Wikipedia:Today's featured list/November 25, 2022
The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "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". There are four types of trails: the national scenic trails, national historic trails, national recreation trails, and connecting or side trails. In response to a call by President Lyndon B. Johnson to have a cooperative program to build public trails for "the forgotten outdoorsmen of today" in urban and backcountry areas, the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation recommended a network of trails to provide recreational opportunities and evaluated several possible trails, both scenic and historic. The National Trails System Act created a program for long-distance natural trails on October 2, 1968, establishing the first two of eleven national scenic trails: the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. The first four of nineteen national historic trails were established by Congress in 1978, marking the routes of early travels across the country. Over 1,300 national recreation trails have since been administratively designated. (map pictured). (Full list...)