Trail gateways to adventure
Some thoughts on welcoming visitors to experience adventure
Trail towns and gateways are words used in the trail community. I have long been a fan of trail towns and how they transform communities and the lives of residents and visitors when communities embrace a trail.
A trail town is a community — large or small — that aligns itself with a trail connected to or running through it. But it’s more than that. A trail town benefits from the natural assets provided by the trail and receives economic vitalization from its association. -- Cycle Forward
Is a gateway the same as a trail town? Are all trail towns gateways? Does a gateway need to be in a trail town? What do large cities think of being called a trail town? My analytical self had me digging deeper into these identities. My coffee-fed online scavenger hunt led me to a definitive answer. They are the same.
A Gateway Community is a designated town in close proximity to the Florida Trail that offers resources to hikers such as lodging, restaurants, grocery stores for resupply, and other local attractions. – Florida Trail Association
Call it a trail town. Call it a trail gateway. Use the words that best speak to the visitor on what the city or town has to offer. You can view trail towns as the gateways to adventure. Adventure is found in a wide variety of ways. Below is a sampling of how people see adventure and find themselves in a trail town.
Finding adventure
Adventure is not just challenging oneself to venture outside of one’s comfort zone to explore something new and unknown. Adventure can be savoring coffee in a quiet setting, walking through a farmers’ market, or strolling down a historic Main Street of unique shops and interesting architecture.
Adventure may not be limited to staying on the trail. Long-distance cyclists and hikers plot out their tour on foot or bike connecting places of interest that offer amenities, are scenic, and are on their path to reach their endpoint, the prize of their achievement. The town may be one of many waypoints.
Many cyclists or hikers see a trail and town as a place to enjoy a respite in nature for a day, a few days, or a long weekend. Towns that provide desirable amenities become their base camp to explore trails that converge or are close to the town.
Adventure is not limited to how the visitor finds themselves at the trailhead. A visitor arriving on foot or bike may be a person who enjoys other outdoor recreation adventures. They see the town as the gateway to kayaking, mountaineering, camping, fishing, and more of the outdoors.
Adventure can be spur-of-the-moment. Trail visitors may not be outdoor enthusiasts. A person visiting a community for a family event, business, or just passing through discovers the excitement of a town. Renting a bike or kayak to explore nature is a brief respite in nature that may bring them back.
Rail, water, or hiking trails may not be the trail visitors are on. People are obsessed with finding unique places for things they are enthusiastic about. Coffee shop trails, brewery trails, history trails, and the donut trails bring a visitor to town and to the trail gateway to explore the town’s trails.
History, art, culture, architecture, and nature are big-city experiences many people seek. Networks of trails, bike lanes, and quiet streets connect these experiences on a traffic-free or quiet traffic path to vibrant downtowns, diverse neighborhoods, and suburbs.
Final thoughts
A common theme when I speak to community groups is that a trail town is above all the welcoming culture of the town. If you do not welcome the visitor with open arms, the other aspects of trail towns have less value to the visitor. I can affirm that if the town does not welcome me and my bike, I will not return.
Happy adventuring!
Tom on the Trails