Historic Railways, Trails Highlight U.S. Outdoor Escapes

The articles spotlight American outdoor and heritage destinations, from Colorado’s ghost town of Needleton, a rail stop and gateway to Chicago Basin’s high peaks, to the slow-moving Blue Ridge Scenic Railway in Georgia and its riverside route to the Georgia–Tennessee border. In Connecticut, the Shore Line Trolley Museum lets visitors ride restored cars on the continuously operating Branford Electric Railway, which dates to 1900. Massachusetts’ South Pond Trail in Savoy Mountain State Forest offers a secluded forest-and-pond setting, with a loop through Tyler Swamp. New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Cog Railway, operating since 1869, climbs through several ecological zones toward the Northeast’s highest summit, though summit service is seasonal and weather-dependent.