About American Rivers Blue Trails

What are blue trails?

Blue trails, also known as blueways or water trails, are dedicated stretches of rivers that enjoy special clean water safeguards and are a destination for fishing, boating and other recreation. Just as hiking trails help people explore the land, blue trails help people discover rivers. Blue trails are an innovative concept quickly taking hold across the country. They are found in urban and rural areas and connect recreational and ecological assets like protected areas, wildlife refuges, parks, greenways and hiking trails. They provide communities with a host of benefits including enhancing economies, protecting and restoring the environment, and promoting healthy living and educational opportunities.

Why are blue trails important?

While many rivers have suffered from decades of neglect, pollution, and other ills, rivers are again becoming a focal point for communities and a destination for boating, fishing, and other recreation. According to the Outdoor Industry Foundation, three out of every four Americans participate in active outdoor recreation each year and paddle sports are among the fastest growing segments of the industry.
When Americans participate in outdoor activities, they aren’t just having fun and staying fit. They’re also pumping billions of dollars into the economy. In fact, 113 million Americans enjoy fishing, paddling, and trail activities every year. These activities alone generate 1.6 million jobs in industries including manufacturing, leisure and hospitality, transportation, and wholesale and retail trade. Case spent by Americans in pursuit of these activities benefit all Americans, generating $20.1 billion in state and federal sales and income tax*.

Blue trails not only improve recreation and enhance local economies they connect communities to treasured landscapes and offer a new, popular approach to conserving land and water resources. Many communities that have adopted blue trails are realizing the benefits through reduced cost of stormwater management, restoring and protecting migration corridors for fish and wildlife, and replanting riverside trails to improve water quality and reduce flooding.
A wide-ranging report by the private, bi-partisan Outdoor Resources Review Group recommended creating a nationwide system of water trails to protect clean water, and promote recreation, health, and economic growth. The report highlighted the leadership of American Rivers in establishing new strategies like blue trails to protect the nation’s rivers and clean water.

Helping Communities Create Blue Trails

American Rivers is helping communities connect to and revitalize their rivers by proving the tools to promote river recreation. Our goal is to protect and restore rivers and to foster stewardship in future generations of outdoor enthusiasts.

Blue Trails Guide

In 2008, American Rivers created the Blue Trails Guide, an expansive online guide that provides instructions for developing a thriving blue trail. It includes cutting edge case studies on planning, building, and managing for conservation and practical guidance for local and state government entities, planners, non-governmental organizations, recreational enthusiasts, and others.

Training & Outreach

To expand the reach of the Blue Trails Guide, we have developed workshops to educate community leaders on the benefits of blue trails. These workshops range from basic information to advanced workshops on how to incorporate conservation into blue trails.

Model Blue Trails

Because the best way to demonstrate the value of blue trails is to prove they work, American Rivers is leading efforts to establish model blue trails that help meet our nation’s growing demand for recreational opportunities and connecting families and youth to natural treasures such as parks, refuges, and forests to build support for the protection of these special places.

* Outdoor Industry Foundation, The Active Outdoor Recreation Economy, Fall 2006