Wednesday Webinar #12: Trail Towns: Boosting New York’s Outdoor Recreation Economy

December 3 | 9:15 - 9:45 AM

Join us on Wednesday December 3rd at 9:15 AM for our Wednesday Webinar presentation from Erica Schneider from Park & Trails NY to learn about the Empire State Trail!

Parks & Trails New York will provide an overview of their successful Empire State Trail Town program that helps communities identify ways to leverage their outdoor recreation tourism assets – like the statewide Empire State Trail – increase opportunities for residents to access high-quality recreational opportunities and to create trail-friendly destinations where visitors want to stay, explore, and spend. This dynamic webinar will feature high-impact strategies that destinations and tourism professionals can use to create vibrant, bike-friendly communities. Visit Montgomery County will serve as a case study for the role that TPAs, DMOs, and local businesses can play in enhancing trail tourism opportunities.

Why You Should Attend This Session: 

  • Discover proven strategies to turn trails and outdoor recreation assets into powerful tourism drivers, drawing on the success of PTNY’s Empire State Trail Town program.
  • Learn from real-world examples with a case study from Montgomery County Tourism showcasing how DMOs can lead in trail-based tourism development.
  • Get actionable tips to create trail-friendly, bikeable destinations that attract visitors, encourage longer stays, and boost local spending.
  • Enhance both resident and visitor experiences by aligning recreation access with community and economic goals.

Key Takeaways:

  • Get to know the Empire State Trail Town program and how Parks & Trails New York, in partnership with the NYS Canal Corporation are working with communities to enhance the Erie Canalway Trail and boost outdoor recreation tourism.
  • Understand the economic impact of trail tourism, supported by ongoing research on the Erie Canalway Trail’s contribution to local economies, including trail counts and a forthcoming economic impact study of the Empire State Trail.
  • Learn what trail users value most and how destinations can effectively meet their needs and market to this growing visitor segment.
  • Gain actionable strategies to build a trail-friendly culture, create welcoming trail towns, and position your destination as a hub for outdoor adventure.

We are proud to have received a 2025 Tourism Excellence Award for the Empire State Trail Town program and are excited for the opportunity to present the program and how tourism professionals both along the trail and in other parts of the state can learn from our successes.

About the Presenter: 

Erica Schneider

Policy & Planning Manager

Parks & Trails New York

E: eschneider@ptny.org 

P: 518-434-1583

Morgan McClary

Communications and Tourism Director for Montgomery County

As the Policy & Planning Manager with Parks & Trails New York, Erica Schneider is passionate about the transformative impact of parks and greenway trails. Building on her work promoting the Canalway Trail as a world-class bike touring destination, she launched the Empire State Trail Town program in 2022, drawing on PTNY's decades of advocacy for a completed Erie Canalway Trail and support for trailside communities. To date, Erica has worked with eleven communities, from small villages to growing cities, helping to identify ways to capture the quality of life and economic benefits of the long-distance trail in their backyard. Erica is an avid trail user herself, with experiences like biking across the United States and hiking Spain’s Camino de Santiago informing her advocacy for New York’s growing network of trails and green spaces.

Co-speaker: Morgan McClary is the Communications and Tourism Director for Montgomery County, where she leads public relations, community outreach and tourism efforts. Since joining the County in 2017, she has been committed to promoting the services, communities, and experiences that make Montgomery County a unique place to live and explore.

Morgan has been dedicated to giving back to the place she calls home—serving as an advocate for the incredible recreational assets found throughout this small but vibrant region along the Mohawk River. She has played an active role in making Montgomery County more bike- and trail-friendly, supporting the City of Amsterdam’s Trail Town application and partnering with communities county-wide to promote outdoor recreation and tourism.

She enjoys hiking in the Adirondacks and spending time at the Landis Arboretum, a treasured greenspace spanning Schoharie and Montgomery Counties.

About the organization:

Parks & Trails New York believes public lands are for all. We champion and protect our parks and greenways by advocating for resources, connecting communities, strengthening a network of stewards, and sharing the awe of nature. PTNY leads the way in supporting communities participating in the outdoor recreation economy with its statewide Trail Towns program, highlights the amazing benefits of the Empire State Trail through its two fully-supported bike tours (Cycle the Hudson Valley and Cycle the Erie Canal), and is at the forefront of data collection and policy development to expand, maintain, and fund our greenways network.