New NRT’s Announced on Eve of National Trails Day
June 3, 2016 – On the day leading into American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis announced the designation of six new National Recreation Trails adding more than 350 miles to the National Trails System. Additionally, they also designated three new National Water Trails totaling more than 600 miles.
In discussing the importance of trails in America, Secretary Jewell stated, “Our world-class network of national trails provides easily accessible places to enjoy exercise and connect with nature in both urban and rural areas while also boosting tourism and supporting economic opportunities in local communities across the country.”
The six new National Recreation Trails are:
- Backbone Trail, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, California
- Shetucket River Water Trail, The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor, Connecticut
- The six new National Recreation Trails are:
Bartram Trail, Putnam County, Florida - Johnson Brook Trail, Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Maine
- Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area Trails, vicinity of Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Roche Harbor Trails, San Juan Island, Washington
The three new National Water Trails include:
- Kankakee River Water Trail, northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois
- Arkansas River Water Trail, stretching from Great Bend, Kansas, to the Kansas-Oklahoma border
- Great Miami River Watershed Water Trail, southwest Ohio
American Hiking Society congratulates all the volunteers, supporters, and stewards on receiving these designations for their trails.
