About
LINKING TRAILS. BUILDING COMMUNITY.
The Trail Ahead is a proposed, cohesive trail plan designed to connect existing and future pathways throughout Baldwin County. Built through collaboration with local partners and inspired by the rails-to-trails movement, this effort brings together coalition builders to create a more connected, accessible community.
Why Rail Corridors Make Outstanding Trails
Beyond recreation, the economic case for rail-trails is compelling. Studies have shown that trail users spend money on food, lodging, bicycle rental, souvenirs, and gas — and that a well-used trail can generate as much as $1.25 million annually for the towns through which it passes. Property values near rail-trails tend to rise as well, as homebuyers and renters actively seek out walkable, bikeable neighborhoods. Rail-trails also serve as wildlife and plant conservation corridors, and importantly, converting a rail corridor to a trail preserves the right-of-way for any future transportation use.
The physical characteristics of old railroad rights-of-way make them uniquely suited for trail development. Rail corridors are flat or have gentle grades, making them accessible to walkers, cyclists, people with disabilities, and families with strollers. They traverse every conceivable environment — farmland, river valleys, wetlands, forests, and residential neighborhoods — often connecting several of these landscapes within a single five- or ten-mile stretch. Historic structures along the way, such as old depots, bridges, and rail beds, deepen the experience for trail users and connect communities to their heritage.
Alabama Is Already Embracing the Movement
Alabama has not been left behind. The state launched a "Year of Alabama Trails" public awareness campaign in 2025, celebrating the positive impact of the state's trails on tourism, conservation, quality of life and economic development.
The proof is already on the ground. Alabama's Chief Ladiga Trail, the state's first rail-trail at 39.2 miles through Calhoun and Cleburne counties, draws 30,000 users per year and has spurred new hotels, bike shops, restaurants, and retail businesses in the communities it passes through. In Piedmont, the trail has positioned the town as an emerging outdoor recreation destination — offering what locals call an "outdoor trifecta" of hiking, cycling, and paddling. In Elkmont, a refurbished train depot and a crop of new local businesses now line the street steps away from the Richard Martin Trail, a rail-trail corridor through North Alabama.
The Opportunity in Baldwin County
Sources: Secrets of Successful Rail-Trails (Rails-to-Trails Conservancy); Rails-to-Trails Conservancy History; Gulf Coast Media; Baldwin County Trailblazers; Business Alabama; Alabama Tourism Department
The case for a rail-trail in Baldwin County couldn't be more timely — or more fitting. The very railroad corridor that John B. Foley built at the turn of the 20th century, the spur that once carried the "Pine Knot Special" from Bay Minette to Foley, is now being envisioned as the backbone of a transformative trail project.
City and county officials have already begun exploring a trail system along the old railroad right-of-way that once ran along the route now followed by Alabama Highway 59. A proposed 60-mile corridor could provide connectivity from Bay Minette all the way down to Orange Beach and Gulf Shores.
The Baldwin County Multimodal Connectivity Vision Plan, adopted by the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization in April 2024, puts forth a unified vision for Baldwin County's 14 municipalities for bike-pedestrian connectivity — and includes the proposed rails-to-trails line between Foley and Bay Minette as a key component.
The timing aligns perfectly with Baldwin County's explosive growth. Baldwin County welcomed 8.3 million visitors in 2022 who spent $7.9 billion in the county, leading the state. Tourism is the county's largest economic driver, with an estimated 65,000 people working in the industry. A trail connecting the Gulf Coast beaches to the county seat — running through Foley, Summerdale, Robertsdale, and Loxley — would add a powerful new asset to that tourism infrastructure, drawing cyclists, hikers, families, and outdoor enthusiasts who spend money in local communities every mile of the way.
As the Baldwin County Trailblazers have put it: "Walkable, bikeable communities are absolutely where people are going. It makes a community sellable, it impacts property values. Especially the younger generation, this is what they're wanting."
The old L&N right-of-way has already served Baldwin County once, as the artery that built Foley and connected the region to the wider world. A rails-to-trails corridor would give it a second life — honoring the past while investing in the future.
The Trail Ahead is a project of the 2026 Class of Leadership Baldwin County, a group of community leaders committed to shaping the future of the county we love. We believe that a connected, walkable, bikeable Baldwin County is within reach — and that the old L&N rail corridor is the key to making it happen.
We are building a broad coalition to make this trail a reality, bringing together organizations like the Baldwin County Trailblazers, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the Alabama Trails Foundation, and municipal bike-pedestrian committees from across the county. We know that trails like this don't get built by one person or one group — they get built by communities that decide, together, that the future is worth working for. We'd love for you to be part of ours.
Who We Are
Let's build it together.
Your support helps turn a cohesive trail plan into reality. Get involved, partner with us, or contribute to building a more connected community.
JOIN OUR COALITION
SIGN THE PETITION
