Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's "Opening Day for Trails" Celebrates Connections Trails Make Nationwide

Tens of thousands across "Trail Nation" expected to celebrate the launch of the spring trail season with more than 125 community events from coast to coast

News provided by

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Mar 16, 2018, 11:21 ET

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Saturday, April 7, 2018, outdoor enthusiasts and trail lovers nationwide will kick off the spring trail season as part of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's (RTC) sixth annual Opening Day for Trails (Opening Day).

Opening Day, RTC's annual celebration of trails nationwide, serves as the unofficial launch of the spring trail season. Event organizers and volunteers from across the country have arranged hiking, biking, running and other outdoor activities to celebrate trails and the benefits they bring to their communities, including more than 100 bike rides organized by Performance Bicycle. RTC is organizing featured events to draw attention to its TrailNation™ projects—trail network building projects that serve as models for connecting trails nationwide.

"Trails give us so much—they bring communities together, creating outdoor space for us to be active and connecting people to the places they want to go," said Brandi Horton, RTC's vice president of communications. "Opening Day for Trails is an opportunity for us to celebrate and explore all that trails have to offer. This year, we expect more than 25,000 people to join us for one of the year's biggest celebrations of trails."

Opening Day's free, family-friendly events are intended to inspire trail use, connecting trail enthusiasts and newcomers with trails in their communities. For more information about Opening Day, to find events and to enter the Opening Day sweepstakes, visit railstotrails.org/openingday and follow #RTCOpeningDay on social media.

Opening Day 2018 coincides with the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act, federal legislation that established the country's National Scenic Trails and National Recreation Trails. The act made possible many of the country's railbanked rail-trails as a result of the 1983 Railbanking Amendment to the National Trails System Act. Learn more about the anniversary at trails50.org.

Opening Day is sponsored by Fuji Bikes, Performance Bicycle, KEEN, Topo Design and Patagonia.

Opening Day is an annual celebration organized by RTC to kick off the spring trail season. RTC is the nation's largest trails organization—with a grassroots community more than 1 million strong—dedicated to connecting people and communities by creating a nationwide network of public trails, many from former rail lines. Connect with RTC at railstotrails.org and @railstotrails on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Share Opening Day stories by using #RTCOpeningDay.

CONTACT: 
Patricia Brooks, [email protected], 202.351.1757

SOURCE Rails-to-Trails Conservancy