This book includes a plain text version that is designed for high accessibility. To use this version please follow this link.
that the owner appeals to trail users with bicycle-themed and easy-to-carry merchandise. While the group was here on a learning mission, they were also travelers. While visiting, they bought t-shirts, ball caps, books, water bottles, pottery, wine, and other takeaways unique to this journey. Our group, just one of many, left an imprint: one hotel stay, one restaurant meal, one bike rental, one latte, and one ice cream (or 12) at a time. Less tangible, but just as important, were the memories created through rich experiences. We designed a trip that allowed our guests to expe- rience local culture: cooking demos, live music, and having the chance to operate a canal lock.    spring. The course, held in Newfound- land and Labrador, allowed partici- pants to learn by experiencing. That’s  marine center holding a blue lobster, learning to steam mussels, and then  shed for a family style lunch on one of the coldest days of winter. This is the  course knowing that we are not in the business of providing the products of - periences, the kind our visitors won’t soon forget. There are trails all over the globe. What is it that makes visit- ing the trails in your part of the world memorable? We retain 5-10 percent of what we


learn through reading and lectures,   visiting trail users can be engaged  into creating lasting memories? Expe-  instructor, Nancy Arsenault, “connects you with the essence of a place and its people by engaging visitors in a series of memorable travel activities… that are inherently personal, engage the senses, and make connections on an emotional, physical, spiritual, social, or intellectual level.”


Don’t both our visitors and our trail communities deserve this level of


Trail Towns 101


On May 19, I co-presented the American Trails “Trails and Towns Together” webinar. The webinar focused on how communities capitalize on trails and tourism. We fielded a lot of questions on how to get started in creating a “trail town” program. Here’s a primer to help you in getting started:


• Don’t wait to launch a formal program to get started with improvements. The trail town approach is about connecting “trail to town” for the benefit of both trail users and trail communities. Things like signs, bike racks, bike lanes, “welcome” messages, horse hitches, and public art are all examples of physical cues that can enhance a trail user’s visit. Go ahead and get started!


• Be clear on your purpose. There are trail community programs throughout the U.S., all run independently and focused on a single trail or region. Some are intended to bolster local economies. Others are focused on pride of place and recognizing communities that make efforts to embrace their trail. Work to clarify why you want to establish a trail town program and what value it will bring to the region.


• Decide on some particulars. Existing programs vary in depth of services offered and the number of towns involved. A program will almost certainly require some level of staff support. What entity will run the program? Most of the programs that I know of are managed by nonprofits in the realm of trails or economic development. Decisions will need to be made on how communities are designated, how they maintain the designation, what services are offered to communities, and how the program will be funded and sustained.


• Look to other programs as you build your own. The most known programs are the Trail Town Program


connection? This deeper connection can result in increased spending, return visits, and word-of-mouth   what more is possible if we create experiences for them and charge accordingly? And it’s not just about


12 SUMMER 2016 AmericanTrails.org


along the Great Allegheny Passage, the Appalachian Trail Community Program (see online resources at http://tinyurl. com/z3ehrbp), and the Kentucky Trail Town Program. The Kentucky program is unique in that it is run by the state tourism office and is not specific to a single trail. Look to these programs as examples as you build your own.


• Assess, track, and reassess. An early first step for most programs is to gauge how ready communities are to receive trail visitors. Is the route into town safe and pleasant? What kind of first impression does the town make? Are businesses open evenings and weekends? A community process can be built around this assessment and provide both baseline data and a path forward. It’s also important to arm yourself with information. Demonstrate the value of your trail through counts, economic impact data, and stories shared by local business owners. Show that the trail is of benefit and could be even more beneficial if there is an intentional effort to connect trail to town.


 “How long does a trip last?” and also “How long do we remember it?”


Amy Camp, owner of Cycle Forward, helped to launch the nationally-recog- nized Trail Town Program® in 2007, and now consults communities on how they can rethink trails and tourism.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40