- Close-to-home access to trails increases physical activity—particularly for communities with limited access to safe opportunities for outdoor exercise or recreation.
- Trails increase opportunities for both recreation and active transportation.
- Exercising outdoors on trails reduces stress and improves attention.
- Exercising outdoors on trails enhances overall mental well-being.
- Thoughtfully designed trails provide opportunities for physical activity for a wide range of people, including children, seniors, and those with disabilities.
- Trails improve quality of life by providing gathering places and increasing social connections.
- Trails benefit local economies by drawing visitors and new businesses and increasing property values.
- Trails connect important community hubs (schools, parks, businesses, hospitals, churches, libraries, and community centers) and revitalize towns.
- Trails showcase culturally and ecologically significant areas—and can be designed to guide users away from vulnerable areas.
- Trails increase sense of place and shared community identity.
(From the Enchanted Circle Trails Plan, page 16)