Blazing Trails--600 and On : Outdoors: The Rails to Trails Conservancy hopes to have 10,000 miles of trails established within three years.

The Rails to Trails Conservancy dedicated its 600th trail this month with the promise that there will be more and longer trails.

With the dedication in Indianapolis of trail No. 600, 6,989 miles of abandoned railroads had been converted to trails, said Peter Harnik, RTC’s vice president for trail development.

“We plan to have 10,000 miles by 1997,” he said.

The movement to convert abandoned rail lines to trails began in the mid-1960s. By the time the conservancy was created in 1986, more than 100 such trails were scattered around the country. Since then it has been helping local groups and coordinating a national network.

By the end of 1992 there were 500 rail-trails.

Now, there are an additional 650 projects, 11,800 miles, under development, but “some are not going to happen,” Harnik said from his Washington office. “We may get half, two-thirds. We’re not sure.”

As RTC, a non-profit group, approaches its 10th anniversary, “we’re starting to shift to quality instead of quantity,” Harnik said. “There are some exciting, long trails” slowly being assembled.

He pointed to the Allegheny Highland Trail, 315 miles of trails and canals connecting Washington and Pittsburgh, “an entirely off-road route between the two cities.”

“We’re well on our way with 220 miles (of segments) in existence,” he said.

“In Nebraska, we’re close to closing the deal on the longest rail-trail, over 300 miles with part of it along the Niobrara River, a wild and scenic river,” Harnik said.

The longest current rail-trail is the Katy Trail along the Missouri River near St. Louis, he said.

There are even bigger plans in the East.

“A very exciting effort is the East Coast Greenway, from Boston to Washington, 600 miles that some people have dubbed ‘The Appalachian Trail for the rest of us,”’ Harnik said. There’s discussion about some day extending that trail all the way down the East Coast.

“Rail-trails represent the ideal multiuse trail,” Harnik said. “Where else do you see roller-bladers sharing a trail with equestrians and bird-watchers stepping aside to allow a family on bicycles to pass.”

The longest trail under development, he said, is the “Discover Michigan Trail,” 1,500 miles of trail around both of the state’s peninsulas.

Historic trails include the route from Washington through Maryland into Pennsylvania, “the route (President Abraham) Lincoln took to Gettysburg to give the Gettysburg address,” Harnik said.

Michigan and Wisconsin are at the top of the rails-to-trails conversion list. Wisconsin has 759.4 miles in 41 rail trails while Michigan has 729.8 miles in 55 trails.