The American Discovery Trail. In 1989, the American Hiking Society and Backpacker magazine created the idea of a coast-to-coast trail and in 1990-91 sent a scouting team consisting of Ellen Dudley, Eric Seaborg and others to map the route, as determined by citizens working with local, state and federal land managers across the country. The ADT society administers the affairs of the ADT and coordinates the efforts of the many local trail organizations that maintain it. The 6800-mile ADT’s western terminus is at the Pacific Ocean on Limantour Beach in California’s Point Reyes National Seashore. The eastern terminus is at the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware’s Cape Henlopen State Park. Heading east through California, it traverses Nevada, Utah and Colorado where, in Denver, it splits into two routes. The Northern Midwest route travels through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. The Southern Midwest reoute explores Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. After the two routes rejoin just west of Cincinnati, the route continues east through Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC and Delaware. The ADT connects 5 national scenic, 10 national historic, and 29 national recreational trails; leads to 14 national parks and 16 national forests; passes through urban centers; and visits 10,000 sites of historic, cultural, and natural significance. Every attempt has been made to include multi-use trails in the route. The entire trail is hikable and the vast majority is bikable or has alternatives available. Many of the trails are open to horseback riding, although to a lesser extent. A bill has been introduced in Congress to create a new category in the National Trails System — “Discovery Trails” — with the American Discovery Trail to be the first so designated.

The Appalachian Trail. In 1921 Benton MacKaye proposed the trail in his article, “An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning.” Designated as the first National Scenic Trail in 1968, and thus the Granddaddy of the National Trails System, this famed footpath stretches approximately 2,175 miles from Georgia to Maine. It touches 14 states, traverses 8 national forests and crosses 6 national parks. The A. T. has more verbiage published about it than any other trail in the United States. Thirty trail-maintaining clubs do the real day-to-day work of the Trail. Journals about Appalachian Trail thru-hikes are a virtual cottage industry, especially since the advent of print-on-demand publishing. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy sells these memoirs as well as guidebooks and maps. The Trail was first thru-hiked in 1948 by Earl V. Shaffer of Pennsylvania.

The Arizona Trail is a nearly 800 mile non-motorized primitive long distance trail that traverses the State from Mexico to Utah. Unlike many other long distance trails, such as the Pacific Crest Trail or Appalachian National Scenic Trail, that follow one mountain range, the trail corridor for the Arizona Trail was developed to highlight the state’s topographic, biologic, historic and cultural diversity and to link public lands, mountain ranges, and other special places. In addition, the corridor was selected to maximize the incorporation of already existing trails into one continuous trail. The Arizona Trail begins at the Coronado National Memorial on the U.S.-Mexico border and ends within the Bureau of Land Management’s Arizona Strip District on the Utah border. In between, the Trail winds through some of the most rugged spectacular scenery in Western America. There are not a lot of books about the Arizona Trail, but what’s there is good and can be purchased from the Arizona Trail Association.

The Continental Divide Trail follows the course of the Continental Divide, but deviates as much as 50 miles east or west in order to take in scenic or historic points of special interest, to avoid private land, or otherwise to offer a more enjoyable hiking experience. The total length when completed is expected to be about 3100 miles. The CDT has two associations: The Continental Divide Trail Alliance–a non-profit organization devoted to the completion, maintenance and protection of the CDT, and The Continental Divide Trail Society–whose mission is to help in the planning, development, and maintenance of the CDT as a silent trail [no mechanized or motorized vehicles] and to assist users in planning and enjoying their experiences along the route. The CDTS is funded entirely by membership support and sales of books and maps.

The Florida Trail. Founded in the 1960’s, the Florida Trail Association has over five thousand members, in 18 local chapters, who build and maintain the Florida Trail–“Florida’s Footpath Forever.” Designated a National Scenic Trail by Congress in 1983, this footpath gives hikers a chance to discover the natural beauty linking Florida’s wild and rural areas. Hiking in Florida is a little known and underrated outdoor recreation opportunity. The FNST is the only National Scenic Trail where hikers can enjoy both subtropical and temperate ecosystems year round, and its long hiking season is ideal for walking during times when weather can be unpleasant in other parts of the country. The trail extends over 1,400 miles from Big Cypress National Preserve in South Florida to Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida’s western panhandle.

The International Appalachian Trail. The IAT is the idea of Dick Anderson, a fisheries biologist and former commissioner of Maine’s Department of Conservation. He had a dream of connecting the bioregion of the Northern Forest, on both sides of the US-Canada border. In 1994 this dream became reality and was named “The International Appalachian Trail/Sentier International des Appalaches.” The IAT runs northeast from the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail at Katahdin, Maine to Mars Hill before following the US-Canada border north to Fort Fairfield, Maine, where it crosses the International Boundary into Perth Andover, New Brunswick. Upon crossing the border into Canada, the IAT continues up the Tobique River valley before crossing the Miramichi Highlands to the Restigouche River valley and along the Chic-Choc Mountains of the Gaspé Peninsula, ending at the easternmost point in the peninsula—Cap Gaspé in Forillon National Park. From Cap Gaspé, the IAT skips over the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the island of Newfoundland where the trail picks up again at Channel-Port aux Basques and follows the west coast of the island up the Great Northern Peninsula before terminating at the island’s northernmost tip—Cape Bauld. From there the IAT skips over the Strait of Belle Isle to the actual northern terminus of the Appalachian chain at Belle Isle. More than 40 official campsites, consisting of tent platforms, lean-tos or cabins, are now in place along the trail. In October of 1997, John Brinda became the first person the hike the whole of the IAT, and the first known person to hike the entire East Coast of the North American continent in his trek from the Florida Keys to Cap Gaspé. Since 1998, a known total of 86 people have thru-hiked the trail from Katahdin to Cap Gaspé and 11 of those hikers, including “Nimblewill Nomad” have finished the hike at Belle Isle, Newfoundland. The IAT is now approximately 1400 miles long. Maps, trail guides, and a companion guide are available for purchase through the SIA/IAT store.

The Long Trail. Conceived by James. P. Taylor, Vermont’s “footpath in the wilderness” is the oldest long distance hiking trail in the United States. It was envisioned in 1910 at the founding meeting of the Green Mountain Club, the organization that now has 14 local chapters and still stewards the trail. In 1930, a short 20 years later, the club oversaw the completion of the trail. The Long Trail extends 270 miles up the spine of Vermont, following the main ridge of the Green Mountains, from the Massachusetts border (near Williamstown) to the Canadian border (near North Troy) as it steeply climbs and descends Vermont’s highest peaks. The trail system has over 70 primitive shelters.

The Ice Age Trail The Ice Age National Scenic Trail had it origins in the 1950’s dream of Milwaukee attorney and avid walker Raymond Zillmer, who in 1958 founded the Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation. The IAPTF has 23 local chapters whose members protect, promote, build and maintain the IAT. Due in large part to the efforts of Wisconsin Congressman Henry S. Reuss- -who in 1976 authored the book “On the Trail of the Ice Age”- -the IAT became a National Scenic Trail in 1980. The IANST is located entirely within Wisconsin, wandering through 30 of its 72 counties and following the southernmost edge of the last continental glaciation which occurred more than 10,000 years ago. Diverse geological features along the Trail rank among the finest examples of continental glaciation in the world. The trail was designed specifically to preserve and protect the state’s glacial and cultural heritage. Starting at the eastern terminus in Potawatomi State Park on Sturgeon Bay, the IANST travels southwest, then north, then west, and ends at the western terminus in the Interstate State Park Ice Age Reserve Unit on the St. Croix River. When completed, the trail will run some 1,000 to 1,200 miles. As of 2007 more than 600 miles of trail have been finished. The trail is thru-hikeable, with at least 25 percent (275 miles) currently on roads. The Trail was first thru-hiked in 81 days in 1979 by Jim Staudacher, a 20-yr.-old Marquette University student.

[to be continued...]