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!

NEW: Artistic trail surfaces, plaques, and mosaics
Signs and etiquette for shared-use urban trails
Trails with two adjacent treads
Mile markers and distance signs along trails
Interpetive signs and displays along trails
Solving wheelchair accessibility issues for trail bridges
Trail signs showing allowed and prohibited activities
Precast concrete boardwalk system for elevated trails
Dogs on the trail: signs and regulations
Ramps on accessible trails and greenways
Non-signalized intersections of trails and roads: signs, crosswalks, and safety features
Electric transmission lines along trails, railtrails, and greenways
Fencing and warning signs for trailside construction areas
Crusher fines surfacing for trails: examples and potential problems
Trail Neighbors Gallery 1: photos of residential development along trails
Trail Neighbors Gallery 2: more examples of adjacent homes and residences
Low water concrete stream crossings for trails and greenways
Wood walkways: low boardwalks for accessible trails and nature walks
Trail direction and wayfinding signs
Trail and greenway design under road bridges
Trail safety and warning signs to caution hikers and riders
Rules and regulations signs for trails and parks
Walkway Over the Hudson National Recreation Trail is new rails to trails bridge project
Boardwalks for accessibile trails and nature walks
Wildlife and habitat interpretive signs and displays
Signs and information boards at access points and trailheads
Trails crossing under active railroad lines and bridges
Recycled railroad bridges on rail trail projects
Pavement markings and warning stencils for trails and bikeways
Trail maps on signs and at trailheads
Flood damage on Waller Creek Trail in Austin
Railings along trails and greenways in urban areas
Trail-side art in San Diego encourages cancer patients to fight
Rails WITH trails: corridor sharing by pathways and active railroads
Dual tread trails: multiple use aided by multiple pathways
Waller Creek Trail: limestone trail and rock work, Austin, Texas
Accessible trails: surfacing considerations and examples
Steel trail bridges in typical greenway applications
Accessible trail construction, Bliss State Park, CA
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
Albertson Parkway in San Jose's Santa Teresa neighborhood follows PG&E overhead lines
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

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:

Coalition for Recreational Trails presents Annual Achievement Awards for projects with Recreational Trails Program funds. See photos of each project since 2003 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)
Kentucky Rails to Trails Council photo gallery of rail trails
Michigan photos of rail trail facilities
State of Delaware has a collection of Trail Photos
Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists Trail Gallery
National Center on Physical Activity and Disability has a Photo Gallery of people with a variety of disabilities

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.

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