Status of the Nationwide Digital Trails Dataset

By National Digital Trails May 13, 2022

Since June 2021, the USGS has added or updated trails data from five state sources. The nationwide digital trails dataset is now up to 277,254 miles! In addition, we’ve reviewed and updated the USGS nationwide trails dataset with the most current National Recreation Trail (NRT) designation information. You can learn more about NRTs and how to become a Trail Ambassador by visiting American Trails.

Thanks to the New Hampshire Geographically Referenced Analysis and Information Transfer System (5,882), the California Coastal Commission (1,506), the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (218), Kentucky State Parks (372) and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (968), the nationwide digital trails dataset is now up to 277,254 miles! The dataset includes trails from four federal agencies, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and 36 states. The four federal agencies include Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and U.S. Forest Service. The table below details current state data contributors. Visit Trails Explorer to see our most current trails dataset.

NOTE: If you manage an authoritative public domain trail dataset that you think should be included in the nationwide dataset, please contact trails@usgs.gov.

State Trail Contributors to USGS Nationwide Trails Database — The image above shows an *example* of what a project might look like. There are a series of existing trails shown by black dashed lines on a topographic basemap. Protected Lands of the US are highlighted by color. Within the Area of Interest, denoted by a red polygon, proposed connector routes have been generated between existing trails and are ranked according to terrain constraint by color: red, yellow, and green.

TRAILS Sample Project — Current collaborators in the TRAILS database displayed in a chart by state, year and miles

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