Almost every camper is likely to tell you they love camping because it gives them the opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of every day life and into nature where trees replace high rise buildings and the smell of food cooking over an open fire replaces the smell of smog.

Because so many of us want to get out into nature more and because it’s healthy for us to get out there for fresh air and exercise, several organizations are working to bring more of nature within easy access of Americans even when we aren’t camping.

Rails-to-Trails Conservacy is one of those organizations. I first wrote about them last year in this blog but I think their efforts deserve another “shout-out.” It is a non-profit organization that is ramping up its efforts to turn abandoned rail corridors (old railroads) into trails for walking, running, biking, cross country skiing, and in some areas also for horseback riding, ATV’s and snowmobiles.

To date, Rails-to-Trails has helped to convert over 14,000 miles of old railways into trails in the United States for us to use. The goal of the organization is to have a trail within 3 miles of 90 percent of the American population by the year 2020.

I live in a rural area and am lucky enough to already have a converted rail trail a half mile from my house that the organization was instrumental in helping develop. Three years of work on the trail has resulted in a continuous trail that connects two larger towns on either end with two smaller towns along the way; providing 40 miles of trail for walkers like me, runners, bicycling enthusiasts; and for snowmobile and ATV riders during the colder winter months.

I’m surprised at the number of people I meet on the trail on a daily basis. Some days the trail is busier than the sidewalks in town 2 miles away! It’s not unusual for me to meet the teen down the road who uses the trail to bike the 3 miles to her part-time job in town; or to say a quick hi to the couple who walks 4 miles of the trail almost every day after work for exercise; or to meet the 84 old former pharmacy owner in my town who takes a leisurely 15 mile bike ride on the trail every day that the weather permits and who always has a smile and friendly wave for anyone he meets.

Trails that Rails-to-Trails has helped developed are located all over the United States. Click here to see if one is near where you live, work, or camp. The longest trail so far, the Katy Trail State Park in Missouri, is 225 miles long with easy access to several camping destinations along the it.

To learn more about Rails-to-Trails visit their website, and if you have a little over 3 minutes to spare, click here to watch an interesting video by Retirement Living TV on Rails-to-Trails.