About Trailsnet

The "about" page on the trailsnet website has been completely rewritten and revamped. Below is the text of the page so those of you blog readers can become more familiar with the website:

about trailsnet.com - If you want to find a trail on the internet, trailsnet is the place to look. We have a comprehensive list of trails, organized by state. Our trail descriptions include a brief list of important trail facts, a longer description of the trail, trail photos, and a trail map.

about our trails - We're all about trails! For a good idea of the types of trails found on trailsnet, take a look at the following two lists.

Characteristics of trailsnet trails:

• accessible
• appropriate for all ages & abilities
• multi-use (see list on right)

• recreational and commuter
• safe
• accessible to hikers & bikers
• suitable for active travelers
• usually fairly lengthy
• family friendly
• senior friendly
• often handicapped accessible

Types of trails found on trailsnet:

• bike trails
• hiking trails

• running trail

• equestrian trails
• recumbent trails
• Trikke trails
• inline skate trails
• Eliptigo trails
• snowshoe trails
• nordic ski trails
• rail trails

about active travel - Many people access trailsnet to find local trails for a day or weekend outing and that is wonderful. But one of the main goals of trailsnet is to promote active travel for couples, singles, families, seniors; for people of all ages, shapes, sizes, and abilities. Active travel is not quite the same as adventure travel. Whereas adventure travel is quite adrenaline-oriented, active travel is geared to a much wider audience and caters more to such characteristics as scenery, history, family gatherings, relaxation, exercise, and environmentally-friendly vacationing.

about trailsnet founder - Kevin Purdy is the founder of trailsnet and a huge trail fan. His love of rec-trails (see below) began in the late 1990s with the birth of his daughter. He went from avid mountain biker to occasional mountain biker quite rapidly. He wanted to continue enjoying the fun and fitness of biking, but in a way that was safer and more inclusive of his young daughter. On a three-generation trip to the Trail of the Hiawatha in Northern Idaho, Kevin discovered the joys of rail-trails and began a lifelong pursuit of family-friendly, multi-generational, mixed-use trails.

Since then, Kevin has traveled to most of the U.S. states in pursuit of the longest, friendliest, and most scenic trails in existence. He has documented his trail travels on the trailsnet website, trailsnet blog, and Everytrail guides. His future goals include traveling the world in pursuit of even more trails and publishing books to document his many trail discoveries and share them with you.

about rec-trails - Rec- trails have many names and is often incorrectly called a mountain bike trail. For the best idea of what constitutes a rec-trail, take a look at the characteristics... and types... charts found above. Those charts provide the "list version" of the rec-trail definition. To help you better understand what is meant by a rec-trail, I have provided two more lists (seems rather bureaucratic). The first one basically shows what is not a rec-trail. The second list gives you some common synonyms for rec-trails.

The common alternatives for rec-trails include the road and mountain bike trails. Here's a list of how rec-trails differ from the road (as in road biking) and mountain (as in mountain biking) trails:

• safer
• less stressful
• more inclusive
• not necessarily on a mountain
• both utilitarian (commuter) & fun
• available for all ages & abilities
• relaxing as opposed to competitive
• urban, suburban, & rural locations

other names for rec-trails:

• rail-trails
• commuter trails*
• multi-use trails
• canal trails
• bike trails
• urban trails
• greenways
• green-belts
• park trails
• bike paths
• family trails
• all-season trails

* I realize that the terms commuter trail and rec-trail seem a little oxymoronic but I have yet to come up with the perfect name for this type of trails. I welcome any and all suggestions.

About Trailsnet

Trail Information on Google's NGram Viewer

While reading the Sunday newspaper, I discovered an internet tool called the NGram Viewer by GoogleLabs.

Using the NGram Viewer, it is possible to compare the popularity of words and phrases over a long period of time and from one generation to the next.

"What does this have to do with trails," you may ask?

So I used NGram to compare trail related terms and how frequently they've been used over the years.
First, I compared the phrases hiking trail, biking trail, rail trail, equestrian trail, bike trail, multi-use trail, and family trail. Sorry the graphs (below) spill over into the right margin, but when I tried to publish the smaller versions, they were awfully difficult to read.

Hiking trail was consistently the most popular from the 1930s until present time. Bike trail was next most popular, biking trail 3rd, equestrian trail 4th, rail trail 5th with multi-use and family trail taking up the rear.

Next, I compared the words street, road, path, and trail. The results of this popularity poll were predictable, but with a pleasant surprise:

While the words street and road were the undisputed champions up until the 1960s, the word path began to vie with street for dominance. And then, in the late 1970s, path forged ahead of street and stayed that way. I was a little disappointed that trail has gained more headway, but at least it hasn't gone down in popularity like both street and road.

Next, I compared some specific trails to each other. Only one conclusion can be reached by the accompanying data; the Katy Trail is by far the most well-known of our nation's long-distance trails. So congratulations to Missouri for having such a successful trail. That is definitely something to be proud of.

Trail Information on Google's NGram Viewer

Northern Rail Trail

One of my favorite trails in New Hampshire is the Northern Rail Trail. It starts in Lebanon, NH and follows the Mascoma River through Grafton County to Danbury at the Merrimack County line. Some of the bridge crossings are absolutely gorgeous.
I was there in early October and the fall foliage was just barely starting to change colors. It gave me just a hint of how spectacular it must be in its full autumn apparel. I have got to make it back to New England during the fall leaf show.
The weather was perfect for biking when I rode the Northern Rail Trail. As a result, there were quite a few trail users inside the town of Lebanon. Keep in mind, when I say "quite a few" it was still far from being crowded. It was mostly families out for a morning stroll.

However, once I got outside of town, the trail population dwindled radically until I pretty much had the path to myself within a couple miles of town.
Besides the pretty bridge crossings, some of the highlights of the trail included verdant greenery (a bit redundant), interesting history, and lovely towns. One of my favorite towns was Enfield. It had New England style and good places to eat. Another nice town was the Canaan town center with a depot and freight house that was reminiscent of the old railroading days along the route of the Northern.
If you decide to ride the Northern Rail Trail sometime, you should be able to find lodging in Lebanon. I saw a number of hotels and bed & breakfasts. Someday, the trail is scheduled to run all the way to Concord. When that happens it would be perfect to spend the night in Lebanon, ride the length of the trail, spend a night in Concord, then head back to Lebanon.
I would recommend this trail anytime from mid-April to mid-October. Of course mid-October would be best for viewing the fall colors along the trail.
Northern Rail Trail information, trail map, & trail photos available at trailsnet.com

Northern Rail Trail