Route Finding on Web

by Gary Kirkland

Going on vacation and want to scout possible cycling hot spots near your destination? Check out the Rails to Trails Conservancy web site <www.railtrail.org>.

This site offers a state-by-state listing of many of the 700 rail trails in the country. With a click of the mouse, you can find information on trail lengths, locations and in many cases get actual trail maps.

For autumn the site also had a list of seven trail web sites for seeing fall colors. The list included:

• CALIFORNIA: The Bizz Johnson Trail, 25 miles, Susanville to Westwood in Lassen County.
• MASSACHUSETTS: The Norwottuck Rail Trail, 8.5 miles, Northampton to Amherst in Hampshire County.
• MINNESOTA: The Paul Bunyan Trail, 54 miles, Brainerd to Hackensack in Cass and Crow Wing counties.
• MISSOURI: The Katy Trail, 185 miles, St. Charles to Sedalia in Boone, Callaway, Cooper, Henry, Howard, Montgomery, St. Charles and Warren counties.
• PENNSYLVANIA: The Ghost Town Trail, 15.5 miles, Nanty Glo to Dilltown in Cambria and Indiana Counties.
• VERMONT: The Burlington Waterfront Parkway, 8.5 miles, Burlington in Chittenden County.
• VIRGINIA: The New River Trail State Park, 55 miles, Pulaski to Galax with spur to Fries, in Carroll, Grayson, Pulaski and Wythe counties.

These sites also include pictures to give visitors a preview of the colors they can see along the trails. The rail trail site also includes links for state-specific weather forecasts, tourism information contacts and bed and breakfasts.