National Trails System Act
The National Trails System Act, enacted on October 2, 1968, established a comprehensive network of scenic, historic, and recreational trails across the United States, aimed at preserving access to natural landscapes and culturally significant sites. This legislation emerged in response to growing concerns about the encroachment of commercial and residential development threatening iconic trails such as the Appalachian Trail. The Act categorizes trails into three main types: national scenic trails, national historic trails, and national recreation trails, each with specific guidelines for use and maintenance. National scenic trails, which include notable paths like the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails, are designed for hiking and strictly prohibit motorized vehicles. National historic trails commemorate significant routes from American history, while national recreation trails offer more flexibility in terms of usage, including motorized access. Since the Act's passage, thousands of visitors have utilized these trails, many of which continue to be maintained by dedicated volunteers. National Trails Day, celebrated annually on the first Saturday in June, highlights the importance of these trails through various community activities focused on outdoor engagement and conservation.
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Subject Terms
National Trails System Act
THE LAW: US federal law authorizing a national network of scenic, historic, and recreational trails protected from intrusive development
DATE: Enacted on October 2, 1968
Hundreds of thousands of people use the system of protected trails created by the National Trails System Act every year to gain access to scenic, historic, and culturally important sites across the United States.
When the Appalachian Trail, a hiking trail running from Georgia to Maine, was developed during the 1920s and 1930s, it was intended to provide a wilderness experience for hikers from the cities. By the 1960s, however, that wilderness was threatened by commercial and residential development, with its accompanying roads and utilities. Supporters of the Appalachian Trail lobbied Congress to protect the trail, and in 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson issued his “Special Message to the Congress on Conservation and Restoration of Natural Beauty,” in which he called for a nationwide system of trails that would be largely maintained by volunteers. The next year, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall directed the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation to study the issue, and the result was an influential report titled Trails for America, which outlined plans for a system of trails throughout the country.
The National Trails System Act, as enacted in 1968, defined and created three different types of trails as described in Trails for America: national scenic trails, national recreation trails, and connecting and side trails. National scenic trails are trails and protected corridors that are more than 161 kilometers (100 miles) long, linking points of extraordinary scenery. Motorized vehicles are forbidden on these trails, to protect the wilderness experience, and only rudimentary development, such as campsites or shelters, is permitted. Only Congress can create national scenic trails, and the responsibility for maintaining them falls to the Department of the Interior. Congress has created eight such trails; these include the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, both established in 1968 with the signing of the act. No new national scenic trails have been designated since 1983.
In 1978, Congress amended the National Trails System Act to add national historic trails, which mark historically important routes of travel. The Iditarod Trail, the Lewis and Clark Trail, the Mormon Pioneer Trail, and the Oregon Trail were designated as the first in this group; by 2024 the list had grown to include twenty-one trails.
National recreation trails are generally smaller, more locally controlled, and more open to a variety of uses, including the riding of motorized vehicles. Designation of these trails, which number more than eight hundred, is not subject to congressional approval, and the trails do not receive federal funding. Side and connecting trails are trails that connect to other trails in the National Trails System; although such trails are provided for in the original act, only two have been established.
The National Trails System has proved to be a great success, attracting thousands of visitors each year to places of scenic and historic importance. Many of the trails are still maintained by volunteers, as President Johnson originally envisioned. Each year, on the first Saturday in June, thousands of organizations and businesses observe National Trails Day with hikes, horseback rides, mountain bike rides, trail-grooming events, and educational workshops.
Bibliography
Baldwin, Pamela. Federal Land Management Agencies. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Nova, 2005.
Dilsaver, Lary M., ed. America’s National Park System: The Critical Documents. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 1997.
Johnson, Sandra L. “The National Trails System: An Overview.” In National Forests: Current Issues and Perspectives, edited by Ross W. Gorte. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Nova, 2003.
"National Scenic and Historic Trails." Bureau of Land Management, 2024, www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/national-scenic-and-historic-trails. Accessed 22 July 2024.
"The National Trails System." U.S. Department of the Interior, Feb. 2023, www.doi.gov/library/quick-take-national-trails-system. Accessed 22 July 2024.