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Trail Connections

Community Benefits of Trails

  • Trails increase the value of nearby properties.

  • Trails boost spending at local businesses. Communities along trails, often called trail towns, benefit from the influx of visitors going to restaurants, snack shops and other retail establishments. On longer trails, hotels, bed and breakfasts, and outdoor outfitters benefit.

  • Trails make communities more attractive places to live. When considering where to move, homebuyers rank walking and biking paths as one of the most important features of a new community.

  • Trails influence business location and relocation decisions. Companies often choose to locate in communities that offer a high level of amenities to employees as a means of attracting and retaining top-level workers. Trails can make communities attractive to businesses looking to expand or relocate both because of the amenities they offer to employees and the opportunities they offer to cater to trail visitors.

  • Trails reduce medical costs by encouraging exercise and other healthy outdoor activities.

  • Trails revitalize depressed areas, creating a demand for space in what were once vacant buildings.

  • Trails provide transportation options and cut fuel expenses, offering reliable means of transportation for short distance trips. Nearly half of all car trips are less than 3 miles and more than a quarter are one mile or less.

  • Trails provide low or no-cost recreation to families with low costs relative to other recreational services that could be provided by government.

  • Trails increase tax revenues in the communities in which they are located.

  • These benefits represent a huge economic return on the money invested into trail projects. The costs of land acquisition for trails, trail construction and maintenance are far outweighed by the economic benefits generated by trails.

SUCCESSFUL CORRIDORS

Chicago Tribune Des Plaines River Trail 50 years

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It took 142 land acquisitions, construction of multiple bridges and pathways, mitigation of a network of wetlands and the forward-thinking of early Lake County Forest Preserves commissioners to create the Des Plaines River Trail.
 

Today, nearly 5,000 acres of vegetation, wetlands and pathways are protected along the Des Plaines River by a uninterrupted 31.4-mile trail, from northern to southern Lake County, which was completed by the forest preserves last October.
 
Des Plaines River Trail designated National Trail


In addition to recreational opportunities, the trail, which winds through 12 forest preserves, protects land along more than 75% of the river in Lake County, providing wildlife habitat and natural flood protection, according to Lake County Forest Preserve officials.
Multiple access points and parking can be found in many preserves along the trail
 

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Trail Community Growth

Commerce - Jobs - Property Value - Transit - Health
Trails allow communities to increase commerce, support and create jobs,

increase property values, reduce commuter costs and provide low-cost health benefits.

 

Missouri River State Trail

It took only one season after the opening of the 35-mile Missouri River State Trail for the trail to positively impact local communities. 61 businesses along the trail found the trail positively impacted their income. Eleven reported the trail strongly influenced their decision on where to locate, and 17 increased their business size since the trail opened.


Washington State Trails Plan estimated that trail users in Washington state spent more than $3.4 billion on equipment, which generated tax revenues of $13.8 to $27.6 million.


Baltimore and Annapolis Trail Park in Maryland

Six trail-related stores have opened, and two others have re-located next to the trail to attract new customers.


Denver, Colorado

In a 1995 survey, 73% of metro-Denver real estate agents believed a home near a trail would be easier to sell. Twenty-nine percent of those living near a trail said proximity to a trail influenced their home purchase.

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Quality of Life Data

Fifty percent of all car excursions are less than three miles, a distance that could easily be walked or biked. The use of trails instead of cars reduces gas and auto care costs and improves air quality.


Walking or hiking a few times per week can improve a person’s health and lower health care costs. A National Park Service study compared people who lead sedentary lifestyles to those who exercise regularly. The exercisers filed 14% fewer healthcare claims, spent 30% fewer days in the hospital, and had 41% fewer claims greater than $5,000.

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-American Hiking Society
 

The corridor represents one of the most scenic landscapes remaining in
Lake County, and we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fully
unleash its value as an iconic nature trail and conservation area, where
residents of our communities can treasure the atmosphere that makes
central Lake County such an appealing place to live.

To achieve this vision, we propose designating the corridor as a
Greenway where the majority, but not necessarily all, of the land would
be designated for public recreation, natural stewardship, and flood-
protection, while at the same time harnessing the potential for economic
development that capitalizes on the popularity of open space.

The linear configuration of this corridor, combined with the fact that
much of the property is already in public custody, makes it a natural
destination for a nature trail, where local residents can walk, jog, bike –
or just escape into a transformative world next door.

Along that journey, they would explore a virtual tapestry of visual jewels,
from the deep emeralds of woods and meadows, to the golden tint of
sunrise rippling across wetlands and creeks. It’s a space that can be
solemn enough for alone time, and joyful enough for a family picnic.

The 12 miles of new trail would also broaden access to existing
recreational amenities by connecting to the Des Plaines River Trail,
other trail systems and local forest preserves.

And perhaps the most beautiful part is that this vision requires only that
we recognize that these lands will yield their greatest value if we simply
honor them in their natural state. The less we do to alter them, the
more they will pay dividends for our communities as a recreational
amenity; as a conduit for businesses that cater to outdoor activities; and
as a barrier to costly floods.

We may have preserved these properties for a different purpose. But
over time, especially as so much of the County’s natural environment
has dwindled away, this corridor has only grown in value precisely
because it was never paved over. That makes it a precious commodity
that we can’t afford to squander. Residents want to be near places like
this. In fact, Lake County’s own economic development plan affirms this idea, stating that the area’s natural resources are an instrumental part
of its growth strategy.

We believe that by allowing these lands to thrive naturally, our
communities can grow for the better with them.

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