Rails to Trails

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) serves as the national voice for more than 160,000 members and supporters, 31,000 miles of rail-trails and multi-use trails, and more than 8,000 miles of potential trails waiting to be built, with a goal of creating more walkable, bikeable communities in America.

There are more rail trails in New Jersey than you might imagine, especially in the northern part of the state.

Screenshot of rail trails in NJ via RTC's TraiLink

My neighborhood rail trail is the West Essex Trail in Essex County. It's a short stretch of 2.84 miles that runs from the Essex-Passaic County Line in Cedar Grove to Arnold Way in Verona.

Being an old railbed, the surfaces are mostly cinder and gravel. In most places, it is raised above the trail sides from the railroad days and so it is usually dry. Of course, after a big rain and lacking proper maintenance, there are sections where the water has broke through or damns up after a heavy rainfall. Besides walkers and runners, you'll see bikers and a few cross country skiers after a snowfall.

RTC has been around since 1986 working coast to coast to support the development of thousands of miles of rail trails. I wish that my local trail could have been saved to a greater extent. Where it ends in Verona is where the railbed was given over to construction for a row of townhouses. Luckily, the West Essex Trail crosses close enough to the Lenape Trail that if you want to take a longer walk or hike it is possible.

Because railroads ran both through open prairies, mountain passes, across canyons and along riverbanks, as well as through cities, the variety of settings for these trails across New Jersey and other parts of the country are very diverse.

In urban areas, I think it was (and still is) critical to save these corridors as green spaces which can completely redefine the livability of a community.

You can support RTC and also TrailLink.com, a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, that provides maps and information about trails.

I have several RTC t-shirts that I'll wear when I'm on one of the rail trails which will sometimes start up a conversation with a fellow wanderer about what these trails are all about.