Door and Kewaunee counties from Sturgeon Bay south along the Ahnapee and Kewaunee rivers to the lakeside city of Kewaunee, passing farms, prairies, and river corridors.

A 29.6-mile former railroad corridor across Idaho's high Teton foothills, passing historic grain elevators and dramatic wooden trestles with sweeping views of the Teton Range.

An 11-mile paved rail-trail through the Hoosic River valley in the Berkshires, connecting Adams and Lanesborough alongside Cheshire Reservoir and with views of Mount Greylock.

40 miles of rail-trail between Madison and the Illinois border, traversing farms, glacial topography, and small Green County communities, and home to the historic Stewart Tunnel currently undergoing repair.

Oregon's first rails-to-trails state park: 21 paved miles between Banks and Vernonia through Coast Range foothills, crossing 13 bridges including the soaring 80-foot Buxton Trestle.

A 21.5-mile former railroad corridor through Northwoods forest and lakes between Minocqua and the Tomahawk area, on a smooth crushed-granite surface that makes it one of Wisconsin's classic family rail-trails.

A rugged 22-mile natural-surface trail along the Susquehanna and Chemung river corridors near Watkins Glen, named for the Black Diamond Express passenger train that once ran through this region of the Finger Lakes.

A 14-mile multi-use trail along the Black River in the western Adirondack foothills between Watertown and Lyons Falls, following a former railroad corridor through river gorges, waterfalls, and northern hardwood forest.

An 8.1-mile paved rail-trail through the historic Panhandle town of Milton, crossing creek bridges and passing native wildflowers before connecting to the Navy's Military Heritage Trail at Whiting Field.

A 36-mile former railroad corridor through the scenic Buffalo River valley in west-central Wisconsin, passing farmlands, woods, wetlands, and the river towns of Eleva, Strum, and Osseo between Mondovi and Fairchild.

Massachusetts's most iconic rail-trail: 25 miles of paved pathway through six Cape Cod towns, passing salt marshes, kettle ponds, and the Cape Cod National Seashore on a nearly flat former railroad grade.

A 17-mile paved trail connecting Madison's Capitol Square to the Military Ridge and Glacial Drumlin trails, forming the city's main off-road corridor through neighborhoods, parks, and the isthmus.

A 13-mile stone-dust rail-trail and canal towpath corridor through the glacially carved valley south of Seneca Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region, connecting Watkins Glen and Mark Twain State Park.

A 20-mile crushed-limestone rail-trail through the lake country and wetlands of Polk and Barron counties in northwestern Wisconsin, linking Amery to Almena on a quiet former-railroad corridor popular for fall color and wildlife.

A 23-mile crushed-limestone rail-trail through the Chippewa River valley between Eau Claire and Durand, following a former Chicago and North Western corridor through bluff country and river bottomlands.

A 15-mile crushed-stone rail-trail through Brown and Manitowoc counties in eastern Wisconsin, highlighted by two dramatic railroad trestles spanning the Devil's River and passing farmlands, prairies, rivers, and wetlands.

A 25-mile county-operated rail-trail from West Bend through the Kettle Moraine countryside to Eden, whose German name recalls its railroad heritage in a region shaped by German immigrant settlement.

A 73-mile rail-trail corridor from Clendenin to Gassaway along the Elk River in central West Virginia, spanning Braxton, Clay, and Kanawha counties with prime access for paddling and fishing.

Widely credited as the nation's first rail-trail: 32.5 miles of crushed limestone through three hand-dug railroad tunnels and the rolling Driftless Area between Elroy and Sparta.

More than 90 paved miles of multi-use trail along a planned 106-mile corridor from Key Largo to Key West, following the historic Flagler Railroad and crossing 23 of its century-old bridges over open water.

A 25-mile trail from downtown Green Bay south along the Fox River on a mix of asphalt and crushed stone, following one of Wisconsin's most historically significant river corridors through Brown and Calumet counties.

A 56-mile rail-trail on a crushed-limestone surface through the central Wisconsin sand counties, connecting Friendship and several small towns on a quiet former-railroad grade.

A 16-mile paved rail-trail stretching from Gainesville's Boulware Springs Park through Paynes Prairie Preserve to Hawthorne, threading wetlands, prairies, and former railroad history through north-central Florida.

A dead-straight 29-mile paved rail-trail through the remote Green Swamp in central Florida, offering a rare backcountry corridor far from urban noise.

One of America's most celebrated rail-trails: 109 miles of crushed-limestone corridor through the Black Hills of South Dakota, crossing more than 100 converted railroad bridges and threading four rock tunnels between Deadwood and Edgemont.

A 52-mile former-railroad rail-trail crossing the glaciated drumlin fields and farm country of southern Wisconsin between Waukesha and Cottage Grove, one of the state's marquee long-distance biking and walking corridors.

A 24-mile rail-trail through the Mississippi River bottomlands between Onalaska and Marshland, hugging the bluffs and backwater sloughs of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

A 10.5-mile paved rail-trail paralleling the Wisconsin River through the twin historic towns of Prairie du Sac and Sauk City, running through the heart of Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area in south-central Wisconsin.

A 31-mile loop encircling Stevens Point along the Wisconsin and Plover rivers, connecting city parks, Schmeeckle Reserve, wetlands, prairies, and boardwalks in a rare urban circular trail.

A 78-mile rail-trail through one of the most remote and scenic river valleys in the eastern United States, following the Greenbrier River on a cinder and ballast surface through tunnels, historic depots, and Appalachian backcountry.

A 12-mile urban trail connecting American Family Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, to the Lake Michigan lakefront through the heart of Milwaukee, named in honor of baseball legend Hank Aaron.

A 104-mile trail following the historic early-1900s Hennepin Canal through northern Illinois farm country, combining towpath walking with canal locks, aqueducts, and wetland scenery.

A short 4-mile crushed-limestone connector in the Driftless Area linking Hillsboro to the 400 State Trail system, passing through rolling Kickapoo Valley terrain.

A paved walking and cycling trail along the restored alignment of the original Historic Columbia River Highway, with waterfall views, basalt cliff vistas, and access to Crown Point and the Columbia River Gorge.

Utah's first non-motorized rail-trail: 28 miles of paved and natural surface between Park City and Echo Reservoir, traversing mountain meadows, Silver Creek Canyon, and the Weber River corridor at elevations from 6,900 to 5,280 feet.

A 61-mile mostly natural-surface trail following the 1848 Illinois and Michigan Canal towpath from Joliet to LaSalle-Peru, threading the Illinois River Valley and passing historic lock houses, aqueducts, and canal towns.

A 22-mile crushed-limestone rail-trail following the La Crosse River through the glaciated coulees of western Wisconsin, linking Sparta to the Mississippi River bluff town of La Crosse and forming the central link in a three-trail corridor with the Elroy-Sparta and Great River trails.

A 5-mile paved rail-trail along the Neponset River connecting Dorchester in Boston to Milton, passing salt marshes and urban green space managed by the Massachusetts DCR.

A 30-mile rail-trail through the Fox River valley of east-central Wisconsin between Berlin and Ripon, crossing pastoral farmland, river bottomlands, and the scenic Green Lake County countryside.

A 40-mile rail-trail connecting Madison to Dodgeville through the rolling Driftless Area of southwest Wisconsin, running along an 1855 military route past Governor Dodge and Blue Mound state parks on a mix of asphalt and crushed stone.

A 7-mile paved rail-trail in southwest Wisconsin between Platteville and Belmont, named for the two prominent mounds that rise above the open farm fields alongside the route.

One of Wisconsin's longest rail-trails at 83 miles, stretching from Weston near Wausau east to Green Bay through the communities of Kronenwetter, Hatley, Eland, and Shawano in central Wisconsin.

An 11-mile paved rail-trail managed by the Massachusetts DCR, connecting Ayer, Groton, Pepperell, and Dunstable on a former railroad corridor with scenic river views and fall foliage.

A 32-mile paved rail-trail across the heart of Florida's Nature Coast, crossing the Suwannee River on a signature 1,000-foot boardwalk and threading small towns, cypress swamps, and open ranch country between Chiefland and Trenton.

A 9-mile crushed-limestone rail-trail in Manitowoc County threading through rural northeastern Wisconsin farmland and small communities near the Lake Michigan coast.

A 40-mile crushed-stone rail-trail through the pines, lakes, and logging history of Wisconsin's Northwoods between Eagle River and Rhinelander, passing through the Nicolet National Forest corridor and deep boreal forest.

A 72-mile rail-trail across north-central West Virginia that passes through more than 10 railroad tunnels and over numerous trestles, following the former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad between Wolf Summit and Parkersburg as part of the American Discovery Trail.

An 11-mile paved rail-trail through the Pioneer Valley, connecting Northampton and Amherst via Hadley farmland, with a landmark bridge over the Connecticut River.

Oregon's longest state trail at roughly 100 miles, tracing the former Oregon, California and Eastern Railroad through the high desert and ponderosa pine forests of Klamath County from Klamath Falls east to the Sycan Marsh trailhead.

A 75-mile rail-trail through the Oconto River watershed of northeastern Wisconsin, from Stiles near Oconto Falls north to the edge of Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, passing through timber country and river corridors.

A 20-mile paved rail-trail in Chippewa County connecting Lake Wissota and Brunet Island state parks along the scenic Chippewa River shoreline, named for the famous Civil War eagle mascot of Wisconsin.

A paved 47-mile rail-trail through north-central Florida farm country, pine flatwoods, and small towns between Palatka and Lake Butler, offering one of the most continuous paved stretches in the state.

A 19-mile paved rail-trail linking Putnam and St. Johns counties through agricultural landscapes and small historic communities, forming a key segment of the 260-mile St. Johns River to Sea Loop.

A 12.1-mile rail-trail through the Cattaraugus County hills connecting Salamanca and Cattaraugus, with connections to the Finger Lakes Trail and North Country Trail near Allegany State Park.

A 10-mile rail-trail following the old Milwaukee Road corridor through the Bonner Branch valley in Lafayette County, linking Belmont to the Cheese Country Trail at Calamine in Wisconsin's historic lead-mining country.

A rugged 38-mile ridge-top hiking trail running the length of Pine Mountain in southeastern Kentucky, passing through old-growth forest, dramatic overlooks, and culturally rich Appalachian landscapes.

A 14.5-mile rail-trail shadowing the steep walls of the Red Cedar Valley from Menomonie south to its junction with the Chippewa River State Trail, passing sandstone bluffs, prairies, and the Dunnville State Wildlife Area.

A 26-mile crushed-limestone rail-trail in Burnett County in northwestern Wisconsin, running through lake country and Northwoods forest from Danbury toward Grantsburg.

A 12-mile crushed-stone rail-trail looping through the lake-dotted Polk County landscape near Centuria in northwestern Wisconsin, skimming the shores of several small lakes and offering one of the prettier shorter rides in the Saint Croix region.

A 23-mile rail-trail through the pastoral Sugar River valley of southwestern Wisconsin between New Glarus and Brodhead, featuring one of the longest covered wooden bridges in the state and classic Swiss-heritage dairy country scenery.

Florida's first paved rail-trail: 16 smooth miles from the state capital to the Gulf Coast town of St. Marks on a corridor that carried cotton to textile mills since the 1830s.

A 29-mile crushed-stone rail-trail through scenic glacial farm country in central Wisconsin, running from Plover in Portage County northeast to Manawa in Waupaca County through quiet communities and open terrain.

A 19.7-mile crushed-stone trail following the former Northern Central Railway through northern Baltimore County, connecting historic small communities from Ashland to the Pennsylvania border.

A 45-mile rail-trail through deep southern Illinois forest and the Shawnee Hills, featuring the historic 543-foot Tunnel Hill railroad tunnel and dozens of towering wooden trestles over the rugged Cache River watershed.

At 74 miles, one of Wisconsin's longest rail-trails, running on a former rail corridor from Park Falls through the Flambeau River State Forest and the Blue Hills wilderness to the Wild Rivers Trail north of Rice Lake, on a rustic crushed-stone surface.

A 23-mile paved rail-trail through the Potomac River gorge in western Maryland, running alongside the historic C&O Canal and connecting to the Great Allegheny Passage for an iconic multi-trail route.

A 19-mile former railroad corridor through Walworth and Racine counties in southeastern Wisconsin, passing bridges, scenic vistas, quaint towns, and wetlands between Elkhorn and Dover, within five miles of Lake Geneva.

A 34-mile rail-trail through glacial lake country and Horicon Marsh in east-central Wisconsin, following the Kettle Moraine and one of the most important waterfowl staging areas in North America.

A 98-mile crushed-stone rail-trail through the rivers, forests, and small towns of Polk and Burnett counties in far northwestern Wisconsin, one of the longest state trails in the system and a corridor for multi-day Northwoods touring.

A 187-mile paddling water trail along the Willamette River from Eugene to Portland, paired with a riverside greenway corridor of parks and natural areas protecting one of the Pacific Northwest's most important river ecosystems.

A 20-mile rail-trail through the Wolf River watershed of northeastern Wisconsin between Oshkosh and Hortonville, traversing wetlands, farm fields, and hardwood forest in Winnebago and Outagamie counties.

At about 46 paved miles, one of Florida's longest rail-trails, running through Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco counties past the Withlacoochee State Forest, small towns, and open country.

A 37-mile rail-trail on a former railroad grade through the forests of northern Wisconsin, skirting the Wolf River and Nicolet National Forest between White Lake and Crandon with a wild, undeveloped character.