AMERICA'S GREAT OUTDOORS: Salazar, Jarvis Announce Designation of 54 New National Recreation Trails

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Director of the National Park Service Jonathan B. Jarvis today announced the designation of 54 trails as national recreation trails, adding almost 1,400miles of trails to the National Trails System. Spanning 23 states, the land and water trails provide opportunities for communities to connect to the great outdoors.

“From Alabama to Alaska, these national recreation trails provide a gateway to outdoor recreation in both urban and rural areas,” said Secretary Salazar. "I am proud to partner with communities across the nation to expand this extraordinary network of trails, allowing more Americans to enjoy the great outdoors.”

Today's announcement comes in advance of National Trails Day on Saturday, June 2, when hundreds of organized activities – including hikes, educational programs, bike rides, trail rehabilitation projects, festivals, paddle trips, and trail dedications – will take place around the country. A listing of activities is available at http://www.americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/.

“Today's trails join a network of more than 1,150 previously-designated trails that span more than 13,650 miles,.” said Director Jarvis. “As we celebrate National Trails Day on Saturday, I encourage everyone to explore a trail – new or old – and enjoy the natural world.”

The national trail system has become so extensive that if all the trails were laid end to end they would cross the entire country more than four times, offering millions of Americans opportunities to bike, hike, paddle and spend time with their family and friends outdoors, Jarvis noted.

National recreation trail designation recognizes existing trails and trail systems that link communities to recreational opportunities on public lands and in local parks across the nation. Each of the new national recreation trails will receive a certificate of designation, a letter of congratulations from Secretary Salazar, and a set of trail markers.

The national recreation trail program is jointly administered by the National Park Service and the USDA Forest Service in conjunction with a number of other federal and nonprofit partners, notably American Trails, which hosts the national recreation trails website at http://www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails.

The following 54 trails have been designated as national recreation trails. For more information on each trail, please click here.

ALABAMA

• Alabama State Lands Bartram Canoe Trail
• Blevins Gap Nature Preserve Trail System
• Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary Trail System
• Goose Pond Colony Nature and Walking Trail
• Monte Sano Nature Preserve Trail System
• Oak Mountain Red Trail
• Scottsboro City Park Walking Trail
• Sokol Park Mountain Bike Trail System
• The Forever Wild Coon Creek Trail System
• The Forever Wild Freedom Hills Trail System
• The Forever Wild Shoal Creek Preserve Trail System
• The Forever Wild Walls of Jericho Trail System
• The Forever Wild Wehle Trail System
• Wade Mountain Nature Preserve Trail System

ALASKA

• Beaver Creek Water Trail
• Kanatak Trail

CALIFORNIA

• Aliso Creek Regional Bikeway, Riding and Hiking Trail
• The Los Angeles River Trail (Greenway/Bike Path)

COLORADO

• Sand Creek Regional Greenway

CONNECTICUT

• Willimantic River Water Trail

FLORIDA

• Aucilla River
• Cross Seminole Trail
• Econfina River
• Flagler Trail
• Foster's Hammock Loop Trail
• North Bay Trail
• Seminole Wekiva Trail
• Wacissa River

GEORGIA

• Bartram Trail at Thurmond Lake
• Georgia Coast Saltwater Paddle Trail
• Karina Miller Preserve Loop Trail

ILLINOIS

• Carlyle Lake Multi-Use Trail

INDIANA

• B-Line Trail

IOWA

• Tallgrass Trail
• Veterans Trail

MICHIGAN

• North Central State Trail

MINNESOTA

• Finger Lakes Canoe Trail
• Halfmoon Lake Canoe Trail
• Verchota Canoe Trail

MISSISSIPPI

• Bailey's Woods Trail

NEW MEXICO

• High Desert Trail System

NEW YORK

• Zim Smith Trail

NORTH CAROLINA

• Overmountain Victory Trail

OREGON

• Tillamook County Water Trail System

TENNESSEE

• East Lakeshore Trail
• Wolf River Greenway Trail

TEXAS

• Leon Creek North Greenway
• Medina River Greenway
• Tejano Walking Trails

VIRGINIA

• Warrenton Branch Greenway

WASHINGTON

• Bennington Lake Trail System
• Foothills Regional Trail

WEST VIRGINIA

• Sunrise Carriage Trail

WISCONSIN

• Nelson-Trevino Canoe Trail