Pacific Crest Trail, California MY PUBLIC LANDS Junior Ranger Find Your Path! Discover America’s National Historic, Scenic, and Recreation Trails Oregon Trail, Wyoming Iditarod Trail, Alaska What’s Inside Public Lands Belong to You! 2 The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a federal government These are Your agency that cares for public lands. These lands are managed Trails, America! for many different uses and belong to all Americans. BLM lands provide energy resources, such as coal, oil, and natural gas. 4 They provide access to outdoor recreation opportunities, like Time Travel on hiking, camping, hunting, and fishing. They provide habitat for National Historic wildlife, food for grazing animals, and timber for people. The Trails lands contain evidence of the past, such as dinosaur bones and plant fossils. Archaeological sites on public 6 lands help us learn about people who lived Visit Your here long ago. Each year, millions of people Historic Trails explore the wide open spaces on their public lands! 7 Food for Trail Travelers 8 Adventure Awaits on National Scenic Trails 9 Tips for Terrific Trail Photos 10 Fun for Everyone on National BLM-managed lands Recreation Trails (Small sites in eastern states do not appear on a map of this scale.) 11 A-Mazing Mountain Biking Become a BLM 12 Junior Ranger! Packing Smart for The Junior Ranger program introduces Your Trail Adventure young adventurers like you to the lands and resources of the Bureau of Land Management. We invite you to join the adventure! Learn more at blm.gov/education. Find Your Path! 1 Explore 19 Historic Trails Over 33,000 miles connecting to America’s past! Discover 11 Scenic Trails More than 18,000 miles of spectacular scenery! Play on Hundreds of Recreation Trails Over 26,000 miles for fun and adventure! These Are Your Trails, PA CIFIC In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson NORTHW EST NAT MAIN E IONAL SCENIC CANADA TRAIL signed a bill into law called the National EN C IC S T L A R N A O Trails System Act. The purpose of the law I T . I V T N A A TO OT L G N IN H H DAK S T A R W O N Y R T was to provide more outdoor recreation . N OU C N.H H NORT 2 P opportunities for the American people. NEW ENGLAND A C A MONTAN NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL I F A S. Two trails were designated “national I N L S AGE N IO S MA C AT E C C I E NEW . C CONN N R RK scenic trails”—the Appalachian YO I E . C R.I S NSIN T ISCO W T R Trail in the east and the Pacific N A N A A MICHI G GO N A I T E OR HO MINNE SOT L I IDA OTA K Crest Trail in the west. The law O A NI A SOUTH D SYLV A N PENN A also called for more new trails to be L NG YOMI W S C N.J . established for people of different E N IC HI O . A O MD ages, abilities, and interests. T IOW DEL . R A IA NA I SK A IND L L NEB RA I OIS POTOMAC HERITAGE IN A ILL WEST R T NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL VIRGINIA Since 1968, many more trails have IC N E C A S been added to the National Trails NEV AD A L RG INI A VI N NATIONAL SCENIC TRAILS O System. Today, there are a total of I T Y KENTUCK A TAH U N 30 historic and scenic trails and N NS AS KA IA H C hundreds of recreation trails. The BLM L OURI I SS A H MI L NORT A LORADO A R CO L A I P OLIN T P CAR A and other government agencies manage A A R C R I T NI A SEE I FOR N TENNES CALI Z C E I these national trails for all Americans to O SA S KAN N C AR ATLANTIC N E S TH A SO U C OCEAN S enjoy—now and in the future! L LIN A N CA RO A L A A N OMA ARIZONA T AH O OKL N TRAIL I I O O T I Bureau of Land Management N A T A N A GI A OR GE L E N A M LABA A D S I E m ICO National Park Syste C V MEX C W I NE E A N D R I T C L A National Forest System N A IZ O Z AR E T T IAN A H R LOUIS C N A T E A I I L N ISSIPP PACIFIC I N MI SS Fish and Wildlife Service T N S OCEAN TEX A A O FLOR ID C A L RID NATIONA AIL FLO TR SCENIC MEXICO President X IC O N G U L F O F M E Lyndon Johnson examines a map ALASK A of trails in 1968. Think about it... President Johnson said, “We can and should have an abundance of trails for walking, cycling, and horseback riding in and close to our cities.” What do you think? SKA #FindYourWayGUL F O F ALA I C O C E A N at trails50.org.PA C I F America! National Scenic Trails National PA CIFIC NORTHW EST NAT scenic trails M AIN E IONAL SCENIC CANADA TRAIL EN pass through C IC S T L A R N areas that have A O I T . I V T N A A TO OT L G N IN H H DAK S T A R W O N scenic, historic, Y R T . N OU C N.H H NORT natural, or cultural P NEW ENGLAND A C A MONTAN qualities. NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL I F A S. I AGE N ION L S MAS C AT E C C I E NEW . C CONN N R RK YO I E . C R.I S NSIN T ISCO W T R N A N A A MICHI G GO N A I 3 T E OR HO MINNE SOT L I IDA OTA K O A NI A SOUTH D SYLV A N PENN A L NG YOMI W S C N.J . E N IC HI O . A O MD T IOW DEL . R A IA NA I SK A IND L L NEB RA I OIS POTOMAC HERITAGE IN A ILL WEST R T NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL VIRGINIA IC N E C A S NEV AD A L RG INI A VI N NATIONAL SCENIC TRAILS IO T Y H KENTUCK A UTA N N NS AS KA IA H L URI C I SSO A H MI L NORT A LORADO A R CO L A I P OLIN T P CAR A A A R C R I T NI A SEE I FOR N TENNES CALI Z C E I O SA S KAN N C AR ATLANTIC N E S TH A SO U C OCEAN S L LIN A N CA RO A L A A N OMA ARIZONA T AH O OKL N TRAIL I I O O T I Bureau of Land Management N A T A N A GI A OR GE L E N A M LABA A D S I E m ICO National Park Syste C V MEX C W I NE E A N D R I T C L A National Forest System N A IZ O Z AR E T T IAN A H R LOUIS C N A T E A I I L N ISSIPP PACIFIC I N MI SS Fish and Wildlife Service T N S OCEAN TEX A A O FLOR ID C A L RID NATIONA AIL FLO TR SCENIC MEXICO X IC O G U L F O F M E N ALASK A #FindYourWay at trails50.org. National Historic Trails SKA GUL F O F ALA National recreation trails N National C I F I C O C E A PA provide opportunities National historic trails for fun and exploration Recreation Trails follow routes of travel in urban, rural, and remote areas. that were important in the history of the United States. Time Travel on National National historic trails closely follow historical travel routes. They represent important periods in United States history, from early exploration and trade to westward expansion. Historic trails celebrate the hundreds of thousands of emigrants who traveled to make their homes in the west. They also remind us of the challenges and hardships of Native Americans. Many of 4 these trails were routes traveled by Native Americans for hundreds to thousands of years. In the nation’s early years, trails and rivers were the primary connections between towns and farms, cities, and settlements. As the nation grew in size, Americans looked westward for new opportunities. First on foot and horseback and later in wagons, people took to the trails and headed west. The Emigrant Trails: Moving People Westward ONWARD to OREGON GOING for GOLD Destination: GREAT The trip across In 1848, gold was SALT LAKE the Great Plains discovered in For Mormons and the Rocky California. Fortune in the Eastern Mountains was seekers from all United States, difficult. Among the first to over the world set out by land the 1840s were a difficult set out for the new territory and sea for the new territory.