Accessible to people of all ages and abilities
Trails will be designed to accommodate walkers, strollers, runners, bike riders, the mobility-impaired, and other non-motorized users.
Healthy and Safe
The trails network will promote healthy bodies, minds and environments, be well-maintained and plowed, feature lighting where appropriate, provide safe crossings at roadways, and be patrolled by conscientious neighbors, trail rangers, volunteers, partners, and law enforcement officers.
Equitably Distributed across Jurisdictions
The network will serve and link towns and communities in the denser portion of the county including traditionally underserved communities.
Reliable for Transportation
The trails network will provide effective transportation connections within and among urban and suburban neighborhoods, activity centers and will link people with transit stations, entertainment venues, parks and schools, shopping districts and libraries, historic sites and monuments, jobs and public services. The network will provide a safe, healthy, environmentally friendly alternative to motorized travel.
Accessible to Open Space
The trails network will provide respite and recreation close to home; it will connect people to the natural world— traversing parks, stream valleys, and green spaces.
Local, Regional and National Trail Connections
The network will connect to neighboring trail networks including the Capital Trails Network in greater Washington, the Baltimore Greenway Network, the Howard County Network and the planned Patapsco Regional Greenway while embracing inclusion in national networks such as the East Coast Greenway, September 11 Memorial Trail, Grand History Trail, American Discovery Trail and the Great American Rail Trail.