SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Trail advocates gathered at Saratoga Spa State Park on Tuesday night to talk about how they could expand their spiderweb of pathways in the area.

The discussion is one of five planned by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and Parks & Trails New York, a statewide nonprofit that advocates for expansion of trails.

The groups are hoping to create an inventory of current trails, collect ideas for areas that could be converted into trails and discover missing links between existing paths.

And, with nearly 100 residents in attendance, there were plenty of thoughts at the meeting.

Mike Greenslade, park manager for Saratoga Spa State Park, said he'd like to establish better links between the park and the core of the city and other residential hubs so people can reach it more safely and easily.

"On any given day, I see people driving in here with bikes on the back of their car," he said. "Ideally, they wouldn't have to do that."

William Mackesey, who serves on the Mid-County Trail Committee, said he'd like to see the Zim Smith trail, which now runs from Halfmoon to Ballston, connect with Saratoga Spa State Park and eventually Moreau Lake State Park.

"To me, this is all about connections," he said.

Meanwhile, equine advocates said they'd like to see more horse trails, and snowmobilers called for permanent footing in the region.

The ideas generated Tuesday night will eventually enter into the state's current efforts to develop a statewide trail plan -- an initiative set by Parks Commissioner Carol Ash.

The ambition comes as energy prices soar and the economy slows.

The combination, parks officials expect, will push more people to seek close-to-home and inexpensive forms of recreation and increase the number of those who bike or walk to their destinations.

"It's a whole different ethic," said Robert Reindhart, the director of planning for the park's office. "For years, we thought about movement by auto, but that's starting to reverse itself."

But the trail efforts do come at a cost. Trails can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per mile to build, and also carry maintenance expenses -- money the park's office might not have readily available.

For that reason, Reindhart urged local trail advocates to partner with nonprofits, local businesses and private landowners to develop the trails on a micro-level.

"A lot of these things develop on the grass-roots level," he said.