Revitalizing rural communities with bike trail tourism
Breathe more life (and funds) into your rural trailside town. Not every community revival looks the same, but this step-by-step guide shares all the secrets we've learned in our 10+ years of successful Trail Town development. We've built the framework. You just need to pedal it forward.
We know this works... because we’ve done it.
Tourism potential was rich, but untapped on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). The 150-mile trail meets the already popular 185-mile C&O Canal Towpath, which continues to Washington, D.C.
In 2007, The Progress Fund started working to plug the GAP’s rural communities into the economic opportunity the trail created.
In its pioneering 10 years, The Trail Town Program® has become a model for trail community revitalization. Building on the same model, we’ve grown economies on other trails, too. Every trail and every town needs a personal touch, but with these ideals as a backbone, we’ve set towns all across our region on the path to prosperity.
There aren’t cash registers on the trail. So if you want cyclists to boost your local economy, you have to tap your town into that opportunity— actively. Pedal your whole community forward by transforming into a bike-friendly destination where people want to stay, explore and spend.
Our Trail Town Program®, created by The Progress Fund, was the first to test this idea. And we’ve proven it works, multiplying the economic impact along the Great Allegheny Passage over 10+ years.
We’re the longest-running, most successful Trail Town revitalization project. Follow our lead.
Recorded webinars that you might like
Making the Case for Tourism-Oriented Mountain Bike and Adaptive Recreation
Mar 13, 2025
This presentation provides an overview of an economic impact analysis for an accessible tourism-oriented mountain bike trail network in Tennessee’s State Park system.
Innovative Development of a Year-Round, Destination Trail System in a Rural Area
Dec 12, 2024
Learn about one organization’s innovative approach to building and maintaining a trail system that serves as a model for communities around the country.
posted May 21, 2025
The Mountain Bike Tourism guide explains how to assess trail networks and how to develop, manage, and market mountain bike product. Research results on the mountain bike tourism sector in British Columbia are explained along with issues and challenges facing the development of the sector.
Understanding Mountain Bike Tourism
posted Apr 27, 2025
Located at the gateway to West Virginia’s scenic highlands, Richwood lies within close proximity to many of the state’s most renowned mountain biking destinations.
Empire State Trail Town Handbook (2025)
posted Feb 25, 2025
An Empire State Trail Town is more than a destination with access to trail-based services, amenities, and facilities. It’s a community that recognizes the value of the trail and has committed its time and resources to foster a “trail culture” and make the associated improvements in process, policy, and physical infrastructure.
2022 CDT Small Business Survey
posted Feb 14, 2023
From August to December 2021, the Continental Divide Trail Coalition surveyed 136 small business owners in 38 communities located along the Continental Divide Trail to learn more about how the Continental Divide Trail impacts their businesses, the local economy, and their support for public lands.
