Links to Related Trails and Parks 

NATIONAL FOCUS National Park Service | Partnership for the National Trail System
National Park Conservation Association
AUTO TOURS Crossroads of the American Revolution (NJ)
Lewis and Clark Trail: NPS site | Lewis and Clark Trail: Foundation Site
VIA PEDAL POWER The East Coast Greenway | Other Bicycle Tours
BY WATER Chesapeake Bay Water Trail (DE/MD/VA) | Delaware River Sojurn | Other Boating / Canoing
ON FOOT Overmountain Victory Trail | Star Spangled Banner Trail (MD) | Other Walking / Hiking

Latest Changes: 2009-07-09: rearrange / 2010-04-04: add GoogleMaps bicycling and walking directions / 2011-07-28: more on NPS /

NATIONAL FOCUS

National Park Service Websites 
for Revolutionary War Sites and Trails

The National Park Service (NPS) is the federal agency responsible for developing and managing the W3R-NHT. The Website for this federal effort is being created as of July 2011, and we'll link to it from this site when it is launched. The W3R-US has signed a compact with the NPS as a "friends" 501©3 organization.

Lighting Freedom's Flame. is a special NPS program and Web site on the American Revolution. It has resources related to the whole American Revolution, with sections on heritage tourism, teaching U.S. history, biographies of leaders for liberty, and the continuing impact of the Revolution on our lives today.

Tour a Park features interactive maps that highlight American Revolution destinations in eighteen states. Some have photo-galleries and streaming video clips to provide a virtual tour prior to a visit or show historic re-enactments that take place only once a year at the park.

NPS Rev War Museum Collection has links to several sites that describe the use of artifacts from those parks. For example the Guilford Courthouse site has a half-hour of streaming audio fife and drum music.

The Partnership for the National Trail System (PNTS) 

The Partnership for the National Trail System provides educational workshops for trail associations and focuses the efforts of the many volunteer groups in support of National Trails. Each February representatives from the member groups gather in Washington DC to coordinate their activities and to participate in "Trail Advocacy Week", discussing their development efforts with their Congressional delegations and with Park Service and other government agencies.
See www.pnts.org

The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) 

The mission of the NPCA is "to protect and enhance AmericaÕs National Park System for present and future generations." The NPCA provides an independent, nonpartisan voice working to address major threats facing the National Park System. More than 600,000 members and supporters fund the national headquarters in Washington, D.C., and 23 regional and field offices around the country.
See www.npca.org

AUTO TOURS

Crossroads of the American Revolution 
National Heritage Area (New Jersey)

New Jersey has more than 500 farmlands, hillsides, and homesteads that played a role or saw some action during the American Revolution. The Crossroads of the American Revolution Association was founded in 2002 as the only state-wide non-profit organization established to offer a forum for new citizen initiatives on education, historical interpretation, site use, and heritage tourism; and to raise popular appreciation of the historical significance of the full scope of the American Revolution in New Jersey.

For more information on the trail and its heritage tourism activities see
www.revolutionarynj.org

Star Spangled Banner Trail 
National Historic Trail

This 100-mile driving trail follows the events leading to the Battle of Baltimore (Maryland) during the War of 1812. Be moved by story of an American victory led by brave, diverse Baltimoreans. This triumph forged our national identity and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that became our national anthem.
www.starspangledtrails.org/trail-15.html

VIA PEDAL POWER

East Coast Greenway 

The East Coast Greenway aims to connect cities and towns of the East Coast with a continuous, 3,000 mile, traffic-free path between Calais, Maine and Key West, Florida. Nearly one-fifth of the ECG follows traffic-free paths and the rest is mapped out on interim roads. Both people and communities all along the east coast of the U.S. are enjoying the Greenway's many health and economic benefits. Many of the Greenway paths in the region of Massachusetts through Virginia follow or parallel the W3R.

Other Biking 

The W3R-DE is developing a W3R-themed bicycle cue sheet for the W3R from Wilmington DE to Newark DE.

GoogleMaps(R) now provides suggested bicycling routes with turn-by-turn directions. Go to maps.google.com/biking

Try a tour from the Robinson House to the Cauffiel Estate -- starting at 1 Naamans Road, Claymont DE, and ending at 1016 Philadelphia Pike, Wilmington DE.

BOATING / CANOING

Chesapeake Bay Water Trail 
National Historic Trail

The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network connects you with the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers through 150 exceptional parks, wildlife refuges, museums, sailing ships, historic communities, trails and more. -- the special places where you can experience the authentic Chesapeake.
www.baygateways.net/

Delaware River Sojourn 

This annual, week-long, family paddling excursion on the wild and scenic Delaware River started in 1994. For 2009 the Sojourn theme is No One Left Inside, which stems from the popular book Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv. Too many people, adults as well as children, have what Louv calls "nature-deficit disorder" from not spending time in the great outdoors. Further, this disconnect between people and the outdoors limits their contact with nature, thereby reducing their interest in the environment. This trip will help to reconnect you and your family to the real world, getting everyone outside to appreciate all that Mother Nature has to offer.

The Delaware River is only a gas tank away from 23% of the nation's population! So, come, get outdoors and "staycation" with us on the beautiful and mighty Delaware River. You'll have a great time, get exercise, be among friends, and learn all about the fun that can be had when there's No One Left Inside!

Other Boating 

Heavy commercial ship traffic limits options for tracing the route of Revolutionary War row-barges down the Delaware River from Trenton NJ to Wilmington DE, but it may be possible to trace the route following tidal flows up the Christina River from Wilmington DE to Christiana DE. We are exploring options for historic replica ship cruises in the Chesapeake Bay to trace the historic routes from Elkton, Baltimore, and Annapolis MD to Jamestown / Williamsburg VA.

WALKING / HIKING

The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail 
(OVNHT) in VA-TN-NC-SC

In 1980 the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail became the first trail in the eastern U.S. to be designated as a National Historic Trail. It runs for some 220 miles from Abingdon, Virginia, through Eastern Tennessee, over the high mountains of North Carolina, across the Piedmont of North and South Carolina, to the Kings Mountain National Military Park. The 70-mile Wilkes-Surry branch starts in Elkin NC and joins the main route near its center at Quaker Meadows (Morganton, North Carolina).

The historic march along this trail started on 1780 Sept 25. Militia from the western parts of what was then Virginia and North Carolina (now Kentucky and Tennessee) sought to head off an invasion of their home areas by British and Loyalist forces. On 1780 Oct 07 they surrounded, defeated, and captured the threatening British force at Kings Mountain SC.

For more information on the trail and its heritage tourism activities see
Overmountain Victory Trail Association
NPS site and OVNHT Progress Reports
The W3R may follow a similar pattern of development and use.

Several types of route might be designated:

  • the true, historic route (much of it may be inaccessible today)
  • a re-enactor route for use by people who wish walk roads and footpaths close to the route.
  • a tourism route that follows nearby highways to allow faster travel between significant sites along the route.

Other Walking / Hiking 

American Hiking Society 

The American Hiking Society sponsors National Trails Day, on the first Saturday in June. There are usually opportunities to hike along the W3R in several states in National Trails Day.

American Volkssport Association 

The American Volkssport Association's network of 320 Walking Clubs organize more than 3,000 walking events and provides indivudual walking tour guides so that you can walk historic areas or scenic trails at your own pace for fun, fitness, and friendship.

The W3R-DE is developing a W3R-themed walking tour guide for the city of Wilmington DE.

GoogleMaps(R) now provides suggested walking routes with turn-by-turn directions. Go to maps.google.com/walking Try a walking tour from the Greater WIlmington Convention Bureau to the FDelaweare Historical Society, starting at 100 West 10th Street, Wilmington DE, and ending at 505 North Market Street, Wilmington DE.

Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA) 

CFPA established the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail System in 1929. The 700 miles of trails traverse public and private lands throughout Connecticut. They are maintained by hundreds of CFPA volunteers working in cooperation with many public and private landowners and are enjoyed by thousands of citizens each year.
See www.ctwoodlands.org/CFPA.html

GO TO TOP OF PAGE