Note: Christine and Tim Conners invite you to submit your trail
recipes
for their
forthcoming book,
"The National Scenic Trails Cookbook".
National Parks Trails Map - includes Scenic Trails and Historic Trails - 760K .jpg
While the Appalachian Trail is strictly for hiking, some of the other trails are open to other kinds of activity. If you want to find out more about the trails, and the kinds of activities that are possible, contact addresses are provided below. In addition, a home page is in the works for the Continental Divide Trail. (Since that last sentence was written, the CDT as well as several of the other trails now have their own pages... The WWW keeps marching!!)
For further information on the National Trails System and its various components, contact the National Trails System Branch of the NPS, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013 or call (202) 343- 3780.
In addition, there is a copy of trail-related legislation online at the Cornell U. Law School. U.S Code - Title 16 - National Trails System Act
There is a newsletter called PATHWAYS Across America, A Newsletter for National Scenic and Historic Trails which is published by the American Hiking Society under a cooperative agreement with the NPS. The address is P.O. Box 20160, Washington, DC 20041. For subscription information contact the American Hiking Society, (703) 255-9304.
Note: Some of the trails are only partially open and are still in the process of being developed.
................................................................. Continental Divide NST | Continental Divide Trail Society Forest Service | P.O. Box 30002 Established 1978 | Bethesda, MD 20814 3,200 Miles email contact: hudspeth@utmc.utc.com
This trail provides spectacular backcountry travel the length of the Rocky Mountains from Mexico to Canada. It is the most rugged of the long-distance trails. The only section officially designated runs for 795 miles from Canada through Montana and Idaho to Yellowstone National Park. It is open to hikers, pack and saddle animals, and in some places, to off-road vehicles. Some segments are open for use in other states. ................................................................. Florida NST | Florida Trail Association Forest Service | P.O. Box 13708 Established 1983 | Gainesville, FL 32604 1,300 Miles
Florida Trail Association Web Page
This trail was conceived and initiated by James Kern who formed the
Florida Trail Association in 1964. The trail will eventually
extend from Big Cypress National Preserve in South Florida through
Florida's three National Forests to Gulf Islands National Seashore
in the western panhandle. It is especially delightful for winter
hiking and camping, passing through America's only sub-tropical
landscape. More than 1000 miles are completed and some 300 miles
are officially open to public use.
.................................................................
Ice Age NST | Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation
National Park Service | P.O. Box 423
Established 1980 | Pewaukee, WI 53072
1,000 Miles | 800-227-0046
| iat@execpc.com
At the end of the Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago, glaciers
retreated from North America and left behind a chain of moraine
hills which defined the southern edge of the glaciers. In
Wisconsin, this band of hills zigzags across the state for 1000
miles from Lake Michigan to the Saint Croix River. A trail along
these hills was conceived by Ray Zillmer in the 1950's and was
publicized by Rep. Henry Reuss in his book "On the Trail of the Ice
Age." Today, with help from the State of Wisconsin, and the Ice
Age Park and Trail Foundation, almost half of the trail is open to
public use.
.................................................................
Natchez Trace NST | Natchez Trace Trail Conference
National Park Service | P.O. Box 1236
Established 1983 | Jackson, MS 39215
110 Miles |
| Natchez Trace Parkway Administration
| Attn: Chief Ranger
| RR 1 NT-43
| Tupelo, MS 38801
Natchez
Trace Trail Conference
This trail lies within the boundaries of the Natchez Trace Parkway, which extends 450 miles from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN. The Parkway commemorates the historic Natchez Trace, an ancient path that began as a series of animal tracks and Native American trails. In the trail's 1987 plan, four segments near Nashville, Natchez and Jackson, totalling 110 miles, were selected for development as hiking and horseback trails. ................................................................. North Country NST | North Country Trail Association National Park Service | P.O. Box 311 Established 1980 | White Cloud, MI 49349 3,200 Miles Conceived in the mid-1960's, this trail links New York's Adirondack Mountains with the Missouri River in North Dakota. The trail journeys through a variety of environments: the grandeur of the Adirondacks, Pennsylvania's hardwood forests, the farmland and canals of Ohio, the Great Lakes shorelines of Michigan, the glacier-carved lakes, forests and streams of northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the vast plains of North Dakota. Today almost half this trail is open for public use.
| North Country Trail Association Trail Page | NPS North Country Trail Page |
................................................................. Pacific Crest NST | Pacific Crest Trail Association Forest Service | 5325 Elkhorn Blvd. Suite 256 Established 1968 | Sacramento, CA 95842 2,638 Miles | (800) 817-2243
Lying along the shoulders of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges from Canada to Mexico, this trail is the West Coast counterpart to the A.T. Inspired in the 1930's by the idea of a long-distance mountain trail, citizen activists worked with the Forest Service to establish the trail. It passes through 25 National Forests and seven National Parks. ................................................................. Potomac Heritage NST | NPS, National Capital Region National Park Service | Land Use Coordination Established 1983 | 1100 Ohio Drive, S.W. 700 Miles | Washington, DC 20242
| NPS Potomac Heritage NST | Potomac Heritage - Gorp | Part of the Potomac Heritage Trail is already in place: the 184 mile towpath of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in the District of Columbia and Maryland, the 18 mile Mount Vernon Trail in Virginia, and the 75 mile Laurel Highlands Trail in Pennsylvania. Members of the Potomac Trail Association have recommended a 55 mile hiking path from north from Cumberland, Maryland to Pennsylvania's Mount Davis and on to the Laurel Highlands.
It is hoped that eventually the trail will be on both sides of the Potomac River. There are ongoing cooperative efforts among various planning commissions and government agencies to try to make this a reality.
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