New book on NRTs will highlight diversity of trails

From Trail Tracks, New Years 2004

American Trails is proud to be working with the authors of what will be a beautiful celebration of National Recreation Trails nationwide. Photographer Charles Gurche, and author Kai Huschke will highlight the voices of 75 of the trails in Trailing America: Our National Recreation Trails. They recently co-produced Washington's Wilderness Areas: The Complete Guide for Westcliffe Publishers.

The large format book will contain 150-175 photographs along with stories and personal essays to illuminate the varied dimensions and natural splendor of each trail. The appendices will provide a list of all designated National Recreation Trails, their locations, suggestions on maps, and reference material to guide readers to the trails.

American Trails, as the manager of the NRT website and online database, was asked by the authors to help them select trails for the book. We have been working with our NRT partnersÑ the National Park Service and USDA Forest ServiceÑ as well as NRT trail managers, State Trails Programs, and trail organizations nationwide on the project.

In 1968 the National Trails System Act was enacted to preserve and maintain access to our nation's unique natural and historic places. The largest portion of the system, National Recreation Trails, is now in its 35th year, with over 900 trails traversing 9,000 miles in all 50 states. NRTs are not linked together physically, but through history, the land, and the people of today. From wilderness to cities to rural outposts to national parks, the National Recreation Trail program is an amazing national resource.

The National Recreation Trails Program:

Home Page
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More resources:

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The Bureau of Land Management is a supporter and partner in the National Trails Training Partnership: working to make training more available. The BLM Trail Management Process course is a comprehensive model for trails education.