Fall 2025 Issue

Fall 2025 Issue of Rails to Trails magazine

EXTRAORDINARY TRAIL LIVES | REMEMBERING HEART MOUNTAIN | 2025 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

A Nebraska Legacy Examining the Geography, Reach and Impact of the Cowboy Trail Across Three Decades

FROM OUR COMMUNITY

different trails and types of bikes allows one to continue the sport as one’s body mellows over time.

I SUPPORT RTC

FROM #TEAMRTC FAVORITE TRAIL IN AMERICA Iman Sylvain Western Regional Director

Each issue we highlight a member or special partner in our national trail community.

Special thanks to William Casey for supporting America’s rail-trails!

I’ve been on many road trips taking in the unique regions of our country, but they pale in comparison to riding along the mountains on Montana and Idaho’s NorPac Trail (rtc.li/norpac-trail) or taking in the vastness of the Nebraska prairie stretching out for miles from the Cowboy Trail (rtc.li/cowboy-trail). What I have learned from my experiences on the Great American Rail-Trail ® is how magnificent the vistas are in our country’s outback. MY GREAT AMERICAN RAIL-TRAIL EXPERIENCE

Every time I set foot on the Kā´anapali Beachwalk trail in west Maui, Hawai’i, I feel a sense of ease. As an active transportation

advocate, I can’t think of a better way to reach one of the most epic places to snorkel the coral reef! The beachwalk connects to many resorts and shopping centers, making it great for me as a tourist, and facilitates convenient public access to the beach for locals and visitors. The pathway also provides a safe and beautiful way to walk back from the lū‘au after indulging in pork, taro and Mai Tais! Early in the mornings, kittens come out for their morning meals. A nonprofit feeds, spays, neuters and immunizes the cats, who are now very used to beach- goers. On my recent trip in July, I saw a Hawaiian monk seal snoozing on the sand, right off the trail!

WILLIAM CASEY Leland, North Carolina

HOW TRAILS IMPACT PEOPLE’S LIVES

I’m a retired health care/hospital CEO whose hobbies include bike riding, kayaking and reading. As a volunteer, I’ve organized medical missions to serve the poor in Honduras for 15 years. WHAT I DO

Many politicians—or even trail enthusiasts—don’t realize how many people enjoy their nearby trails, even if they’re not hardcore bike riders. One of the most enriching chats I ever had on a trail was exchanging pleasantries with a senior farmer who was using a motorized wheelchair and very much appreciated rolling along in the summer sun and the gentle breezes.

WHY I STARTED USING TRAILS

My role as a CEO of hospitals and health systems was pretty high pressure, so I found riding on little- known trails with my friends to be very satisfying. Back in the '90s, we enjoyed the challenge of underdeveloped trails, like the Youghiogheny River Trail that paralleled the river south of Pittsburgh; in time, it became part of the renowned Great Allegheny Passage (gaptrail.org).

FEATURED LETTER TO THE EDITOR MAKING THE CASE

WHY I SUPPORT RTC

Millions of dollars, thousands of man- hours and many lives went into building our nation’s railroads—many miles of which now lie dormant, awaiting our action. We have to find a way to capitalize on these unused corridors and convince those standing on the sidelines that the repurposing of these old railroad beds, trestles and tunnels will create amazing public assets that will provide great benefits for years to come.

I wanted to write to thank you for your excellent article, “From Recovery to Resilience” [in the Spring/Summer 2025 issue of Rails to Trails ]. I feel that its distribution has helped us, many organizations working together, to make our case to further develop and strengthen greenways, trails and green space as tools to mitigate disastrous flooding in our many floodplain hazard areas. Best wishes for your continued success in spreading this word. Dave G. Nutter Asheville, North Carolina Corrections: Cover Story — We referred to the trail’s region as the “Alleghany” Highlands instead of the correct spelling, “Allegheny,” and indicated the National Radio Quiet Zone is 13,000 acres instead of 13,000 square miles. Destination — We mistakenly called the the Ohio to Erie Trail’s starting point the “Erie” instead of “Ohio” River. Apologies!

WHY I ENJOY LONG- DISTANCE RIDING

I’ve found that the motivations for and the satisfactions of trail riding go through a metamorphosis as one ages. As a young buck, I wanted long trails with challenging climbs over punishing gravel and ballast surfaces, and to camp out in a tent each night. Decades later, I prefer smooth, paved surfaces, visiting intriguing small towns along the way, riding recumbent bikes for greater comfort and staying in nice hotels. On rail-trails, this graybeard can keep up with the fellas on the gentle grades provided by yesteryear’s railroad engineers. The great thing about this pursuit is that it’s adaptable; the wealth of

PHOTOS: Counterclockwise, from top: William Casey on the Great Allegheny Passage (gaptrail.org) and Olympic Discovery Trail | Courtesy William Casey (2); Iman Sylvain | Courtesy Iman Sylvain.

Rails to Trails MAGAZINE | FALL 2025

COVER STORY

A Nebraska Legacy

When complete, Nebraska’s Cowboy Trail will span 317 miles, connecting 30 rural communities and all four of the state’s distinct ecoregions. Here we examine the geography, reach and impact of this Nebraskan outdoor mecca, which turned 30 in 2025. By Cory Matteson

TRIBUTE: IN MEMORY OF GUY O. WILLIAMS

PATHWAYS TO PURPOSE

REMEMBERING HEART MOUNTAIN

BY LAURA STARK

BY AMY KAPP

BY ASHLEY STIMPSON

Sometimes trails can push us beyond what we think we’re capable of, helping us to change and grow in ways we might never have expected. Learn how five trail aficionados made their lives extraordinary on pathways across the country.

In this History Along the Great American Rail-Trail ® article, we explore what life was like for the people forced to relocate to the Heart Mountain WWII Japanese American Confinement Site in 1942 through the memories of a surviving incarceree, Sam Mihara.

RTC remembers Guy O. Williams, who passed away on July 29, 2025. A nationally respected leader in the trails and environmental justice movements, Williams tirelessly endeavored to make communities

better places to live and the outdoors accessible for all.

Departments

ON THE COVER: Nebraska’s Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail near Valentine Photo by Clay Cook, courtesy Visit Nebraska

Left // I Support Rails to Trails Conservancy William Casey (North Carolina) Left // From #TeamRTC/Featured Letter to the Editor 02 // Point of View 03 // RTC Quarterly Report 04 // Best Of Railbanked Trails Across America 06 // Emerging Rail-Trails New Mexico’s Albuquerque Rail Trail 26 // TrailNation Spotlight Philadelphia Opens Critical New Bridge Connection 27 // A View From … the 2025 Hall of Fame Inductee: Kansas’ Flint Hills Trail State Park 30 // Destination Pennsylvania’s Great Allegheny Passage: Uncommon Accommodations Inside Back Cover // Featured Map Nebraska’s Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail

PHOTOS: Counterclockwise, from top: Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail in Nebraska | Jonathan Egan; Heart Mountain WWII Japanese American Confinement Site | Tom Parker, courtesy National Archives and Records Administration; Guy Williams headshot | Courtesy Guy Williams; Rachel Jones on Colorado’s Manitou Incline | Courtesy Rachel Jones. 1

POINT OF VIEW

Protecting Our Essential Infrastructure

Rails to Trails is the magazine of Rails to Trails Conservancy (RTC), a nonprofit organization

dedicated to creating a future where everyone has safe spaces to walk, bike and be active outdoors. RTC was incorporated in 1985 as a nonprofit charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is a publicly supported organization as defined in Sections 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) and 509(a)(1). A copy of the current financial statement, or annual report, and state registration filed by RTC may be obtained by contacting RTC at the address listed below. Donations to RTC are tax-deductible. Rails to Trails is a benefit of membership in RTC. Regular membership is $18 a year, $5 of which supports the magazine. Members also receive discounts on RTC gifts and publications. Rails to Trails is published four times a year—three in print, one digital—by RTC. Copyright 2025 Rails to Trails Conservancy. ISSN 1523-4126. Printed in the U.S.A.

A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

For decades, places of all types—from large cities to small towns and outdoor recreation destinations—have had something in common. They’ve made trails their superpower. They’re leveraging former railroad corridors so that their communities are safer and easier to navigate by walking and biking. They’re transforming their regions into destinations, the types of places you want to visit and, more importantly, where you want to live. And they’re organizing for a future where trails connect everyone, and everyone benefits from improved economic opportunity, mobility and quality of life. This transformation of America’s landscape has been possible because public funding—local, state and federal—and federal laws like railbanking have aligned with the bold vision of civic leaders and passionate citizens. The Transportation Alternatives (TA) program, the country’s largest source of dedi- cated funding for trails, walking and biking, has provided nearly $25 billion for projects since 1991, establishing a foundation for the nation’s trail and active transportation system. The TA program has contributed to 42,000+ miles of multiuse trails, thousands of projects that improved streets for walking and biking, and hundreds of developing trail networks reaching every state. In recent years, unprecedented federal investments in this infrastructure have taken bold visions even further, supporting ambitious proj- ects that cross regional boundaries and surmount complex planning challenges—just the kinds of visionary projects that federal programs are meant to support. Projects like the Flint Hills Trail State Park in Kansas (p. 27), RTC’s most recent Hall of Fame inductee with ties to the important history of the Kaw Nation in the region, have leveraged TA dollars with local and state funding and large federal grants like RAISE (now the BUILD program)—which supports large-scale transportation infrastructure projects. The corridor for Nebraska’s Cowboy Trail (cover story, p. 8)— the longest rail-rail conversion in the country and a critical part of the state’s tourism and conservation strategies, as well as a segment of the cross-country Great American Rail-Trail ® —was railbanked by RTC in the 1990s and then donated to the state. Right now, these vital programs are under threat, while Congress and the adminis- tration are pursuing claw backs of previously awarded funding. Congress is considering actions that could seriously weaken TA, and railbanking is under attack in a bill that would render the tool useless (Rail-Trail Report, p. 3). With the reauthorization of the country’s surface transportation bill fast approaching in 2026, RTC is working diligent- ly to protect the federal programs that make it possible for the country to create, con- nect and maintain its trails. Our federal policy vision outlines smart strategies for investment and policy reforms to ensure that there is the funding needed to accelerate progress of the nation’s trail system and that every dollar invested is maximized (railstotrails.org/reauthorization). Our passionate national coalition of partner organizations, local governments, members and advocates are here to carry an important message: Trails are essential. Trails are a common thread bringing communities together, and the demand for trails is ubiquitous—building upon decades of proven impact. Now is the time to put that impact on full display and protect the federal funds and policies necessary to connect everyone, everywhere.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Edward Chang, Chair; Noel Kegel, Vice Chair; Doug Monieson, Treasurer; Ayesha McGowan, Secretary; Ajoa Abrokwa; Balaji Bondili; James Brainard, Jon Cofsky; Mark A. Filippell,

PRESIDENT Ryan Chao

MAGAZINE STAFF VP OF COMMUNICATIONS Brandi Horton EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Amy Kapp SENIOR EDITOR Laura Stark CONTRIBUTOR Cory Matteson COPY EDITOR Sharon Congdon DESIGN/ PRODUCTION Outright; Kathy Keller

J.D.; Catharine Sloss Jones; M.

Katherine Kraft, Ph.D.; Elizabeth Lynn; Andy McCormick; Tom Petri; Marvin Plakut; Juliette Rizzo; Daniel A. Rodríguez, Ph.D.; James F. Sallis, Ph.D.

RAILS TO TRAILS CONSERVANCY

HEADQUARTERS 2445 M St., NW, Suite 650

Washington, DC 20037 PHONE 202.331.9696 EMAIL magazine@railstotrails.org

WEBSITES railstotrails.org, TrailLink.com MIDWEST Yellow Springs, OH 614.837.6782 midwest@railstotrails.org NORTHEAST Philadelphia, PA 267.332.4267 northeast@railstotrails.org WESTERN Oakland, CA 510.992.4662 western@railstotrails.org FLORIDA Tallahassee, FL 866.202.9788 rtcflorida@railstotrails.org BALTIMORE Baltimore, MD 410.207.2445 MILWAUKEE Milwaukee, WI 414.688.4367

give.org

With gratitude,

POSTMASTER SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO info@railstotrails.org

Ryan Chao, President, Rails to Trails Conservancy

RTC QUARTERLY REPORT

What We’ve Been Up To Legal Victory: The Committee to Save the Derry Rail Trail Tunnel and Rails to Trails Conservancy

putting people’s safety at risk. “These moves are appalling and send a clear message. We need to band together— the public, local and state officials, and champions in Congress—to protect the range of funding that exists for this vital infrastructure,” said Kevin Mills, RTC’s vice president of policy. Read more: rtc.li/trails-clawbacks . Railbanking Under Fire: In August, bill H.R. 4924, the Rails to Trails Landowner Rights Act, was reintroduced in Congress. The bill effectively destroys the viability of railbanking, which is fundamental to protecting former rail corridors as trails—the foundation of the nation’s decades-long movement to preserve unused railroad corridors. H.R. 4924 introduces exceedingly burdensome and unworkable changes to railbanking that threaten future and existing rail-trails and risk causing irreparable harm to the nation’s rail corridors. RTC is fighting back and will post updates as they arise. Learn more about railbanking at railstotrails.org/ railbanking . Historical Marker Grant Program: RTC and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation have launched a new historical marker program, “Trails Across America,” to celebrate and preserve history along America’s multiuse trails, and draw attention to local and national people, events and places of historical significance. Through the program, RTC and the Pomeroy Foundation are collaborating

with communities to develop and install premium cast-aluminum historical markers, which are funded by the Pomeroy Foundation. Learn more about the program and how to apply at railstotrails.org/grants/#marker .

celebrated a victory in June in response to a lawsuit against the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which challenged construction of Phase 2 of the Exit 4A I-93 expansion in Derry. The lawsuit was brought to protect the Manchester & Lawrence Railroad Historic District and the Derry Rail Trail, a 3.6-mile pathway that helps make up the developing 125- mile Granite State Rail Trail ( rtc.li/ derry-rail-trail ). The court held that FHWA and NHDOT did not properly consider whether a new design minimized harm to the same extent as the original design plan, which advocates say will improve the safety of the future rail-trail connection and create better trail system linkages. The final settlement was pending at the time of printing. Federal Clawback: In July, the One Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law, rescinding unobligated funding of as much as $750 million for critical trail and active transportation projects from the Neighborhood Access and Equity Program. More recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation has canceled existing grants intended to make it safer and easier to walk and bike in communities across America,

Court Sides With Trail Advocates in N.H. in Lawsuit Over Historic Rail Corridor rtc.li/derry-rail-trail

Reconciliation Bill Claws Back Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Trails, Walking and Biking rtc.li/fed-claw-backs

New House Bill Threatens the Viability of Railbanking and Thousands of Miles of Existing Rail-Trails Learn more about railbanking: railstotrails.org/railbanking

New Marker Partnership Commemorates

History Along Trails Around the Country

railstotrails.org/ grants/#marker

PHOTOS: Opposite page, left: Rock Island Trail | Courtesy Missouri State Parks. This page, counterclockwise, from left: Courtesy Chris Ziegler, Armstrong Trails; Jeff Donahue, courtesy Panhandle Trail; Anthony Le; Courtesy Committee to Save the Derry Rail Trail Tunnel.

5 3

Railbanked Trails ACROSS AMERICA BEST OF

By Scott Stark

The steady decline of active railway mileage in the United States was turbocharged in 1980 by the deregulation of the railroad industry, which made it easier for railways to discontinue unprofitable routes. Dismayed to see such vital pieces of connective infrastructure disappearing, Congress passed an amendment to the National Trails System Act just three years later that enshrined into the law the concept of railbanking —preserving railway corridors in perpetuity, should they ever be needed again. Under the law signed by President Reagan in 1983, railways could voluntarily give up a disused rail corridor to be reworked into an active transportation pathway for human-powered travel—with the stipulation that it may be converted back to rail use should the need ever arise. The effects have been transformative. More than 4,800 miles of railbanked corridor have been repurposed into 273 rail-trails (and counting). Here are a few notable examples.

PHOTOS: This page, from left: Laura Stark; Gene Bisbee. Opposite page, from top: Chris Ziegler; Courtesy Denton County Transportation Authority; Katie Guerin.

IOWA Sauk Rail Trail

WASHINGTON East Lake Sammamish Trail

The Sauk Rail Trail (rtc.li/sauk) in west-central Iowa kicked off what is now 40 years of railbanking just two years after the law was enacted. What started as the country’s first railbanked trail today spans 33 paved miles—built, in part, on a corridor once owned by one of the longest railroads in the United States, the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW). Bookended by Black Hawk State Park at its northern terminus and Swan Lake State Park at the south end, the trail features a restored 1905 depot in the town of Breda that houses memorabilia from the C&NW.

Washington’s East Lake Sammamish Trail (rtc.li/ east-lake-sammamish) was the subject of a court battle that questioned the essential legality of the National Trails System Act regarding railroad easements ( Hornish Joint Liv- ing Trust, et al. v. King County ). Filing a legal brief support- ing King County, Rails to Trails Conservancy’s legal team helped secure a victory that affirmed that the full width of the railbanked corridor conveyed to the trail’s managing agency. The 12-mile paved pathway in Seattle’s fast-growing eastern suburbs serves as an important route for com- muters and offers an enjoyable recreational amenity with expansive views of its namesake lake. It’s also a part of the 900-mile Leafline Trails Network (rtc.li/leafline) developing across the Central Puget Sound region and a segment of the Great American Rail-Trail ® (greatamericanrailtrail.org), a 3,700-mile route connecting Washington, D.C., and Washington State.

Learn more about how the railbanking law was developed at rtc.li/railbanking-author.

Rails to Trails MAGAZINE | FALL 2025

BEST OF

PENNSYLVANIA Armstrong Trails

The Allegheny Valley Railroad once supported a booming coal and timber industry across western Pennsylvania, but the trains stopped running in the 1970s. Conrail, the line’s owner in 1992, was open to selling the corridor to the Allegheny Valley Land Trust (AVLT) but was unwilling to formally railbank it with the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the governing body for railbanking. In response, the land trust unilaterally filed the railbanking declaration, along with the deed from Conrail, specifying that the corridor was railbanked directly with the AVLT. Several landowners adjacent to the line filed suit, believing that absent STB authority, long-ago property easements granted to the railway should revert back to them. RTC filed a legal brief in support of the trail project. Moody v. Allegheny Valley Land Trust was decided by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1999, where the court momentously agreed with the AVLT that private railbanking was allowed even without action by the STB. Trailgoers on the Armstrong Trails (armstrongtrails.org) today can enjoy a 52-mile trip along the eastern bank of the Allegheny River, where they’ll encounter numerous glimpses of the route’s history: the remains of iron furnaces, a coaling tower that was used to refuel steam engines as late as 1957, a locomotive turntable and a half-mile tunnel.

TEXAS A-train Rail Trail

When the Union Pacific railbanked a disused line near Dallas-Fort Worth, the corridor was quickly snatched up by the city of Denton and transformed into the A-train Rail Trail (rtc.li/a-train-rail-trail). Not long afterward, the corridor was reactivated for rail use when the Denton County Transportation Authority sought to create a commuter line. The expansive width of the corridor allowed the A-train’s tracks to be laid down alongside the bike-and-ped trail, preserving an already- beloved community asset.

MISSOURI Frisco Highline Trail

From the rear of his presidential railcar, Harry Truman addressed an assembled crowd in Springfield, Missouri, in the summer of 1948. His impromptu remarks, delivered along the Frisco Highline, were the first instance of his famous whistle-stop campaign. But the history-making status of the Highline wasn’t enough to save it; passenger operations ceased in 1954, and the line’s new owner, Burlington Northern Railroad, filed its intention to railbank 30 miles of the corridor in 1991. A local nonprofit named Ozark Greenways purchased the corridor, offsetting the cost by salvaging and selling the route’s rails and ties. A 10-mile section of the Frisco Highline Trail (rtc.li/frisco-highline) opened in 1999, fittingly on National Trails Day, and when Burlington Northern abandoned another section of the line, it was acquired and added to the route. Other additions over the years have extended this scenic pathway through the Ozarks to 37 miles.

Learn more about these and other trails at TrailLink.com.

For decades, some of the historical and cultural touchstones of Albuquerque, New Mexico, have been isolated by railroad tracks and highways, largely disconnected from one another and not easily accessible by people walking and biking. The 7-mile Albuquerque Rail Trail (rtc.li/abq-rail-trail) aims to change that by looping through the heart of the city, linking key places like Old Town, the bustling Sawmill District and the popular Paseo del Bosque Trail (rtc.li/bosque-trail) that follows the route of the Rio Grande. “Using the areas alongside the tracks for trails or trolleys has been an idea that’s been bandied about for 30 or 40 years,” said Terry Brunner, chief of staff for Mayor Tim Keller and interim director of Albuquerque’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency. “In recent times, this mayor decided to actually try to pursue it.” The project, known locally as the ABQ Rail Trail, gained steam over the past three or four years. In August 2024, construction officially kicked off in Albuquerque’s Sawmill area with a groundbreaking event complete with local and state dignitaries on hand to pound in golden stakes. “We hope that more families will now be able to ride their bikes to Explora for learning and play,” said Kristin Leigh, co-executive director at the Explora experiential learning center (explora.us) in the heart of Old Town, who is looking forward to the new connectivity that the trail will bring. “We’re excited to partner on activities that celebrate science, technology, engineering, art and math for families utilizing the trail.” The trail’s design, created by world-famous architect Antoine Pred- ock, features “auras” or distinct zones that will celebrate the culture and history of the area, as well as “plazitas” that will serve as access points and gathering spots. The project will also incorporate a series of creative signs, QR codes and collages in the pavement.

New Mexico’s Albuquerque Rail Trail Albuquerque’s new rail-trail aims to improve access to the city’s historical and cultural touchstones.

By Cindy Barks

Rails to Trails MAGAZINE | FALL 2025

EMERGING RAIL-TRAILS

PHOTOS: Opposite page: (Top) Construction of the Albuquerque Rail Trail began in August 2024; local and state dignitaries gathered in Albuquerque’s Sawmill district for the groundbreaking of the Albuquerque Rail Trail. | Courtesy Adolphe Pierre- Louis (2). This page: The Albuquerque Rail Trail will connect to Albuquerque’s Old Town and other historic districts. | Courtesy New Mexico Tourism Department. raising funds for different phases along the way. But we’re hopeful we can get most of it online by 2027.” Learn more: rtc.li/abq-rail-trail * On. Sept. 11, the city of Albuquerque announced that it had received notice from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) that an $11.5 million RAISE grant for the Albuquerque Rail Trail had been canceled because the USDOT “wants to focus on cars, rather than people or bicyclists.” This is a developing story that Rails to Trails Conservancy will continue to cover on the TrailBlog (railstotrails.org/trailblog). But Turner and Brunner say work is progressing well on the first two phases, which include a four-block section of trail in the Sawmill area that is expected to be complete in October 2025 and will serve as the model for the rest of the project. The other piece in the works, the south- west ramp that will be a part of an at-grade crossing over the railroad tracks at Central Crossing, should be complete by spring 2026. Turner said future phases are set to go out for bid soon, with more construction starting in 2026. While the goal is to have the next phases complete by 2027, Brunner noted, “It’s a very large trail, and we’ll be constructing it in phases and “It’s going to be more than just a trail—more of a cultural history lesson of Albuquerque. We really want to tell the story of us, of Albuquerque.” — Terry Brunner, Chief of Staff for Mayor Tim Keller and Interim Director of Albuquerque’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency

PROPOSED TRAIL: Albuquerque Rail Trail

Currently, it can be difficult for cyclists to move safely between Al- buquerque’s districts, noted Patrick Martin, vice president of BikeABQ, who said the project ties in well with the organization’s goal of im- proving safety and transportation options in the city. The rail-trail will improve access to businesses and attractions by filling in some of the connectivity gaps, such as providing a dedicated way to get from the Bosque Trail to Old Town. To date, Brunner said the project has received about $40 million in non-city funds, including federal and state funding. Still, one of the project’s challenges is ensuring that the promised federal funding comes through.* “The biggest role we’ve had is making sure that the project doesn’t die,” Martin said. “This is a really big, really transformational project for downtown Albuquerque. It’s also very expensive, and so our role has been to show not only city councilors but also state legislators that this is something important, that it is worth the funding that the mayor is trying to rally around to get it built.” Another complexity is the sheer number of involved parties. Jennifer Turner, the city’s director of municipal development, noted that the project needs agreement from numerous stakeholders, including the city’s transit de- partment, NMDOT (New Mexico Department of Transportation), the NMDOT Rail Bureau, BNSF Railway and Rio Metro Regional Transit District.

LOCATION: The rail-trail will loop through the heart of Albuquerque, linking several historic districts, including Sawmill, Old Town, Downtown, Rail Yards and Route 66. USED RAILROAD CORRIDOR: The route was once part of the Santa Fe Railway system. LENGTH: The trail is planned to total 7 miles by 2027. The project’s first four-block section is scheduled for completion by October 2025.

SURFACE: Asphalt

Predock, who lived and worked in Albuquerque for decades, died in March 2024, and Brunner notes that the ABQ Rail Trail was the last project he designed. “He’s known for doing very creative designs, so there’s a lot in this trail that is going to make it one of the most interesting trails you’ll see in the country,” Brunner said. “It’s going to be more than just a trail. [It will be] more of a cultural history lesson of Albuquerque. We really want to tell the story of us, of Albuquerque.” Tania Armenta, president and CEO of Visit Albuquerque, said the rail-trail will be “a powerful opportunity to encourage economic development, generate additional business activity and bring more foot traffic to existing attractions, cultur - al landmarks and local businesses.” Ultimately, Armenta added, “the trail will serve as both a physical and cultural connector for the city.”

When complete, the Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail will be a boon for tourism across Nebraska, connecting 30 rural communities and all four of the state’s distinct ecoregions. Learn more about this trail, which turned 30 in 2025, at rtc.li/cowboy-trail or outdoornebraska.gov. COUNTIES: Antelope, Brown, Cherry, Holt, Madison, Rock, Sheridan LENGTH: 317 miles (currently 203) ENDPOINTS: Rushville to Gordon; Valentine to Norfolk USES: Walking, Biking (inc. Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes), Horseback Riding, Mountain Biking

A Nebraska Legacy Examining the Natural Assets, Recreational Reach and Impact of Nebraska’s Developing Cowboy Trail

By Cory Matteson

Rails to Trails MAGAZINE | FALL 2025

COVER STORY

On the way back to their respective homes following a family visit to Valentine, Nebraska, Michael and Pam Swanson and their daughter, Ashley Schafer, parked at a trailhead off U.S. Highway 20 to take in the panoramic view of the Sandhills from the longest of the 221 bridges that dot the Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail (rtc.li/ cowboy-trail). The Niobrara River glided through the valley below them, shallow enough in late July for weekend float trippers to drag their feet across the bottom and for the bridge’s visitors to view the riverbed from their perches 148 feet above it. Stopping by the trail’s signature bridge was something of a tradition. “When the children were growing up, we probably came up here 16 years in a row, and this was always part of our stop,” said Michael Swanson, of Malmo, Nebraska. Now Schafer, who lives in Norfolk, has kids of her own, and her family often hops on the Cowboy Trail at its eastern starting point, about 200 miles from Valentine. “We take our bikes out on the Cowboy Trail, and sometimes we start at Ta-Ha-Zouka Park, and then other times we go out to Broken Bridge,” she said. It’s a reason for her and her family to get out in nature, a feature the Cowboy Trail offers in abundance. Across its full, potential 317-mile path, the trail covers over 5,000 acres of wildlife habitat and touches each of the state’s four distinct ecoregions: the tallgrass, mixed-grass and shortgrass prairies, as well as the sig- nature Sandhills of north-central Nebraska. “It really gives you a great opportunity to see, up close, each of these ecoregions and how they differ from each other and the different species that inhabit these different areas of our state,” said Alex Duryea, recreational trails manager for the Nebraska

PHOTO: The Cowboy Trail bridge across the Niobrara National Scenic River near Valentine, Nebraska, is a highlight of the developing Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail. | Jonathan Egan.

Improving Infrastructure Across the “Bike Shop Desert”

trail. What once was a weighing station in Newport now serves as a 24/7 pool hall and snack bar to passersby, all on the honor system. Farther east, you’ll find the only brick depot still standing in O’Neill, now refurbished and serving as the Holt County Economic Develop- ment office. And agribusiness is omnipresent. From an open window on the third story of the Neligh Mill, you can listen to the nearby Elkhorn waters that powered the production of 98,000 pounds of flour a day during the Progressive Era. In nearby Laurel Hill Cemetery, you can join countless residents and visitors who have paid respects to White Buffalo Girl, an infant who died in the area of pneumonia soon after the U.S. government forced the Ponca Tribe from their nearby land to present-day Oklahoma (read “The Legacy of White Buffalo Girl,” at rtc.li/white- buffalo-girl). Her parents were allowed only a brief ceremony to grieve; her father, Black Elk, asked Neligh’s residents to look after his daughter’s grave as though it belonged to a child of their own. It is sure to be adorned with flowers and other offerings when you visit. Seeing the connective value of the former Chicago & North Western railroad, Rails to Trails Conservancy purchased it in 1994 for $6.2 million and handed the deed over to the State of Nebraska. Once completed, it will become the longest path along the cross- country Great American Rail-Trail ® (greatamericanrailtrail.org). Cur- rently, the Cowboy Trail runs gener- ally alongside U.S. highways 275 and 20. It’s uninterrupted from Norfolk to Valentine for 202 miles, save for a detour in Oakdale around a bridge approach lost to the cata- strophic floods of 2019 (read “From Recovery to Resilience” at rtc.li/

Game and Parks Commission (outdoornebraska.gov), which maintains the trail. “And frankly, I think doing that via the Cowboy Trail by bike or by horse or by walking is the kind of speed you need to be at in order to really see and experience those differences. You just don’t see that kind of stuff when you’re traveling at 65 miles an hour.” Celebrating 30 Years This year, as one of numerous efforts tied to the 30th anniver- sary celebration of the Cowboy Trail, Nebraska Game and Parks published a Cowboy Trail Field Guide designed to help trail users not only know what fauna and flora to look for across its respec - tive regions—burrowing owls and swift foxes in the shortgrass; pronghorn and sand milkweed in the Sandhills—but also to help build closer connections with the trail. Duryea celebrated the guide’s launch by inviting people to take a full-moon evening hike on June 11 and stargaze above a bend in the Elkhorn River along the Broken Bridge a little west of Norfolk. “We had about 100 people, and it was really nice,” Duryea said. Once completed, the Cowboy Trail will span 30 rural Nebraska communities, from Ta-Ha-Zouka Park in Norfolk to just outside of Chadron. Along with bringing us- ers closer to northern Nebraska’s natural beauty, it connects the region’s present and past. In Long Pine, you can breathe in forest terpenes from atop the trail’s second-tallest bridge and also bunk for the night in the former railroad barracks just down the

Part of the allure of the Cowboy Trail is finding community and beauty where others aren’t looking. But good luck finding a replacement derailleur. “You’ve heard of a food desert,” said Julie Harris, executive director of Bike Walk Nebraska (bikewalknebraska.org). “We have a bike shop desert.” Norfolk Bike, near the trail’s eastern terminus, is the only one around. In 2022, Bike Walk Nebraska established the Cowboy Trail Coalition to seek funding and development opportunities for more miles, to promote economic development and safer passage via trails, and to help water the desert. Harris said they help communities find grants for bike fix-it stations, or provide them directly, when they partner on the kinds of projects that trail towns prioritize. Chadron, Valentine, Neligh and Norfolk are among the communities that have bought in, she said. On her wish list: Developing a partnership between local auto parts stores and a bike part distributor, so if a cyclist broke down in, say, Bassett, she could get the missing piece quickly shipped there. But first, more fix-it stations. When we spoke, Bike Walk Nebraska was gearing up for a fundraiser with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in Valentine to install bike fix-it stations and make trailhead improvements there, part of the Cowboy Trail’s 30th anniversary celebrations. “We recognize the diamond in the rough that [this trail is] for bicycle tourism and for the communities along the trail,” Harris said.

PHOTOS: This page and opposite page: Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail | Jonathan Egan (2).

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A NEBRASKA LEGACY

“We said absolutely—anything to promote the Cowboy Trail,” Jeffrey said. “They get people from all over the United States. I know even just this year, just looking at some of the participants for that, they are from Iowa, West Virginia, Virginia, Illinois. And they’re all coming for that particular event, and they’ll spend the night. And of course, when they spend the night, it’s that domino effect in your community of going out to eat and maybe picking up something that they’re going to need for their [race] along the way.” There is assistance, however, for individuals and groups who wish to experience the Cowboy Trail in other ways. Tony Stuthman, a Norfolk-based outfitter, runs a shuttle service for Cowboy Trail visitors. He and Duryea both patrol a Cowboy Trail online forum, where Duryea often chimes in with advice ranging from what gear to bring (extra tubes, 1.8-inch-plus tires) to where to refuel (Ma’s Cafe in Wood Lake, the L-Bow Room in Johnstown), and Stuthman coordinates rides from afar. “That’s one of the reasons I did start [this business]—so that people had the opportunity to get out there,” he said. In rural Valentine, you can even grab a bike from ROAM Share, possibly the most rural bike- share program in the world (check out “Valentine Bike Share, as Rural as It Gets” on the TrailBlog: rtc.li/ roam-share). The money visitors spend at rural cafés, grocery stores and gas stations can help keep those establishments in business for the residents who rely on them, Duryea said. That kind of economic impact, he said, is vital along the Cowboy Trail. Duryea estimated that around 80% of the Cowboy Trail’s users are local, and he’s seeing buy-in

recovery-resilience) and a section between Neligh and Clearwater re- claimed by the Elkhorn River. The spring 2019 floods caused roughly $7.7 million in damages to eastern portions of the trail, while also illustrating its importance to the rural communities it links. With many roads out, the limestone trail served as a passageway for emergency personnel. Some ranchers, seeking the highest ground available, led their cattle to the Cowboy Trail. Repairing the flood-damaged rail line segments in the east proved to be a major setback to trail expansion way out west. The only segment west of Valentine that’s functional is a 17-mile stretch from Gordon to Rushville that was surfaced only after local advocates not only politicked, but pulled the weeds and remaining rail ties from the ground themselves. But steam is picking back up west of Rushville, and another 25 miles of trail could be surfaced by the end of 2026. Remote Challenges— and Allure Duryea once went town by town across the map of what would be a finished version of the Cowboy Trail and counted up the residents. About 26,150 people call Norfolk, the largest city on the trail, home. Add up recent Census data for the rest of the communities running west out to Chadron, and the population base still falls about 35,000 people shy of filling Lincoln’s 85,458-seat Memo - rial Stadium, home to the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

For touring cyclists and hikers, the remoteness of the Cowboy Trail presents obstacles both challenging and alluring. In the Sandhills, you’re sure to pass through verdant grasslands and likely to endure slower split times. Windblown sand can saturate trail segments across the central corridor, requiring the Nebraska Game and Parks maintenance team to respond to frequent reports filed by trail users. You’ve got to look out for tire-shredding goat’s head thorns, although several people I spoke with said the Nebraska Game and Parks crew has done yeoman’s work when it comes to thinning them out along the trail. The Cowboy Trail team consists of a superintendent, two seasonal workers and, during a ride with me and a photographer, Duryea pausing now and then to hack at the occasional musk thistle. It’s often double-digit mileage from one town to the next; self- sufficiency is part of the deal unless you sign up for one of a growing number of group events happening on the trail, like the Cowboy 200. The 84-hour time-limited foot race from Norfolk to Valentine was set to take place in late September. Traci Jeffrey, executive director of the Norfolk Area Visitors Bu- reau (visitnorfolk.com), said the organizers reached out to her a few years back asking for help to offset the costs of starting it. It fit with the tourism bureau’s MO of supporting events tied to the city’s waterways and trails.

Parks has actually been amazing,” Ferguson said. “But the first call I made [to them], the comment I got was, ‘We are never building trails in Nebraska again.’” Undeterred, she canvased the area, gathering petition signatures. Other local residents joined her effort. “They also wanted a safe space,” Ferguson said, “and that turned into our nonprofit, which is Cowboy Trail West.” At first, it was hard for Ferguson to talk about the crash that broke her leg and arm, bruised her lung, and left her concussed. But her story resonated. “My story is the most known piece of the puzzle, but I can’t take more credit than any of the other board or community members. It’s been a labor of love.” Emphasis on labor: The group attended meetings, raised funds, cleared land and maintained the trail themselves. It officially opened in 2019. “I think we’ve done a lot of good,” Elwood said. “We’ve decked five bridges and put handrails on “We’d seen what Cowboy Trail West had done with the Cowboy Trail and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get our end going.’” — George Ledbetter, Treasurer, Northwest Nebraska Trails Association PHOTOS: This page: Cowboy Trail West volunteers decking a bridge along the trail; a western section of the Cowboy Trail between Gordon and Chadron, Nebraska | Trisha Loosvelt (2). Opposite page: Temporary pathway cut with permission alongside a section of the Nebraska Northwestern Railroad in Chadron by the Northwest Nebraska Trails Association, as they develop a local section of the Cowboy Trail | George Ledbetter.

growing. During a late July ride, he stopped where Norfolk’s paved city trail meets the Cowboy’s limestone alongside the Elkhorn River. At the base of a flagpole, there was a metal box. Inside were a few trinkets picked through by participants in the Cowboy Cache program he start- ed this year to celebrate the trail’s 30th anniversary. Duryea ballparked that 100 people would participate in the geocaching game. About 600 people already had by late July, and Duryea was dealing with the good problem of trying to find freebies to replenish his popular program. While he didn’t have 2025 data cleaned up, automatic counters in the towns between Valentine and Norfolk totaled 87,000 trips along the trail over the first half of 2024. But its remoteness and its breadth make for many DIY projects for vol- unteers, including weeding, chang- ing a flat or building out miles-long western segments. “I think we’ve done a lot of good.” Three times a year, Cowboy Trail West volunteer Ross Elwood, 78, gets on a Farmall tractor four years older than he is and putters up and down the 17-mile segment of the Cowboy Trail between Gordon and his home of Rushville, mowing along a path that he and a grassroots group first cleared of towering weeds and heavy debris about a decade ago.

“It was such a mess,” said Elwood, who’s owned a parts store in Rushville for nearly six decades. “That first year, we picked up 60 truckloads of debris between Rushville and Gordon.” Like many who’ve helped form and sustain the nonprofit (facebook.com/ CowboyTrailWestInc), Elwood joined in after hearing the story of Kris Ferguson’s 2011 car-bike crash on Nebraska Highway 27, which intersects with the trail in Gordon. When Ferguson heard the first voicemail Elwood left her, she put off returning his call because she thought he’d have an opinion along the lines of the rancher who told her, “I’m sorry you got hit, but we don’t need a trail.” Instead, Ferguson found one of many allies who would move heaven and earth with her to build the momentum needed to develop and sustain the trail. Now, Elwood is pre- paring to retire his mower. Funding is in place for Nebraska Game and Parks to take over maintenance and expand the Cowboy Trail’s reach. A seasonal worker will soon manage a 41-mile stretch from Gordon west to just outside Chadron, including 25 miles still in development. Asked what he’d do once Nebraska Game and Parks took over, Elwood laughed: “I might get on my bike and go for a ride.” That level of support didn’t hap- pen overnight. “Let me preface this by saying that Nebraska Game and

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them from Rushville to Gordon. And our volunteers are just awesome.” Nearly everyone who helped form Cowboy Trail West in 2012 re- mains on the board. Ferguson, now in Arizona, still participates. This spring, she returned for the “Meet Ya in Clinton” ride, co-hosted with Nebraska Game and Parks to cele- brate the trail’s 30th anniversary. Riders met in Clinton, population 38, where dinner served by women at the town’s church warmed up cyclists after a cold, windy ride. The trail, Elwood said, has brought the community together. Whether it’s making sure the Warrior Expedition riders feel at home during the annual veterans ride on the Great American Rail- Trail ® (rtc.li/grt-warrior-exp) or building birdhouses to put on mile marker posts, someone steps up. Building Miles, Momentum and a Mountain Bike Track In Chadron, a group is working to match the energy—and mile markers—of the Cowboy Trail West nonprofit. George Ledbetter, treasurer of the Northwest Nebraska Trails Association (NNTA, nwnebraskatrails.com), was inspired by South Dakota’s George

S. Mickelson Trail (rtc.li/mickelson- trail), which he lived by in the Black Hills, to create a rail-trail in Chadron after meeting others who shared the idea. “We’d seen what Cowboy Trail West had done with the Cowboy Trail and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get our end going,’” he said. With Nebraska Game and Parks having recently decked the bridges between Rushville and mile marker 400, the trail’s western terminus, and surfacing tentatively set for 2026, Ledbetter said he’s excited to ride the first new section of the Cowboy Trail in years. “That was what first spurred us on with our organization, was to get that part done,” he said. The NNTA is now focused on a 5-mile gap between the Cowboy Trail and Chadron. Later this year, Ledbetter said, the city plans to seek bids for the first mile of the Cowboy Trail connection. This effort is supported by a $178,000 federal Recreational Trails Program grant, a matching contribution from Dawes County’s tourism board and a grant from RTC. Meanwhile, Cowboy Trail West has helped with mowing and spray- ing, even sharing a steel-cut mile marker template. Ledbetter’s group raised funds by selling signage sponsorships to local businesses supporting the Cowboy Trail.

While that progresses, Ledbetter and a few cyclists cut a temporary path with permission from Nebraska Northwestern Railroad. “We bought a string trimmer, and we went out and mowed a path, and we’re doing a weekly Saturday morning ride,” he said. By the end of summer, they think they’ll have a usable mountain bike connector all the way to the start of the official Cowboy Trail to tide them over. “It’s kind of like we’re out here in the middle of nowhere,” he rea- soned. “So, let’s just do it ourselves.”

Cory Matteson is a contributor to Rails to Trails magazine and the TrailBlog. He lives in Springfield, Missouri, where he specializes in communications and journalism.

Remembering Heart Mountain

Approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly incarcerated during World War II. At Wyoming’s Heart Mountain, visitors contend with a dark chapter of American history.

By Ashley Stimpson

In April 1942, Sam Mihara was 9 years old and growing up in San Francisco, when a flyer went up on telephone poles and shop windows around his Japantown neighborhood that would change his life forever. “Instructions to all persons of Japanese Ancestry,” the flyer read in bold, blocky letters, going on to detail the “evacuation” process that would soon unfold for the tens of thousands of Japanese Americans who had opened businesses, cultivated farms and made their homes in the Bay Area. They had one week to prepare, the flyer explained, to sell or give away their belongings—their shops, houses, cars, boats, refrigerators, pianos and pets. Each member of each family would be allowed to carry just one suitcase full of approved items like linens, toiletries and clothing.

PHOTOS: This page: Incarcerees of Heart Mountain confinement site arrive by train in 1942 | Yone Kudo, Densho/ Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration. Opposite page, from top: Heart Mountain incarcerees Sam Mihara and his family in front of their barack | Courtesy Mihara Family Collection; Children incarcerees at Heart Mountain | Tom Parker, courtesy National Archives and Records Administration.

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