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C&O Canal Towpath, Great Allegheny Passage are Nominated for Best Recreational Trails in North America

February 10th, 2021 by WCBC Radio

The C&O Canal Towpath and Great Allegheny Passage are both one of 20 recreational trails in the country competing to be named one of the top 10 best trails in North America.

USA Today editors worked with a panel of urban planning experts to nominate the best trails, according to the 10Best USA Today website. “This period of social distancing has many people looking for ways to get active in the great outdoors. Thanks to an ever-growing network of recreational trails across the country, staying active is easier than ever,” the website states. 

The C&O Canal Towpath runs 184.5 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland, MD, along the historic C&O Canal, once used by canal mules to tow boats along the waterway. The Great Allegheny Passage is a 150-mile rail-trail system from Cumberland, MD, to Pittsburg, PA. It was the first trail to earn a spot in the National Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. Allegany County is home to approximately 70 miles of the trail systems, which merge in Cumberland to create a 330-mile continuous trail from Pittsburgh, PA, to Washington, DC.

“One thing that makes Allegany County stand out is its access to nature and outdoor recreation,” said Ashli Workman, director of tourism for Allegany County. “Urban planners looked at the whole country and determined what trail systems were considered the best. How incredible that two are right here in our community.”

You can vote for the trails at www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-recreational-trail/ once per day, per device, until polls close Monday, Feb. 15. The top 10 trails will be announced Feb. 26.

The other nominated trails are The 606, Chicago; Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, Austin, Texas; Atlanta BeltLine, Atlanta, Georgia; Buffalo Bayou Park, Houston, Texas; Chuck Huckleberry Loop, Tucson, Arizona;  George S. Mickelson Trail, Black Hills, South Dakota; The High Line, New York;  Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail, Sacramento, California; Katy Trail, Missouri; Ke Ala Hele Makalae, Kauai, Hawaii; Maricopa Trail, Phoenix, Arizona; Rio Grande Trail, Colorado; Shark Valley Tram Road, Everglades, Florida; Silver Comet Trail, Georgia and Alabama; Swamp Rabbit Trail, Greenville, South Carolina;  Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, Idaho; Virginia Creeper Trail, Virginia and North Carolina;  and Wissahickon Trail, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.