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fascinating.

a huge step forward for bikes in the region.

and by all means with go crushed stone. the success of rail trails have nothing to do with whether theyre paved or not...

Crushed stone is no good for serious road cyclists, but it does work for people who have mountain bikes or hybrids. Trails like this are great for people who don't bike a lot and would like to do more but don't like biking on roads.

Normally I'd prefer to road bike or mountain bike, but when we got our dog, we wanted to try pulling him in a trailer but didn't want to do this on a road or crowded trail. A great rail trail in Nelson County, VA, called the Blue Ridge Rail Trail was the ticket. It was beautiful, following the Piney River, and it wasn't crowded. It's only about 15 miles out and back though.

http://www.virginia.org/Listings/OutdoorsAndSports/VirginiaBlueRidgeRailTrail/

There's a longer one near Farmville, I think called the High Bridge Trail. It gets more traffic. Once again, crushed gravel.

Crushed gravel may be cheaper up front but it has to be maintained more, otherwise ruts and deep pits will form.

The Popes Creek Rail Trail will actually be closer to three miles in length and will have access to shoreline of Potomac River.

Crushed stone was selected (as opposed to asphalt) as the preferred surface since the land acquisition is also a wetland protection initiative (a boardwalk section is also planned).

PCRT might not be very long, but it is another significant rails-to-trails success story for So. MD!

Update: Popes Creek Rail Trail Property Acquired

This past week, Charles County acquired the abandoned Popes Creek Railroad corridor in Faulkner, MD (and several adjacent properties).This exciting purchase will allow for the future development of the County's second rail trail.

Eventually, the "Popes Creek Rail Trail" will extend from Rte.301 down to the shoreline of the Potomac River. This old railroad property passes-through stunning landscapes, including old growth forest and scenic tidal marsh areas. Probably will be several years before trail will be constructed and opened for public access.

This project was a partnership between Charles County Government, the Trust for Public Land, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field Office and the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources (Program Open Space).

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