A new transcontinental trail route is stretching across the United States, and Powell, Wyoming, wants to be the next link in a 3,700-mile chain stretching across the United States.
The Rails to Trails Conservancy is gathering steam for the Powell Rail Trail Initiative, an effort to add a stretch of land between Powell and Cody into the next corridor on the Great American Rail Trail, which will include 500 miles across Wyoming.
If successful, it could bring Wyoming closer to more than $13 million in additional revenue from outdoor recreation.
"Trails provide connections from place to place and to the land itself,” said John Gallagher, president of the Park County Pedalers’ Board of Directors. “Trails close to town bridge the gap to the great outdoors, making adventure accessible for all, especially for kids who don’t have to rely on an adult to drive them to a trailhead."
Rails To Trails
There’s a narrow strip of land stretching 25 miles between Powell and Cody, bordered by a railway on one side and an irrigation canal on the other. The Powell Rail Trail Initiative believes it’s the perfect place to put a biking trail that would eventually become part of the ambitious national effort.
Corridors like these have been identified as perfect opportunities for the Rails to Trails Conservancy, which has already completed more than 50% of its goal with more than 2,000 miles completed.
Wyoming already has several links in the Great American Rail Trail around Casper and as well as the Greybull Riverwalk. The conservancy believes Wyoming has “the potential to host an incredible stretch of the Great American Rail-Trail route, with the state's unique landscapes and already world-renowned outdoor recreation assets.”
The vision for Wyoming is a contiguous trail from the Nebraska border through Lusk to Shoshoni, then north through Thermopolis, Worland and Greybull before heading toward the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park and up through Gardiner, Montana
“They want to connect the East Coast to the West Coast, Washington, D.C., to Washington state,” said Rebekah Burns, executive director of the Powell Economic Partnership. “The best route is to go through almost the whole state of Wyoming, which is a huge opportunity for our state.”
Powell Is Perfect
Burns said the Rails to Trails Conservancy’s definition of “perfect” means the 25-mile corridor connecting Powell, Ralston and Cody has all the physical dimensions needed for a safe and accessible project. Powell’s line would be a “rail with a trail,” a pathway next to an operations rail line.
The Rails to Trails Conservancy has already done an economic impact study on the benefits of these new recreational trail systems. That’s why Burns and many others in northwest Wyoming are eager to start trailblazing for future opportunities.
“They came (to Powell) in 2022 and said this is a perfect community,” she said. “These pathways have an amazing economic impact on the communities that they go through, and we're perfectly positioned to have an asset go through our town.”
Agencies that own land along the 25-mile corridor, like the BNSF Railway, the Bureau of Land Reclamation and the Park County Irrigation District, have pledged support. Burns said the goal is raising public awareness and support for the Powell Rail Trail Initiative through an online petition.
“We're looking to get as many signatures as possible and really understand people's concerns, but also get people excited about this potential project,” she said.
For Burns, it’s more than just an exciting outdoor recreation opportunity. Developing another transportation corridor will give northwest Wyoming residents another way to travel between communities.
“When they're connecting municipalities, you're looking at a whole host of benefits not only physically, but emotionally,” she said. “The trail connects people to nature, but is also an active transportation corridor. People will use this active transportation corridor to get to school and work safely as well.”
Building the trail will take considerable investment from multiple sources. Wyoming’s newly established $50 million outdoor recreation trust fund could be a potential source of support, along with other state and federal grants.
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
