With decades of leadership in trail development, Pennsylvania has already built many of the most accessible and popular trail segments. These trails are enjoyed every day by residents and visitors alike. Many of the state’s major trail systems are now complete or nearing completion, bringing the larger vision of a fully connected network closer to reality.
A key priority of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is to close critical trail gaps and ensure that every Pennsylvanian lives within 10 minutes of a trail. The DCNR’s Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, working in partnership with PennDOT and the Department of Community and Economic Development, provides funding, technical assistance, and strategic guidance to support both motorized and non-motorized trail initiatives.
Together, these efforts are helping to make Pennsylvania’s trail network one of the most accessible and expansive in the country.
Pennsylvania Trail Network Strategic Plan 2025-2029
The Pennsylvania Land and Water Trail Network Strategic Plan, 2025-2029 (PDF) provides a five-year blueprint for state and local governments, trail providers, and other stakeholders to guide Pennsylvania’s trail stewardship and expansion. States are required to maintain a state trail plan to receive federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program. The Pennsylvania Trail Network Strategic Plan was developed alongside the 2025-2029 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP), and is a companion plan to the SCORP.
The trail plan’s vision is to develop a statewide land and water trail network to facilitate recreation, transportation, and healthy lifestyles for all. The strategy for meeting that vision is presented in 4 goals and 26 action steps.
Pennsylvania maintains a 20-member Pennsylvania Trails Advisory Committee, which is tasked with helping to guide the implementation of the plan.
Pennsylvania’s Priority Trail Gaps
To strengthen trail connectivity across Pennsylvania, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) works with partners to identify and map gaps along Major Greenways and Regionally Significant Trails.
Closing these priority trail gaps is a top strategy for building a fully connected statewide trail network. Projects that address these gaps receive special consideration during DCNR grant reviews.
The current criteria for a priority trail gap include:
- Located along a Major Greenway or Regionally Significant Trail
- Connects two trail segments or links to a state park, forest, or key community
- Less than 5 miles long
- Identified in an official planning document
Explore the Priority Trail Gaps GIS Map to see where efforts are focused. DCNR continues to update this data in partnership with local trail providers.
Top 10 Trail Gaps in Pennsylvania
To help focus statewide trail development efforts, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Pennsylvania Trails Advisory Committee identify the Top 10 Trail Gaps—the most critical, complex trail segments that require significant time, funding, and coordination to complete.
These high-priority gaps are selected from a broader list of trail needs and represent projects that:
- Connect contiguous, open miles of trails
- Require construction or rehabilitation of major infrastructure
- Have a large funding need, generally more than $1,000,000
- Require interagency coordination
DCNR maintains an interactive Top 10 Trail Gaps Story Map, which highlights the current list and their significance.
The goal of highlighting these gaps is to bring focused attention and resources to projects that go beyond the scope of typical trail development. These projects often need large-scale funding technical expertise and interagency collaboration.
Since 2014 there have been 60 Priority Trail Gaps completed.
As gaps are closed, new ones are added through a structured selection process. Potential gaps are drawn from existing priority data, reviewed by the Pennsylvania Trails Advisory Committee, and recommended to the DCNR Secretary for final approval.
Pennsylvania’s Major Greenways
Since 2001, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has maintained a Map of Pennsylvania’s Major Greenway/Trail Corridors (PDF), which are existing or planned long-distance corridors (at least 50 miles long) that pass through two or more counties and are recognized in county planning documents.
Mapping these corridors helps guide greenway and open space planning efforts across the state. They serve as the main “arteries” of Pennsylvania’s growing greenway network, which includes both land and water trails. By focusing development within these key routes, the state can support more connected, efficient, and accessible trail systems.
Pennsylvania’s Water Trails
Pennsylvania’s water trail network includes 28 designated water trails spanning more than 2,300 miles of recreation opportunity.
Formed in 2008, the Pennsylvania Water Trail Partnership—made up of DCNR, the Fish and Boat Commission, National Park Service, and Pennsylvania Environmental Council—supports trail managers with funding, technical assistance, and a unified designation process.
Water trail partners expect water trail use to grow in the coming years. This is supported by Pennsylvania’s Statewide Outdoor Recreation Plan, which lists kayaking as the top activity residents want to try, and by an 85% increase in kayak sales in spring 2020 compared to spring 2019. Currently, about 60% of Pennsylvanians live within a 10-minute drive of a public water access point. The partnership remains focused on expanding access and connecting more communities to their local waterways.
Annual Trails Reports
Each year, Pennsylvania's Annual Trails Reports highlight the progress made across the state toward building a trail within 10 minutes of every resident. These reports showcase the hard work and dedication of trail planners, builders, volunteers, funders, and advocates who are making this vision a reality.
Explore recent reports to see how trail projects are connecting communities and expanding outdoor access across Pennsylvania:
2023 Annual Trails Report (PDF)
Appendices
Additional Resources
Resources for Trail Managers
Trail Network Partners
Questions?
For more information, please contact your Bureau of Recreation and Conservation regional advisor (PDF).