Why Rail-to-Trail Works in Rural Oregon
Rail-to-trail projects are not a new idea in Oregon. They are one of the most reliable tools rural communities have used to support small businesses, extend visitor seasons, and improve daily quality of life.
They work because they fit the scale and rhythm of small towns like ours.
A helpful comparison exists just inland.
The Row River Trail, located outside Cottage Grove, was once an abandoned rail corridor. In the 1990s, it was converted into a 15.6-mile paved, multi-use trail that now anchors the Covered Bridge Scenic Bikeway. It passes through farmland, forest, working timber land, and lake country—settings that are very comparable to Tillamook County!
Over time, the impact has become unmistakably clear.
According to a study commissioned by Travel Oregon, nearly 80 percent of day users and 57 percent of overnight visitors say the Scenic Bikeway is the primary reason they visit the area. Visitor spending tied to the trail/bikeway totals approximately $1.39 million annually. When recreation, food service, lodging, and entertainment are considered together, trail activity accounts for roughly 22 %of Cottage Grove’s local economy.
Another important economic note is that trails don’t rely on single moments of high volume. They create steady movement throughout the day, and the seasons. Trail users arrive in small numbers, move at human speed, stop more than once, and often return in shoulder seasons. That pattern supports local businesses without overwhelming staff, parking, or infrastructure.
This is one reason rail-to-trail projects consistently show up in rural economic development strategies across Oregon. They strengthen what already exists rather than demanding a complete overhaul of how a town functions.
There is also a strong return on public investment. A 2018 study by North Carolina State University found that every dollar invested in rail-to-trail projects generates approximately $1.72 in local tourism spending each year.
In rural communities, trails don’t promise transformation overnight; but they do offer consistency, along with the undeniable increase in the quality of life for residents who will use the trail as a safe walking corridor.