Digital Timeline – History of AHS

First Volunteer Vacation (then called Volunteer Conservation Corps) takes place at Pike National Forest in Colorado.

Volunteer Vacations becomes an official program of American Hiking Society and begins to coordinate dozens of trips annually to steward public lands.

American Hiking Society leads a coalition of groups to have the 1983 amendment to the National Trails Act passed, creating the Florida Trail, the Potomac Heritage Trail, and the Natchez Trace.

American Hiking Society establishes National Trails DayⓇ which is a day of public events aimed at advocacy and trail service. Tens of thousands of hikers, bikers, paddlers, horseback riders, trail clubs, federal and local agencies, land trusts, and businesses come together in partnership to advocate for, maintain, and clean up public lands and trails.

American Hiking Society’s role as a coalition-builder continued in 1992, when it became the catalyst for the Partnership for the National Trails System (PNTS). AHS brought the initial group together, consisting of 16 of the 17 national trails.

Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) signed into law, increasing funding for trails.

American Hiking Society spearheads the creation of the Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition to work cooperatively to build hiking trails in the Southeast and holds first Southeastern Foot Trails Conference

The Western Public Lands Initiative is established by American Hiking Society which raises awareness of the trails and resources of lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), particularly the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System.

American Hiking fights major threats to trails, including rollbacks of national park protections and proposals to sell off public lands.

American Hiking Society celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the passage of the National Trails System Act. The Act has been amended at various times to add new historic trails, rail-trails, and recreation trails. American Hiking has been involved in every effort to amend the act throughout its history. 

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is permanently authorized by the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act ensuring the conservation and preservation of our nation’s lands and trails. 

EXPLORE Act (Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act), including the Outdoors for All Act unanimously passes Congress and is signed into law.