More Trailbuilding Resources

Resources and Library:

Cool Trail Solutions

This area is devoted to photos and graphics of SOLUTIONS to a wide array of trail-related problems. Our goal is to enhance our resources for trails planning, development, and management with visual ideas from across the country:

View a wide variety of trail facilities and ideas. We'd also like to share your photos of Cool Trail Solutions on this website!

Accessible trail construction, Bliss State Park
Rock stairs and splitting boulders at Lake Tahoe
Cedar View Trail bridge designs, Fairfield, IA
Interpretive displays and panels for history and wildlife along trails
Sculpture and art along trails in Denver, CO; Mount Vernon, WA; and St. Paul, MN
Art along Washington state trails
Accessible trail routes to beaches and fishing areas
Art on Trails: examples from the greenway system in Chattanooga, TN
Art, health, and trails: the Medical Mile, Little Rock, AR
Sculptures along trails in WA, CO, and NV
Rail trail trestles and causway in Anacortes, WA
Trails along tracks: rails with trails projects
Urban trails and greenway park along the Truckee River in Reno, NV
Creative Crossings: innovative trail bridge and overpass designs showcased at the 2004
National Trails Symposium
Trail work on the Tahoe Rim National Recreation Trail
See our Resources and Library area for more photos, studies, and articles sorted by topic

Problems and solutions on a variety of trails:

Parley's Crossing Trail and Bridge over freeway, Salt Lake City, Utah
Power line corridor trail: Lower Silver Creek Trail in San Jose
Cross Country Running Trail at Crow Creek Park, Bettendorf, Iowa
Boardwalk on Happy Creek Nature Trail, WA
Art, health, and trails: the Medical Mile, Little Rock, AR
Accessible trail problem solving and reconstruction by Don Beers of CA State Parks
Wheeler Geologic Area Trail Rehabilitation
Calico Basin/Red Spring Boardwalk project helps reduce conflicts between visitors and wildlife
Piedmont Trail realignment from fall line to contour at Fort Abercrombie State Park, Kodiak, Alaska

Opportunities for photographers to show off their best pictures of trails and greenways:

View 240 entries in the 2008 Photo Contest for National Recreation Trails sponsored by America Trails
See winning photos and all the entries from past National Recreation Trails Photo Contests
Photo Contest: Best Photos of Trails in Arizona sponsored by Arizona State Committee on Trails

Share Your Photos

Have you ever wondered if your trail design and construction issues have already been met and creatively solved by others? Wouldn't it be great if you could go to a website, and with a few clicks find some Cool Trail Solutions? Good news— we're doing just that, and we'd like to see your ideas, too. If you have photos of facilities, structures, signs, or any Cool Solutions to trail-related problems, help us share them with the worldwide trails community!

Here's how to share your photos of trails, railtrails, greenways, and related facilities

Photo resources on a variety of trails and outdoor recreation topics:

National Center on Physical Activity and Disability has a Photo Gallery of people with a variety of disabilities participating in a variety of outdoor recreation activities.
Coalition for Recreational Trails presents Annual Achievement Awards to outstanding projects with Recreational Trails Program funds. See Image Gallery from a variety of projects. Also, American Trails has photos of each project for the last several years along with project descriptions.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center has an Image Library of bike and ped facilities
Photos of USFS Trail Class scenarios from National Trail Management Class System (pdf 3 mb)
Vermont Youth Conservation Corps at work on the Cross Vermont Trail
Michigan photos of rail trail facilities
State of Delaware has a collection of Trail Photos.
Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists Trail Gallery

American Trails offers this website as a public resource of solutions to trail problems by trails specialists and enthusiasts from across the country. The photographs and information presented here may have not been evaluated for their structural, safety, or legal capacities and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or support of American Trails.

o you find the resources on our website valuable? Then please join American Trails today to support the work we do to keep you on the cutting-edge!

Join online now!

photo of spiral pedestrian ramp

Recycling a railroad flatcar to
build a bridge on the Frisco Highline Trail

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Cool Trail Solutions