ariel view of a lake and forest

Trainings, Individuals, and Resources by Type of Trail

Accessible Trails

Accessible Trails adhere to The Outdoor Recreation Accessibility Guidelines and the Trail Accessibility Guidelines publications as intended by the Architectural Barriers Act in 1968 and standards set by the U.S. Access Board.

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Bicycling Trails

Bicycle trails encompass a wide variety of trail types, including shared-use paths used for commuting, off-road cross-country trails and downhill mountain bike trails.

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Equestrian Trails

Equestrian trails are designated to meet the requirements of horses and their riders, protect resources, and achieve sustainability. They are not shared-use or accessible trails. Pedestrians may use them but they are not the primary user for whom the trail is designed to accommodate.

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Hiking Trails

A Hiking Trail is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians either within an urban area or through the countryside.

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Long-distance Trails

A long-distance trail is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. Typically, a long-distance route will be at least 30 miles long, but many run for several hundred miles, or longer.

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Mountain Biking Trails

Mountain bike trails are designated for non-motorized bicycles equipped for off-road use. Hikers may also use these trails, but they are not the intended primary user group for whom the trail is designed to accommodate. These trails are designed to meet the requirements of mountain bikes and their riders, protect resources, and achieve a durable and maintainable trail.

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Motorized Trails

Motorized trails are designated to meet the requirements of OHV riders, protect resources, and achieve sustainability. They are not shared-use or accessible trails. They typically are closed to all nonmotorized uses.

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Nature Trails

A nature trail is a specially developed footpath that runs through the countryside, along which there are marked stations or stops next to points of natural, technological or cultural interest. These may convey information about, for example, flora and fauna, soil science, geology, mining, ecology or cultural history.

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Rail-Trails

A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway track into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding and snowmobiling. The characteristics of abandoned railways—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various developments.

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Rails with Trails

A rail with trail is a trail running alongside working railways.

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Shared-Use Trails

A shared-use trail supports multiple recreation and transportation opportunities, such as walking, bicycling, inline skating, and wheelchair use. Motorcycles and mopeds are normally prohibited. A shared-use path typically has a surface that is asphalt, concrete or firmly packed crushed aggregate.

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Urban Trails

An urban trail is a citywide network of non-motorized, multi-use pathways that are utilized by bicyclists, walkers and runners for both transportation and recreation. Urban trails average ten foot in width and are surfaced with asphalt or concrete. Some are striped likes roads to designate two-way traffic. Urban trails are designed with connections to neighborhoods, businesses, places of employment and public transport stops.

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Utility Corridors

Trails within a utility corridor are an efficient use of space and potentially reduce the costs of trail development.

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Water Trails

Water trails, also referred to as blueways or paddling trails, are marked routes on navigable waterways such as rivers, lakes, canals and coastlines for people using small non-motorized boats such as kayaks, canoes, rafts, or rowboats. Some trails may be suitable for float tubing or developed in concert with motorized use. They include: signs and route markers; maps; facilities for parking, boat ramps or docks, and places to camp and picnic.

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Winter - Nonmotorized Trails

Nonmotorized snow trails can be single use or shared routes used for cross country skiing, skate skiing, snowshoeing, fat tire bikes, or other types of over-the-snow devices. The routes may be traditional hiking trails, roads closed in the winter season, or open terrain with a deep winter snow pack. Snow routes can be packed and tracked by the user, snowmobile, or snow cat.

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Winter - Motorized Trails

Motorized snow trails can be single use or shared routes used for snowmobiles and other motorized over-the-snow devices. The routes may be traditional trails, roads closed in the winter season, or open terrain with a deep winter snow pack. Snow routes can be packed and tracked by the user, snowmobile, or snow cat.

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