Thru-hikers

Centennial Celebration: Trails & Parks

  In honor of the National Park Service's 100th birthday, here is an excerpt from our love letter to national parks from national trails. (To read the entire piece, visit Earth Island Journal)   Map of the National Trails System - courtesy of the National Park Service   National parks offer perennial destinations we are all familiar with, while national trails take those experiences and extend them thousands of miles further across America.   “If national parks are America's crown jewels, then the national trails provide an emerald necklace that stitches them together,” says Steve Elkinton, program leader for the National Trails System from 1989 to 2014. “Along the 30 national scenic and historic trails, over 80 National Park Service sites are linked [...]

National Trails infographic

  This blog entry unveils a brand new infographic introducing the National Trails. We'll be expanding this graphic in the coming months but for now, here is a basic introduction to the trails with a visual spin: the infographic.   Stay tuned for more multimedia offerings from the National Trails Guide, like this infographic, as we continue to ramp up for the 50-Year Anniversary celebration of the National Trails System in 2018!  

Florida Trail – A Special Video

This summer, I had the pleasure of visiting almost every region of the State of Florida. One highlight, as we went searching for the Florida National Scenic Trail, was a canoe ride through the Ocala National Forest. With Florida Trail Association staffer Jeff Glenn, we floated down Juniper Creek, one of the crown jewels of Florida's waterways and wilderness areas, adjacent to the Florida Trail. Enjoy this video from our trip!

2015 National Trails (PNTS) conference

  It's an honor to be speaking at the 15th National Scenic and Historic Trails Conference, just outside Nashville, Tennessee. The conference is sponsored by the Partnership for the National Trails System (PNTS) and my topic is "Working with Youth and Technology to Promote Our Trails." Here is the synopsis: It’s important in today’s fast-paced era to understand and utilize technology. This workshop will give participants the ability to make the best use of technology on behalf of our national trails – including tips for marketing, networking, better organization, and more. We will speak about the topic in a friendly, entertaining manner and get to the nitty-gritty of the challenges. Youth participants will be on hand to help design specific ways for involving youth and [...]

Selma – History and Meaning

It's hard to imagine that a simple bridge can stand for so much. The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail crosses that bridge and provides visitors with a chance to understand the struggles faced by the civil rights movement of the 1960s.   Events that took place on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma provide a window into a different time -- when most black people in Alabama weren't able to vote. Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. and thousands of others came to bear witness, walking from the city of Selma to the state capitol of Montgomery.   The trail retraces the steps of those marchers and although it's only 54 miles -- short for a national trail -- visiting or walking this route makes [...]

Wild – Film Review

"Something bloomed inside me as I traced its jagged line with my finger on a map. I would walk that line, I decided, or at least as much of it as I could in about a hundred days..." -Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed The film Wild (2014) is based on the best-selling memoir by Cheryl Strayed, who served as an advisor on the trail and was present for much of the filming. It documents the author’s experience hiking the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) in the mid 90s after struggling with a series of personal challenges. This story is a journey and movement plays a primary role in the main character’s development. Similar to the fast [...]

Trail Angels – National Scenic Trail Heroes

  Trail Angels are a special breed. It's likely that most people have never heard of them -- but it's a given that anyone who has completed a long-distance trail is not only familiar with the term but may have even met one of these elusive characters.   Hikers who have been on a trail for a long time may find they owe a great debt to these life-savers. Anyone who has experienced the feeling of being exhausted, hungry and thirsty after weeks on a trail can admit that the prospect of a hot meal and a little civilization might be just what the doctor ordered.   That's when people like Lloyd Gust step in to save the day -- they can prove to be the [...]

National Trails Guide Interview: Father/Son Thru-Hikers

  The National Trails System is a world-class network of Congressionally-designated trails which span the United States. The Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and similar national trails attract many outdoor enthusiasts, some of whom make plans to hike the entire length of the trail. These individuals are called thru-hikers. Our National Trails Guide site continues its thru-hiker blog series with a family who recently completed the entire Florida National Scenic Trail. These thru-hikers are an inspiration for parents and grandparents who want to introduce young people to our National Trails.   This Florida family, a father and two sons, have been walking the Florida Trail since 2010 (while mom has served as their transport and Trail Angel).  This year, as they finished their last 380 [...]

National Trails Guide Interview: Desert Jewel

Having completed the Triple Crown and most recently the Arizona National Scenic Trail, Fred Gaudet has been given a unique monicker on behalf of his accomplishments: "Triple Crown with a Desert Jewel!" Fred persevered through plenty of physical and natural challenges until he reached his goals. We interviewed him on behalf of our National Trails Guide fans as part of our ongoing thru-hiker blog series. How/when did you develop your passion for hiking? I started hiking with my oldest son to help us connect on a different level.  I continued with all six children, including hikes into the Grand Canyon over Christmas break.  Once the kids left home, I started solo hiking in Arizona and southern Utah during long weekends or on vacations trying to [...]

National Trails Guide Interview: Across America on National Trails!

  The National Trails System is a world-class network of Congressionally-designated trails which span the United States. The Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and Continental Divide Trail (CDT) together cover about 8,000 miles -- people who complete all three of these long trails over a period of time are bestowed with the hiking community's 'Triple Crown.'   In addition to these well-loved national trails, there is a legendary east to west route called the American Discovery Trail (ADT). This is considered a "new breed of national trail — part city, part small town, part forest, part mountains, part desert — all in one trail" according to the American Discovery Trail Society. The nearly 7,000 mile route is designated for walking and other non-motorized uses, [...]