sPark Action: Trails & Rails Is Back On The Tracks

Amtrak - NPS Trails & Rails

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, and in recognition National Volunteer Week and National Park Week, a specialized group of volunteers returned to service this week and reboarded the Amtrak – National Park Service Trails & Rails program. Once again, Trails & Rails volunteers will share information about places of interest and significant cultural, natural, and historic areas with passengers along specific Amtrak routes.

For 2022, the National Park Service will offer 14 Trails & Rails programs across the Amtrak system, with programs returning on board between this week and mid-June and running until mid-November.Amtrak and the National Park Service has also just released “Back on Board,” a video that highlights 8 of the returning programs and their dedicated volunteers. For more information about Trails & Rails programs and their respective schedules, please visit the Trails & Rails Program Routes and Schedules page on our website. The reboarding of the Trails & Rails programs officially commenced at the start of National Park Week (April 16) with Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park - Seattle Unit launching their program on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight between Seattle, WA and Portland, OR.

About the Amtrak – National Park Service Trails & Rails program:

The Trails & Rails program, now in its 22nd year, is a partnership between the National Park Service, Amtrak, and the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University. Over 10,200 National Park Service volunteers have boarded Amtrak trains since the inception of the program, serving on as many as 20 Amtrak routes across the country to share information on our nation’s national parks and public lands. Over 8,000,000 passengers have participated in over 40,000 programs provided by Trails & Rails volunteers, contributing a value of over $13,000,000 in volunteer service hours. Park and national events promoted by Trails & Rails include the National Park Service Centennial, National Train Days, Rail Heritage events, and National Public Lands Day. #NPSVolunteer #NVW #NationalParkWeek #Amtrak