Time to Hit the Trail! Celebrating National Trails Day

Pinhoti Trail – Alabama/Georgia

Thanks to the work of The Conservation Fund and our partners, the Pinhoti Trail is now 339 miles long and connects, through the Benton MacKaye Trail, with the Appalachian Trail in Springer Mountain, Georgia. Designated as a Millennium Legacy Trail, the Pinhoti Trail is best accessed at its southern terminus, the Flagg Mountain Trailhead, which offers an open-air shelter, kiosks and parking area for explorers to set out on their trek within the beautiful Alabama wilderness. Look for light blue blazes with the logo mark of a turkey track, chosen because “Pinhoti” is a Creek Indian word meaning “turkey home.”

Fort to Sea Trail (part of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail) – Oregon

Captain Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and their Corps of Volunteers for Northwest Discovery reached the Pacific Ocean on the present-day border of Oregon and Washington at the mouth of the Columbia River, where they built Fort Clatsop. The 6.5-mile Fort to Sea Trail winds through the woods south of Fort Clatsop to Sunset Beach on the Pacific Ocean, cutting through deep woods, muddy bogs and windswept beaches. To date, through our Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Initiative, the Fund has helped conserve more than 25,000 acres along the famous route, including land protected at the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in Oregon and Washington.

Virtually hike the Fort to Sea Trail with The Conservation Fund and Google Trekker!

Fiery Gizzard Trail – Tennessee

The Fiery Gizzard Trail is approximately 17 miles long, stretching from Tracy City to Foster Falls in Marion County, Tennessee, and is one of the top hiking trails in the nation. Half the trail had been privately owned, and The Conservation Fund worked with partners to protect it permanently. Located in the heart of the South Cumberland Plateau, Fiery Gizzard is more than just fun to say! It is one of the most intact, biologically diverse natural landscapes remaining in the eastern United States, and home to some of Tennessee’s most beautiful natural areas and incomparable recreational opportunities.

Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail – Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, New York

Does a trail have to be on solid ground? Not necessarily! You can row or paddle the waters of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, which travels nearly 3,000 miles across the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers through several states. The Conservation Fund led the creation of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, the first entirely water-based trail in the National Trail System. Officially launched in 2007, the trail has been expanded to include rivers beyond the reach of Smith’s historic travels. This trail provides an unparalleled opportunity to learn about Native American history, early English settlement and the Chesapeake Bay’s natural resources through trail maps and guidebooks, classroom and field experiences, museum and website exhibits and interpretive buoys.

Paddle along with The Conservation Fund on a virtual exploration with Google Trekker.

Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail – Alabama

Not all trails are hikes through the forest! The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail follows the route of the 1965 Voting Rights March in Alabama, which began in Selma and continued 54 miles until the Alabama state capitol building in Montgomery. The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail consists of three National Park Service Interpretive Centers: Selma Interpretive Center in Selma; Lowndes Interpretive Center in White Hall; and Montgomery Interpretive Center, in Montgomery on the campus of Alabama State University.