{"id":34851,"date":"2018-06-07T09:51:18","date_gmt":"2018-06-07T16:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=34851"},"modified":"2018-11-11T22:08:13","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T06:08:13","slug":"there-are-now-19-new-national-recreation-trails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/there-are-now-19-new-national-recreation-trails","title":{"rendered":"19 National Recreation Trails Designated in 17 States"},"content":{"rendered":"

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke chose this National Trails Day, June 2, to <\/span>designate 19 new national recreation trails<\/span><\/a>. These newly designated trails, but not newly built trails, are in 17 different states and add more than 370 miles to the national recreation trails system, which spans over 1,000 miles in each of the 50 states.<\/span><\/p>\n

National scenic trails and national historic trails must be designated by an act of Congress. What\u2019s great about national recreation trails is that the <\/span>secretary of the interior or the secretary of agriculture can designate them<\/span><\/a>. The trail\u2019s managing agency or organization simply applies for the designation and waits.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy designating these new National Trails, we acknowledge the efforts of local communities to provide outdoor recreational opportunities that can be enjoyed by everyone,\u201d Zinke said in a news release. \u201cOur network of National Trails provides easily accessible places to exercise and connect with nature in both urban and rural areas while boosting tourism and supporting economic opportunities across the country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

National recreation trails range from under a mile to 485 miles in length, and are currently on federal, state, municipal and even privately owned land. The designation provides<\/span> benefits<\/span><\/a>, such as increased visibility, staff training and funding opportunities. It\u2019s a chance for these trails to gain national significance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe applaud designating these trails, which shows commitment by the administration to outdoor recreation,\u201d said Kathryn Van Waes, executive director for the American Hiking Society. \u201cWhile the new designations are great, we would like to see the funding to back them up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The designations don\u2019t automatically set trails up for more funding, but they are eligible to apply for the <\/span>National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Program or the Bureau of Land Management and USDA Forest Service Challenge Cost Share Programs. Some state funding programs also consider the designation in allocating Recreational Trails Program, Transportation Enhancements and other funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. However, none of it is guaranteed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Visit one of the newly designated trails near you today:<\/span><\/p>\n

California: Mt. Umunhum Trail<\/a>, 3.7 miles
\nFlorida: Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park Trail System<\/a>, 20.85 miles
\nKansas: Fort Larned Historic Nature Trail<\/a>, 1.1 miles.
\nMassachusetts: Fort River Birding and Nature Trail<\/a>, 1.1 miles
\nMichigan: Iron Ore Heritage Trail<\/a>, 47 miles
\nMichigan: North Western State Trail<\/a>, 32 miles
\nMinnesota: Cannon Valley Trail<\/a>, 19.7 miles
\nMissouri: Wilson Creek Greenway<\/a>, 5 miles
\nMontana: River\u2019s Edge Trail<\/a>, 53 miles
\nNew Mexico: Climax Canyon Nature Trail<\/a>, 3 miles
\nNew Mexico and Texas: Guadalupe Ridge Trail<\/a>, 100 miles
\nNew York: Martin Van Buren Nature Trails<\/a>, 3.7 miles
\nPennsylvania: Jim Mayer Riverswalk Trail<\/a>, 3.1 miles
\nSouth Dakota: Blackberry Trail<\/a>, 1 mile
\nTennessee: Bays Mountain Park Trail System<\/a>, 40 miles
\nTexas: Salado Creek Greenway<\/a>, 15 miles
\nUtah: Corona Arch<\/a>, 1.5 miles
\nVermont: Wright\u2019s Mountain Trails<\/a>, 7.2 miles
\nVirginia: Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail<\/a>, 15.7 miles<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke chose this National Trails Day, June 2, to designate 19 new national recreation trails. These newly designated trails, but not newly built trails, are in 17 different states and add more than 370 miles to the national recreation trails system, which spans over 1,000 miles in each of the 50 states. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":34853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[387],"tags":[707,727,692,656],"internal-tag":[1678],"class_list":["post-34851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hike","tag-hiking","tag-latest-posts","tag-news","tag-public-lands","internal-tag-pre-redirect-hiking"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/there-are-now-19-new-national-recreation-trails","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"19 National Recreation Trails Designated in 17 States","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/there-are-now-19-new-national-recreation-trails","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/there-are-now-19-new-national-recreation-trails"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/Content_Team_053017_79487.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/Content_Team_053017_79487.jpg?fit=1500%2C900"},"articleSection":"Hike","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aer Parris-Hoshour"}],"creator":["Aer Parris-Hoshour"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["hiking","latest posts","news","public lands"],"dateCreated":"2018-06-07T16:51:18Z","datePublished":"2018-06-07T16:51:18Z","dateModified":"2018-11-12T06:08:13Z"},"rendered":"