Building the Trail

Planning Documents:

• The Rails to Trails Conservancy's report on the Adirondack Rail Trail's first section, from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake
• Revised Travel Corridor Management Plan, February 2016
• Camoin 2015 Economic Impact Study
• State Land Master Plan
• The Outdoor Recreation Economy, Outdoor Industry Association, 2012
• Demographic Change in the Northern Forest, Carsey Institute, Winter 2012
• Articles on the impact of trails on property values
• Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation Law edicts on snowmobiles for local roads

Building the Trail:

•  2017 Trail Town Guide
• Trail Planning, engineering, and funding
• Rail-trail Maintenance survey (Pennsylvania)
• Rail-trail Maintenance Survey (Nationwide, 2016)
• Adirondack Rail Trail Design Considerations
• Aggregate surfaces
• Northern Rail Trail Surface Materials
• The manual on which the trail town program along the Great Allegheny Passage is based.
• Also here is a link to the Trail Town Program web site
• Trail Town Workbook from Kentucky (this is how to get certified in KY but has good planning and organizational concepts)
• Trail Town Manual from the North Central State Trail in Michigan
• A presentation on Michigan Trail Towns but is easy to pick up the concepts without a lot of reading
• AASHTO Guide for the Deveopment of Bicycle Facilities
• Examples of restroom facilities and guidelines
• Underpass possibility for Route 86 south of Saranac Lake

Potential Partners:

• American Trails is a national, nonprofit organization working on behalf of all trail interests, including hiking, bicycling, mountain biking, horseback riding, water trails, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, trail motorcycling, ATVs, snowmobiling and four-wheeling. American Trails members want to create and protect America's network of interconnected trails.
• The Rails to Trails Conservancy helps develop recreational paths all over the USA and developed the complete plan for the first segment of our trail, from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake with phase two Tupper to Old Forge.
• Parks and Trails New York has helped develop more than 1,500 miles of greenways, bike paths, and trails throughout New York State. They are helping ARTA by acting as our fiscal agent for donations while we await formal approval of our 501(c)3 status.

Links to other trails of interest:

• The Great Allegheny Passage generates more than $40 million in direct spending in towns along the trail each year. This 141-mile trail that runs SE from Pittsburgh has revitalized communities along its path thanks to over 800,000 annual visitors. See a YouTube video of a trip here.
• The Heritage Trail is 21 miles long but has attracted over 350,000 visitors
• The 60-mile Pine Creek Rail Trail between the Jersey shore and Wellsboro has over 138,000 annual users.
• The Down East Sunrise Trail, 85 miles long
• The Lamoille Valley Trail,93 miles now under construction. The Management Plan is linked here.
• The Virginia Creeper Rail-Trail is exactly the same length as the proposed first leg of the Adirondack Rail-Trail (34 miles from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake).
• Economic and social impact of the Virginia Creeper Trail
• The Walkway over the Hudson has been a huge success with almost 1 million visitors its first year. Click here for a photo (courtesy of David Rocco)
• New Hampshire's Northern Rail Trail is now the longest rail-trail in New Hampshire at 52 miles.
• Greenville Health System Swamp Rabbit Trail is 17.5 mile multi-use trail system that runs along the Reedy River connecting Greenville County with schools, parks, and local businesses.