Bureau of Outdoor Recreation. Trails for America
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Outdoor Recreation UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF OUTDOOR RECREATION WASHINGTON. D.C. 20240 September 16, 1966 Hon. Stewart L. Udali Secretary of the Interior Hon. Orville L. Freeman Secretary of Agriculture Washington, D.C. Dear Secretary Udall and Secretary Freeman: In April 1965 Secretary Udall requested the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation to take the lead in a nationwide trails study. This assignment was made in response to President Johnson's Natural Beauty Message of February 8, 1965, in which he called for development and protection of a balanced system of trails—in the Nation's metropolitan areas as well as in the countryside—in cooperation with State and local governments and private interests. He called for such a trail system to help protect and enhance the total quality of the outdoor environment as well as to provide much needed opportunities for healthful outdoor recreation. The President said: The forgotten outdoorsmen of today are those who like to walk, hike, ride horseback, or bicycle. For them we must have trails as well as highways. Nor should motor vehicles be permitted to tyrannize the more leisurely human traffic. Old and young alike can participate. Our doctors recommend and encourage such activity for fitness and fun. I am requesting, therefore, that the Secretary of the Interior work with his colleagues in the Federal Government and with State and local leaders and recommend to me a co- operative program to encourage a national system of trails, building up the more than hundred thousand miles of trails in our national forests and parks. There are many new and exciting trail projects underway across the land. In Arizona, a county has arranged for miles of irrigation canal banks to be used by riders and hikers. In Illinois, an abandoned railroad right-of-way is being developed as a "Prairie Path." In Mexico utility rights-of-way are used as public trails. As with so much of our quest for beauty and quality, each community has opportunities for action. We can and should have an abundance of trails for walking, cycling, and horseback riding, in and close to our cities. In the back country we need to copy the great Appalachian Trail in all parts of America, and to make full use of rights-of-way and other public paths. A four-member Steering Committee was appointed to conduct the study. The Steering Committee, representing four Federal agencies, consisted of: Daniel M. Ogden, Jr., Assistant Director for Planning and Research, Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, Department of the Interior, chairman; Hamilton K. Pyles, Deputy Chief, Forest Service, Department of Agri- culture; Theodore L. Swem, Assistant Director, Cooperative Activities, National Park Service, Department of the Interior; and Eldon F. Holmes, Chief, Recreational Staff, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior. In formulating a nationwide trails program, the Steering Committee's objectives were to: 1. Describe existing trail systems. 2. Assess the adequacy of existing trail programs to serve present and prospective users. 3. Suggest the appropriate role for the Federal Government, State governments, local gov- ernments, and private interests in providing new recreation trails. 4. Recommend Federal legislation to foster development of a balanced and adequate Nationwide System of Trails. The Steering Committee considered three principal types of recreation trails: long "trunk" trails which would permit extended hiking or riding trips; trails on units of public land which would open important recreation areas to public use and enjoyment; and trails which could be located in and near urban centers to provide more limited hiking and riding experiences within easy reach of people's homes. Many agencies assisted in gathering data, exploring new concepts, and preparing material. Among participating Federal agencies, in addition to those represented on the steering committee, were the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior. Cooperation also was extended by many interested State and local agencies and by private groups and individuals. The Steering Committee called upon the participating agencies to study particular long trails and invited all Federal land managing agencies to review their systems of recreation trails and to recommend specific actions to strengthen them. The Bureau of Outdoor Recreation in carrying out study assignments cooperated closely with State and local governments to determine trail opportunities in State parks and forests, and developed criteria for trails in and near metropolitan areas. The study served as a basis for an Adminstration bill which would authorize the establish- ment of a Nationwide System of Trails. This bill, submitted to the Congress March 31, 1966, was followed by the introduction of legislation in the Senate and House of Representatives. The study also led to the granting of a total of $367,436 to 12 urban areas for trail development. Grants were made by Secretary Udall in July 1966 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to Arlington County, Virginia; Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; Detroit, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; New York City; Omaha, Nebraska; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; San Francisco, California; and Seattle, Wash- ington. These pilot projects were intended to demonstrate the benefits of urban trail development and point the way to similar development in other populated areas. I am pleased to submit the report of the Steering Committee: "Trails for America." It con- tains necessary detail and other information to support the proposed Nationwide System of Trails. The Administration's legislative proposal and this report, together, form a blueprint for a comprehensive, long range program of recreation trail development in this country. Sincerely yours, Edward C. Crafts Director "We need to copy the great Appalachian Trail in all parts of America!'—President Johnson CONTENTS Summary of Recommendations Page 13 National Scenic Trails 14 Park and Forest Trails 16 Metropolitan Area Trails 16 Introduction 19 Trail Efforts Today 19 Need for Trails 20 NATIONAL SCENIC TRAILS Chapter 1: Principles in the Establishment of National Scenic Trails 24 Administration 25 Land Requirements and Control 27 Construction Standards 28 Recreation Use 28 Feeder and Access Trails 29 Financing 29 Impact on Localities 30 Chapter 2: Appalachian Trail 32 Historical Development 32 Present use 33 Location 35 Land Ownership 42 Administrative Responsibility 42 Construction Standards 46 Trail Use 46 Feeder and Access Trails 46- Costs 47 Financing 48 Impact on Localities 49 Chapter 3: Proposed National Scenic Trails Page 50 Pacific Crest Trail 50 Location 51 Land Ownership 51 Administration 56 Uses 56 Feeder and Access Trails 57 Effects on Present Uses 57 Potomac Heritage Trail 59 Location 59 Land Ownership 62 Administration 63 Construction Standards 64 Uses 64 Feeder and Access Trails 66 Effects on Present Uses 66 Continental Divide Trail 67 Location 70 Land Ownership 72 Administration 72 Uses 72 Feeder and Access Trails 73 Effects on Present Uses 73 Chapter 4: Potential National Scenic Trails 74 Lewis and Clark Trail 74 Evaluation 78 Oregon Trail 79 Evaluation 80 North Country Trail 83 Evaluation 81 Natchez Trace 83 Evaluation 88 Santa Fe Trail 86 Evaluation 88 PARK AND FOREST TRAILS Chapter 5: Federal Trails 92 Present Status 92 Recommended Program 94 Agency Programs 97 Forest Service 97 National Park Service 101 Bureau of Land Management 104 Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife 104 Bureau of Indian Affairs 106 Bureau of Reclamation 109 Chapter 6: State Trails Page 110 Present Efforts 110 New England 110 Middle Atlantic 112 South 112 Midwest 113 West 114 Adequacy 116 Recommended Program 116 METROPOLITAN AREA TRAILS Chapter 7: City and County Programs 120 Status of Programs 121 Public Trail Efforts 121 Private Trail Efforts 126 Meeting the Need 128 Opportunities for Trail Location 130 Responsibility for Action 133 The Federal Government Should 133 The States Should 134 Local Agencies Should 135 Private Groups Should 135 Appendices: A. Trails for Metropolitan Area Needs— An example drawn from the Washington, D.C. Area 137 B. Letter of March 31, 1966, from Secretary Udall Transmitting the Nationwide System of Trails bill to the Congress 149 TABLES 1. Land ownership along the Appalachian Trail, by States, in miles _____________________________ Page 42 2. Summary of costs, Appalachian Trail (10-year period) _____________________________________ 47 3. Land ownership along the Pacific Crest Trail, by States, in miles _____________________________ 51 4. Land ownership along the Potomac Heritage Trail, by States, in miles ________________________ 62 5. Land ownership along the proposed Continental Divide Trail, by States, in miles __________________ 72 6. Existing trail mileage on Federal lands, by States and Territories ________________________________ 93 7. Proposed trail construction or reconstruction on Federal lands, by States and Territories, in miles _ 95 8. Existing trail mileage in National Forests, by States and Territories ___________________________ 98 9. Proposed trail construction or reconstruction in National Forests, by States and including Puerto Rico, in miles _________________________________ 99 10. Existing trail mileage in National Parks, by States and Territories ________________________________ 100 11. Proposed