The Trail Town Program began in our neighboring state of Pennsylvania by the Allegheny Trail Alliance, with funding from Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and other support provided by The Progress Fund, an Appalachian area based community development institution.

The Trail Town concept is envisioned as a corridor of revitalized trailside communities along the Great Allegheny Passage that reap the economic benefits of trail-based tourism and recreation as part of a larger, coordinated approach to regional economic development. The long-term economic viability of participating communities is to be achieved through concentrated business development efforts that capitalize on the trail user market.

Because much of the Great Allegheny Passage runs through Maryland, MDOT and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) are exploring whether this model can be applied throughout in Maryland. To learn more about Trail Towns, download the Trail Town Handbook.