Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and Fayette County, West Virginia…both are experiencing growth spurred by the outdoor economy. I participated in two unrelated tours last month, but quickly realized there were overlapping themes.
Travel and Tourism
Cycle Forward’s Curiosity Series: Wednesdays in October
We have to disrupt our thoughts, assumptions, and practices to move forward. That’s why I’m offering the Cycle Forward Curiosity Series…so that we can get curious and envision a better future for trail communities. We’ll consider one curious question per week in October.
Great Allegheny Passage Economic Impact Report: A Gift to the Trails World
There’s been a buzz about the trails community since the Great Allegheny Passage Conservancy released its latest economic impact report. It’s the first economic impact study on the GAP since the trail was completed in 2013. The economic growth is impressive: the GAP Conservancy attributes $74 million in direct spending (2019) to GAP trail use, […]
Shoulder Season Bike Touring Calls for Preparation, Trail Angels, and Grace
Thoughts on fall bike overnights I’m part of a Facebook group that’s dedicated to the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath. The group has more than 14,000 members, many of whom are planning and celebrating their trail trips and offering each other support along the way. It’s fun to see how many people are […]
Community Pain Points in the time of COVID
I have a lot of thoughts (and questions) around how trail communities – how any community – will recover from the pandemic. But in this moment, I simply want to acknowledge what a difficult time this has been for people.
Outdoor Adventures with Your Nervous Dog
Time in the car has a way of connecting us back to our grief. While traveling in Wisconsin recently, I was reminded that I really miss my dog. By this trip, it had been about nine weeks since he died. Quill, a fear-aggressive German Shorthaired Pointer, spent close to nine years hopping in and out […]
Trent-Severn Trail Towns: Leading the way with Canada’s First Trail Town Program
When a National Historic Site of Canada is in your region, you certainly want to find a way to elevate and connect to it. With this in mind, Kawarthas Northumberland (a region in Eastern Ontario) developed Canada’s first Trail Town program along the 386-kilometer Trent-Severn Waterway. Cycle Forward was involved from concept to launch. Dates: […]
My Two Days on the GAP
I’m a casual cyclist with little interest in bike touring. And yet, over the last year or so, I’ve felt the urge to do a solo trip on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). I don’t know for sure what need I’ve been looking to meet with a solo ride. Maybe it’s the need for adventure […]
Cycle Forward’s “Month of Canada”
I’ve spent much of this week trying to unpack (in both the literal and figurative senses) two fantastic professional experiences, both involving interacting with trail and tourism professionals of Atlantic Canada. The experiences: In April, spending a week in Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where I took a fantastic four day […]
Atlantic Canada Best Practices Mission
“It’s all about the content, not the container.” Wow! What a week. I spent last week hosting a group of trail tourism advocates from Atlantic Canada, sharing best practices along four Mid-Atlantic trails: the Appalachian Trail, C&O Canal Towpath, Virginia Creeper Trail, and the Great Allegheny Passage. The group members hailed from New Brunswick, Newfoundland, […]
