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rails and trails : canal towpath trails

Pedestrians take advantage of the C & O Canal Trail on a sunny day. Before the railroad industry opened up the heartland of the nation and forged through the wild west to the Pacific coast, a network of canals moved people and goods throughout the northeast and mid-west of America. Every canal was built with a towpath to enable horses to draw the canal boats and barges—and these paths are now ideal for runners, joggers, equestrians, and bicyclists. Similar in nature to rail-trails (i.e. they have gentle grades and few turns), canal towpaths have also begun to be converted to trails. A 1996 study, by the National Park Service and Rails to Trails Conservancy, identified more than 1,000 miles of trail alongside 35 historic canals, with hundreds of miles of additional projects underway. A series of fact sheets accompanying the study addresses the development and operation of towpath trails. Examples The C & O Canal Trail extends more than 180 miles west from the District of Columbia, following the towpath of the canal through Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The 320-mile Erie Canal, connecting the Hudson River to Lake Erie in upstate New York, has a trail along its entire length, both on-road and on the canal towpath. The 68-mile Delaware and Raritan Canal towpath has been converted into one of New Jersey's premier trails taking riders or walkers from Frenchtown to New Brunswick, via Trenton. C&O Canal - www.nps.gov/choh D&R Canal - www.state.nj.us/dep/forestry/parks/drcanal.htm Erie Canal - www.nycanal.com