It’s been an incredible couple months for the Grand History Trail. In addition to our very productive and well received six-day ride around the proposed trail route last month, the national Rails-to-Trail Conservancy named Pennsylvania’s Heritage Rail Trail County Park and Maryland’s Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail the Trail of the Month for September.
Here’s an excerpt from an article about this designation and the Grand History Trail (featuring some stumping by yours truly):
“The visionary Grand History Trail began rather humbly. Nearly a decade ago, Don Gogniat was sitting at a meeting of the York County Rail Trail Authority, and as he listened to those around him talking about the region’s trails, he began quietly sketching them out on a napkin.
As he added the trails line by line, he saw something exciting begin to take shape: a map of a potential 250-mile Grand History Trail connecting dozens of historical sites and historically significant cities, including the nation’s capital, Annapolis, Baltimore, York, Hanover and Gettysburg.
‘The Grand History Trail is about health, wealth and joy,’ says Gogniat. ‘It’s an economic driver that encourages exercise and makes people feel emotionally revived.’ Noting that on the Heritage Rail Trail (HRT), ‘Everyone says hello to one another,’ Gogniat often refers to it as ‘the friendliest place in York County.’ “
Click here to read the full article.