Study: Pa. residents support investments in trails

Harrisburg, Pa. — A recent study by the PA Parks and Forest Foundation revealed that a vast majority of registered Pa. voters support investments in trail improvements.

According to the study , 81% of registered Pa. voters support investing in trail improvements, including expanded trails in state parks and state forests, are important to quality of life and economic development in the Commonwealth.

The poll found strong support for the importance of these trail investments across party affiliation, ideology, residential setting, gender, ethnicity, and geographic region.

“The strong support for investment in trails aligns with people’s outdoor activities,” said Marci Mowery, President of the Foundation. “Consistently, surveys for the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan have found that hiking and walking/running vie closely for the first and second spots as top ten outdoor activities.”

Trails include more than paved walking trails and natural surface hiking trails. Mountain biking and cycling also benefit from a robust trail system.

Trails can provide safe access to communities, improve accessibility, connect parks to populations and provide safe routes to school and work.

The Shapiro administration has proposed $8.5 million in investments in DCNR’s trail system to better position Pennsylvania to continue to nurture and take fullest advantage of Pennsylvania’s growing outdoor recreation economy.

According to DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn, these investments will:

Ensure that DCNR’s most popular trails in our state park and forests are sustainably designed and constructed to manage heavy traffic and withstand severe weatherEnsure vigilant maintenance and managementSupport accessibility improvements that advance DCNR’s mission and strategic priority of “Recreation for All"Leverage outdoor recreation as a tool for economic competitiveness and business and workforce recruitmentBuild capacity within DCNR to compete for and administer federal infrastructure funding that could support Pennsylvania’s trail networks.

If there's one thing that Pennsylvanians seem to agree upon, it's that trails are a valuable investment in physical and mental health, in our economy, and quality of life.