Post by Justin Thyme on Nov 23, 2011 9:40:05 GMT -5
Just imagine being able to ride from Knoxville to Chattanooga on a bicycle path similar to the Tennessee River Walk. A path along the full length of the Tennessee would be a fantastic boom for tourism in the state and I think it could be achieved with a relatively small investment. Maybe also a path across the Land Between the Lakes area to a path along the Cumberland.
State offers bicycle tourism aid to river cities
Article by: JIM ADAMS , Star Tribune
Updated: November 23, 2011 - 12:37 AM
Cities on the Mississippi River Trail are shifting into bike trails promotion gear.
Minnesota cities along the Mississippi River Trail believe they could gain a lot of bicycle tourism dollars with some advertising moxie, and state officials have developed a marketing plan to help them start promoting their trail stops.
An online trail-marketing toolbox, recently announced by the bicycling section of the Minnesota Department of Transportation, is being offered to riverside towns, including more than 20 in the metro area between Hastings and Elk River.
"We are trying to superimpose a trail on top of existing roads and trails and repurpose it into a nationally significant route," said the section planner, Dan Collins. "The marketing piece is key in this new reality."
The Mississippi River Trail (MRT) begins on bike paths in Lake Itasca State Park and follows the Mississippi through 10 states along 3,000 miles of trails, mostly on paved road shoulders, to the Gulf of Mexico. Minnesota has 817 miles of the Mississippi River Trail, including 174 miles (100 on trails) on both sides of the river between Elk River and Hastings.
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