Conservation Tools

The Ghost Town Trail, a 36-mile multi-use pathway in Pennsylvania between Ebensburg in Cambria County and Saylor Park in Black Lick, Indi¬ana County has an estimated 75,557 annual user visits. Between April and October 2009, visitors spent $1.7 million on food and overnight accommodations in conjunc¬tion with a trail visit. Eighty-eight percent of those surveyed had purchased hard goods (bikes, bike accessories, clothing, etc.) in the past year in conjunction with their use of the trail at an average cost of $357.63.

In 2008, 46.7% of visitors to Pennsylvania’s Perkiomen Trail, a 19-mile multi-use trail between Green Lane Park in Upper Frederick Township, and Oaks in Upper Providence Township purchased soft goods (water, soda, candy, ice cream, lunches, etc.) at an average cost of $11.09 per trip. Three percent stayed overnight as part of their trail experience.

The Schuylkill River Trail, a multi-use pathway that generally follows the course of the Schuylkill River from Pottsville to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has an estimated 802,239 annual trail users. Seventy eight percent of respondents to a trail use survey purchased hard goods (bikes, bike accessories, clothing, etc.) in the past year in conjunction with their use of the trail at an average cost of $406.31 and the 50% who purchased food in conjunction with their most recent trail visit spent an average of $9.07.