National Trails System
The National Trails System of the United States of America has designated as trails hiking trails and historic routes that are specifically identified because of their national importance. The system is managed by the National Park Service, working with local, regional and national partners.
Legal basis and construction
The National Trails are in accordance with the National Trails System Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-543 ), for various reasons, including their environment under special federal legal protection. This law established a publicly accessible network of paths, the National Trails System (IS ), which is divided into different categories of infrastructure (as well as pathways and alternative layout help ):
- National Recreation Trails are trails that serve the recreational activities in the vicinity of major cities;
- National Scenic Trails are long distance trails, with routing through landscapes of exceptional charm;
- National Historic Trails are designed layout that have special historical significance for the United States. They were not introduced until 1978 and does not consist of continuous roads or paths, but a sequence of monuments and memorials that belong thematically to a historical Wegbeziehung.
- National Geologic Trail were introduced in 2009 and comply with National Historic Trails, however, connect places that are linked by a geological context.
Motivation for the establishment of the National Trails System is under National Trails System Act, its preservation, public access, usability, and the enjoyment and to promote appreciation for the freedom and for the historical roots of the nation ( "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nation " ). This is no completely new ways are being built, but protected existing trails, advertised, signposted, maintained and partly supplemented with infrastructures.
The establishment of National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails requires a formal act of the U.S. Congress, the National Recreation Trails and connecting or side trails only need a confirmation by the Minister of the Interior or the Minister of Agriculture, with examples annually trails of local and regional importance of be selected from the many applications submitted entertaining undertook authorities and organizations. Since 2012, to be set up under the umbrella of the National Recreation Trails National Water also trails for canoeing and other water recreation.
Road network, management and development
The National Trails System is comprised of 11 National Scenic Trails, 19 National Historic Trails, a National Geologic Trail, over 1,200 National Recreation Trails, and two connecting or side trails (as of 2012). The trip length differs between under and several thousand miles. Taken together, they have a length of about 80,000 km ( 50,000 miles ). The routes are not only pure walking trails, some even riding is possible and motorized campers allowed, National Historic Trails and National Geologic trails are not usually created as a continuous way, but consist of jointly -marked individual and decentralized sights with mostly individual listed building status that provide information on historical routes or geological contexts.
Since it is created pursuant to congressionally long-distance routes, all National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails administered by federal agencies: either by the Bureau of Land Management ( BLM), the USDA Forest Service or the National Park Service (NPS ). Two routes are jointly managed by the BLM and NPS. Sometimes these administrations acquire even land to protect important areas, resources, public access points or lines of sight. Mostly, however, they cooperate for this with the affected states, local authorities, land administrations and private landowners.
The development of the network of National Recreation Trails is supported by the National Recreation Trails Program ( NRTP ) in matters of advertising and technology. There is for example a newsletter, emailing, an articulated by States Index of the ways with photos and liner notes, an annual photo contest and more. The NRTP is operated jointly by the National Park Service and the USDA Forest Service, which are supported by a number of other federal agencies, and in particular in the development and promotion of non -profit organizations, especially American Trails.
In addition to the specially protected National Trails there are in the United States countless other long-distance trails ( Long-distance trails ). See Long-distance trails in the United States.
National Historic Trails
Two other trails are in the exploration and Eavaluierungsphase as National Historic Trails: The Chisholm Trail and the historic cattle drive from Dodge City to San Antonio.