National Parks System Trails

33-mile-long Chilkoot Trail, accessible only on foot. It is a difficult hike and usually takes three to five days. The trail begins at the Taiya River bridge near the Dyea townsite and travels over the Chilkoot Pass to Lake Bennett.
http://www.nps.gov/klgo/index.htm
http://www.pbase.com/henkbinnendijk/chilkoottrail


Pacific Crest Trail -  The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is the jewel in the crown of America’s scenic trails, spanning 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada through three western states. It reveals the beauty of the desert, unfolds the glaciated expanses of the Sierra Nevada, and provides commanding vistas of volcanic peaks and glaciers in the Cascade Range. The trail also passes through historic mining sites and evidence of human’s endless quest for natural resources. Thousands of hikers and equestrians enjoy this national treasure each year. Some only travel a few miles, while others complete every mile in a single season!  http://www.fs.fed.us/pct/


Continental Divide Trail - In 1978, Congress made a monumental decision, one that secured thefuture of the most scenic, wild and remote landscapes in America. They designated the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT), also known as the “King of Trails”. The vision for the CDT is a 3,100-mile primitive and challenging backcountry trail from Canada to Mexico along the backbone of America. Approximately 70% of the Trail is usable. However, many of those miles are in desperate need of repair, rerouting for sustainability, or
removed from roads and motorized trails. 
http://www.cdtrail.org/page.php?pname=home



North Country Trail
  • Longest National Scenic Trail in the United States (4600 miles when complete)
  • Administered by the National Park Service
  • Passes through 12 National Forests
  • Created by Congress in 1980; already has more trail completed than the Appalachian National Scenic Trail is long.
  • In 2010, volunteers contributed almost 70,000 hours toward building and maintaining the Trail and telling its story, a 14% increase over 2009, valued at $1.5million dollars!  http://northcountrytrail.org/


The Ice Age National Scenic Trail is a thousand-mile footpath - entirely within Wisconsin - that highlights these Ice Age landscape features while providing access to some of the state's most beautiful natural areas.http://www.iceagetrail.org/home


Natchez Trace Trail - http://www.walkingdownadream.com/trails_ntt.html





Bird Ridge Trail
http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/maps/birdridgetrailguide.pdf

Alaska Trail Head
http://aktrailhead.com/

Camper's Check List
http://www.nps.gov/klgo/planyourvisit/equipmentforchilkoottrail.htm
http://www.ahappycamper.com/services/checklist/

Meet Up Groups
http://www.meetup.com/AnchorageAdventurers/
http://www.meetup.com/Alaska-Social-Singles/

The Appalachian Trail, completed in 1937:
  • Is a privately managed unit of the national park system.
  • Is the nation's longest marked footpath, at approximately 2,181 miles.
  • Is the first completed national scenic trail, designated in 1968.
  • Crosses six other units of the national park system.
  • Traverses eight national forests.
  • Touches 14 states. Houses more than 2,000 occurrences of rare, threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant and animal species at about 535 sites.
  • Crosses numerous state and local forests and parks.
  • Is maintained by 31 trail clubs and multiple partnerships.
Approach trail starts in Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia, 8 miles South of Springer Mountain and the Trail ends 2,181 miles later at Mount Katahdin, Maine.
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.mqLTIYOwGlF/b.4850633/k.9733/Interactive_Map.htm


Potomac Heritage Trail - The Potomac Heritage Trail Association invites you to share the Vision of an evolving 800 mile network of braided trails, anchored in a continuous route connecting the Chesapeake Bay though the nation's capital to the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania.As befitting a resource of national significance, the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail provides a traveler with contrasting experiences of the changing topography along the corridor of the Potomac River and the upper Ohio River basin - from the tidewater expanses of southern Maryland and the Northern Neck of Virginia, past the fall line at the Great Falls of the Potomac, through the twin gaps of the Blue Ridge near Harpers Ferry and westward through the seemingly endless mountain ridges of western Maryland and southwestern Pennsylvania, crossing the Eastern Continental Divide, and on to the forks of the Ohio at Pittsburgh.

Whether progressing by foot, canoe or kayak or. in places by bicycle or horseback a traveler in the Trail corridor will encounter evidence of our Nation's heritage, from colonial settlements to the birthplaces and homes of founding fathers, from locations of encounters between Europeans and American Indians to Civil War battlefields. The traveler will also experience Washington, D.C. with its historic communities, museums and national landmarks.

The Trail corridor embraces a succession of earlier visions to connect the seaboard and the territories beyond the western mountains The traveler will pass over the National Road, follow the towpath of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and trace the route of some of the earliest railroad construction in the United States.

The ultimate gift of the Potomac Heritage Trail is one of connections between tidewater and mountain ridges: between the colonial past and the technological present: and among individuals who acknowledge and appreciate our varied environments, our heritage and the opportunity for self-propelled travel along natural and historic pathways and who are walling to work toward its completion.
http://www.potomactrail.org/