Podcasts Culture Expedition National Parks Discovering the National Parks by Train: Trails and Rails 20th Anniversary

Discovering the National Parks by Train: Trails and Rails 20th Anniversary

Published: Oct. 25, 2020, 2:04 a.m.

October 2020 marks the twentieth anniversary of the Trials & Rails program, a partnership between Amtrak, the National Park Service (NPS) and the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University.  Building on a rich relationship and traditions , Trails and Rails NPS volunteers on select trains share stories about parks and other places of interest along with the route.  They help travelers make connections between what they are seeing out the window to American history and culture.  The highlight of the episode is an interview with Jim , the original creator of the program who still heads the NPS involvement in the program.  He describes the history of the program, the challenges posed by Covid-19 which have temporarily halted the program, and how they are reimagining the program for the 2021 season. We were fortunate to be passengers on a Trails and Rails Amtrak journey in 2017 so we know first-hand the positive impact of the program.

Check out videos from three of the Trails and Rails programs across the United States that were created to celebrate the anniversary: bit.ly/TandRvideo or linktr.ee/expeditionnationalparks 

Audio excerpts and Trails and Rails logo courtesy of the National Park Service