October 2, 1968 – President Lyndon Johnson Signs Into Law the National Trails System Act 1968

Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson, chose as her project as First Lady the beautification of the nation’s cities and highways. But she was not the only one in the family advocating the important role of nature for the country’s citizens.

President Johnson was also an aficionado of the great outdoors, and in February 1965 in a special message to Congress he wrote:

For centuries Americans have drawn strength and inspiration from the beauty of our country. It would be a neglectful generation indeed, indifferent alike to the judgment of history and the command of principle, which failed to preserve and extend such a heritage for its descendants.”

As part of his proposals to remedy the situation he opined:

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.”

He announced he was requesting that the Secretary of the Interior form a committee to come up with a program for a national system of trails.

In response to its recommendations, Congress passed the National Trails System Act, signed into law by President Johnson on this date in history. (Pub.L. 90–543, 82 Stat. 919, enacted October 2, 1968, codified at 16 U.S.C. § 1241 et seq. It has been amended numerous times since its passage,[1] most recently on October 18, 2004 (Pub.L. 108–342).

Florida National Scenic Trail

The Act as originally written created a series of National trails “to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nation.” Specifically, the Act authorized three types of trails: the National Scenic Trails, National Recreation Trails and connecting-and-side trails. The 1968 Act also created two national scenic trails: the Appalachian and the Pacific Crest; and requested that an additional fourteen trail routes be studied for possible inclusion.

In 1978, as a result of the study of trails that were most significant for their historic associations, a fourth category of trail was added: the National Historic Trails.

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

Today, the National Trails System (NTS) includes 11 National Scenic Trails and 19 National Historic Trails authorized by Congress, and more than 1,200 National Recreation Trails (including 21 National Water Trails). Preservation and development of Rail Trails is also fostered in this act.

The National Park Service administers 21; the Bureau of Land Management administers one; and the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management jointly administer two. The U.S. Forest Service administers six.

You can find highlights of some of the trails here along with pictures and links to websites and trail maps.

Unfortunately, the Trump Administration was not as enamored of public lands as was Johnson. In 2017, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) pointed to “a larger pattern of Trump Administration rules and policies undermining America’s national parks and public lands.” Furthermore, the Trump Administration made “more than 30 dangerous and destructive decisions about America’s public lands in 2017.” NPCA has a video detailing ten of the “lowlights” of the Trump Administration’s actions hostile to national parks, here.