Trail Development Videos

Installing a trail next to a creek or stream provides numerous benefits. Biking or walking along a body of water provides a scenic experience for trail users, providing an escape from the busy world along a corridor that may be otherwise inaccessible to the public. The process of installing a trail next to a creek or stream can be daunting in areas that are designated as FEMA Regulated Floodways. This session will present several case studies including Jordan Creek Greenway – City of Allentown, Jordan Creek Greenway – South Whitehall Township, MLK Trail – City of Allentown, and Neshaminy Creek Trail – Bucks County.The presentation will detail the design approach, provide guidance on the environmental permitting process, and discuss lessons learned during construction.

Trails represent opportunities to make passive sites into memorable places, engaging people in their environment and facilitating access without damage. But what elements are most important for a successful trail? From alignment and stormwater to material selection and accessibility, the answer is “it depends.” Learn how trail management objectives (TMOs) can help make your trails exceptional long before you break ground and illustrate your vision effectively to potential funders. This session will review trail basics and explore in-depth considerations and best management practices that influence trail design, feasibility, budget, accessibility, maintenance, and environmental impact. Penn Trails’ 2019 work with the Lake Forest Open Lands Association will be used as a case study to illustrate the development of that design from early concept to detailed planning and design, and the ways that flexibility was built into the design thanks to the utilization of TMOs.

From rugged backcountry trails to multiuse urban trail facilities, signage is a critical part of trail design. All pedestrians and hikers rely on some level of navigation to find their way along a given route, and the National Park Service points out that “signs are probably the quickest and easiest way to leave the trail user with a positive impression.” Aside from the navigational aspects of wayfinding on the trail, signage provides an opportunity to create a sense of place, enhancing the trail experience and reinforcing organizational identity and values. Through branding, signs can promote a cohesive experience, and allow for communication of important trail features, reinforcement of trail etiquette and regulations, and aid in decision-making for trail users. Their importance in overall planning and design cannot be underestimated, and yet so often trails lack adequate signage to allow trail users to determine where they are and where they want to go – let alone enhance their trail experience through meaningful interpretation. This workshop will outline the importance of signage, using signage to enhance the user experience and increase accessibility, content consideration for signage, and technical guidelines for signs – so you won’t feel lost while planning signage for your trails.

A trail construction project on public lands can be quite costly, and it requires resources and partnerships. We’ll take a look at the Erie County Conservation District’s trail expansion and park improvement project in Headwaters Park, a 70-acre public greenspace in Millcreek Township, Erie County, PA, and how all the funding pieces came together to allow more public access to the space. Partnerships are a key component to the success of any project, especially this one. Here we’ll explore the genesis and strengthening of those partnerships, and navigate the grant opportunities available to governmental entities and non-profit organizations. Integral players in the success of the Headwaters Park Improvement project were the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the County of Erie and the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority (ECGRA). Emphasis will also be placed on the “Post-Grant Award” time period, where planning, design, bidding and construction all occur. This session intends to bolster confidence and encourage entities to apply for available trail grant funding.

If you own a bike trail, or plan to build one, and don’t know precisely where the railroad operations were located, or the past history of the land, then Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) Railroad Valuation Maps and associated historical records, are key. The presenter of this session is a former trial attorney that has spent over 5 years obtaining and relying on ICC Valuation Maps to help resolve land title disputes, as well as point the way to resolve past and current land ownership. This session will explore ICC Valuation Maps and Records, the history of land distribution in NW PA (as well as earlier locations in the state), and how one goes about determining title based on historical treatises and county recorders records – as often partially or completely obtaining by inexpensive on-line subscription services.

This session will present 5 or 6 case studies of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail’sTrailheads to reveal the wide variety of legal and physical arrangements that exist, or that are in the process of being defined. Showcased trailheads include: public-private partnerships, inter-governmental cooperative agreements, ambitious joint ventures to develop a 91-foot span pedestrian bridge over Turtle Creek to link the WHT situated in Westmoreland County with the trailhead/park in Allegheny County , informal handshake arrangements, and a proposed shared facility in Reserve lands of the Westmoreland Conservancy to serve both the needs of the Conservancy, as well as be a trailhead for the adjacent WHT. This session will show how, with persistent goodwill and a spirit of cooperation, good things can be advanced for the mutual benefit of our communities and conservation.

Water trails are boat routes suitable for canoes, kayaks, and small motorboats. On many water trails, put-in and take-out sites can be developed to accommodate both motorized and human-powered boats and incorporate ADA features to enhance water trail accessibility. Learn about basic boat launch design elements, considerations, and resources to improve planning and development of water trails to enhance the user experience.