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Amy Camp - Trail Towns, Nature Experiences, Marketing Places

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Trail Towns and Communities

Knowing Better, Doing Better

June 18, 2025 • Articles

My professional purpose is deeply tied to helping communities prosper through trails. I’ve been specializing in the Trail Town model since 2007 and spend a lot of time on this topic. And yet, I’m always learning and sometimes even have to reconsider what I thought I knew about Trail Towns. One of these moments occurred in 2023 when I learned that the Florida Trail Gateway Communities program was the first functioning Trail Town initiative. In that very moment, I realized I needed to update my book, Deciding on Trails. 

Topics: Deciding on Trails, Trail Towns, Trail Towns and Communities

First-Time Study on Trail Community Programs

February 26, 2025 • Articles

For the first time, a collective study has been conducted to understand the structure, challenges, and impacts of Trail Town & Gateway Community programs across the U.S. and Canada. This survey gathered insights from 19 programs that serve hundreds of communities and thousands of trail miles. In his book, On Trails, Robert Moor writes that “every […]

Topics: Trail Research, Trail Towns and Communities, Trails and Nature

Questions People Ask About Trail Towns (Part 1)

January 23, 2025 • Articles

I’m passionate about the Trail Town model and have devoted the last 18 years of my life to the topic. Wow, just writing that is really kind of staggering to me! It’s more than just work for me. I feel deeply devoted to helping communities, trail managers, and entire regions figure out how to create […]

Topics: Trail Towns and Communities, Travel and Tourism

“You Can’t Bake a Cake Without Flour”: Reflections on the World Trails Conference

October 9, 2024 • Articles

I have so much to unpack following last week’s World Trails Conference in Ottawa, Canada! The conference gathered 400 people from 35 countries and was a truly inspiring event. It was both a thrill and an honor to be among a global audience that was thinking about how trails can have a greater impact on planet Earth.

Topics: Trail Towns and Communities, Trails and Nature, Travel and Tourism

North Central Appalachia Mountain Bike Summit: Activating and Connecting Trails and Communities

July 1, 2024 • Portfolio

Photo courtesy of IMBA According to the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA), mountain biking contributes $133 billion annually to the U.S. economy. Interest in mountain biking continues to grow and evolve, especially with the rise of new trends such as bikepacking, gravel riding, and electric-assist mountain bikes (e-bikes). When the Pennsylvania Environmental Council wanted to […]

Topics: Community Engagement, Event Planning, Trail Research, Trail Towns and Communities

Swamp Rabbit Trail Trip Report

April 10, 2024 • Articles

I stopped by the Swamp Rabbit Trail in early December. I had been in nearby Spartanburg, South Carolina attending the Appalachian Leadership Institute (and also had given a keynote presentation at the Carolina Thread Trail Forum in neighboring North Carolina)…

Topics: small business, Trail Towns and Communities, Trails and Nature, Travel and Tourism

Gravel: Another Great Cycling Option in Pennsylvania

November 20, 2023 • Portfolio

Gravel cycling, perhaps better explained as mixed surface riding, is one of the fastest growing forms of cycling. The sport is poised somewhere between road cycling and mountain biking. Most routes incorporate unpaved dirt and gravel roads, hence the term “gravel.” When the Pennsylvania Environmental Council wanted to advance a reginal understanding of the sport, […]

Topics: placemaking, Trail Towns and Communities

Gushing Over the High Trestle Trail

October 13, 2023 • Articles

The High Trestle Trail in Iowa is one of my favorite trails to talk about. I visited in 2015 and was completely enamored with the High Trestle Trail Bridge. I’ve been sharing the story of the bridge ever since. In fact, when I issued the first “Trail Townz” Zine last year, I put it on the cover and included a story. I’ve pasted the story below…

Topics: Trail Towns and Communities, Trails and Nature, Travel and Tourism

Unlocking the Economic & Community Development Potential of IHTC Trails Report: Positioning Regional Multi-use Trails as Part of a Growing Regional Economy

August 1, 2023 • Portfolio

Photo credit: Renee Rosensteel, Courtesy of Rails to Trails Conservancy The Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition (IHTC) is working to complete and connect a system of multi-use trails across 51 counties in western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, eastern Ohio, and southwest New York. One of the coalition’s supporting organizations, Rails to Trails Conservancy (RTC), realized that […]

Topics: Trail Research, Trail Towns and Communities

Cycle Forward Celebrating 10 Years in Business

July 12, 2023 • Articles

Cycle Forward is celebrating 10 years in business! It’s been a heck of a ride that continues to become more thrilling. Founder Amy Camp has built connections and shared ideas in communities far and wide and is eager to keep going. In the meantime, this is a milestone worth celebrating!

Topics: small business, Trail Towns and Communities

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About Cycle Forward

Cycle Forward is the trail town consultancy of Amy Camp.

 

The Book for Trail Towns

Deciding on Trails: 7 Practices of Healthy Trail Towns

by Amy Camp    January 2020

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