When we think about the National Park System, we don't always think of National Scenic Trails being part of the system, which is a huge mistake. Some of the country's greatest hiking trails are part of the system. Trails such as the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, the North Country National Scenic Trail, even the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.
But not all of the National Scenic Trails are part of the National Park System, and not all of them are in good shape, or even complete shape.
Jim Kern is president of Hiking Trails for America, co-founder of the American Hiking Society, founder of Big City Mountaineers, and one who can count some interesting international hiking adventures on his resume. He just came out with a new book, Broken Promise: The Plight Of Our National trails, An Appeal To The U.S. Congress On Behalf Of 47.9 Million Hikers.
It's a small book, fewer than 150 pages and measuring just 5 inches by 8 inches, that examines the current state of the 11 National Scenic Trails: the Arizona National Scenic Trail, the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, Florida National Scenic Trail, the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail, the New England National Scenic Trail, the North Country National Scenic Trail, the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, and the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.
Within the covers of his book Kern paints the National Trails System as a largely ignored aspect of the country's public lands. For instance, he said, most of the trails are not even complete. Many require hikers to divert from the main trail and pick it back up further down the way.
"We have plenty of open land in America and we ought to have complete trails, continuous trails, and we don't," said Kern. "Of the 11 National Scenic trails, only one is continuous from end-to-end. That's the Appalachian Trail. And why is it continuous? It's continuous because in the legislation in 1968 that created the National Trails System and created the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Congress provided eminent domain" to obtain land to make the A.T. continuous.
Through the use of eminent domain, the Park Service was able to fill in the missing sections of the trail -- roughly 700 miles --, albeit at a fair cost to the landowners, he said.
"Now, that project of acquiring 2,500 separate parcels (to complete the A.T.) took 30 years. But about 10 years ago, it was fair to say the Appalachian Trail was complete," he said during a call to his Florida home. "When they tapped 10 more National Scenic trails to be part of a national system, they did not offer these trails what they had to have. They did not offer them what they offered the A.T. - eminent domain."
The Pacific Crest Trail is not yet one protected path from Mexico to Canada, and according to the trail association it would require $250 million to acquire the outstanding 1,500 tracts of land needed to make the Pacific Crest Trail whole, wrote Kern in his book.
Another part of the problem with the National Trails System, Kern added, is the disparity in funding the trails.
"The government ought to treat these trails about the same. It's very, very out of balance right now. The big guys are getting all the money," he said. "The Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, those two out of 11, have taken 50 percent of the available funds."
Today, he went on, 25 percent of the National Scenic Trails are not complete.
"Our trails will never be complete until we bite the bullet and we can convince Congress that this is what we need," said Kern.
While the Appalachian Trail is continuous from Maine to Georgia, money is being spent on protecting viewsheds along the path, he pointed out. "I think that's lovely, but you know, I've got the Florida (Scenic Trail), 300 miles of paved road walking. I think we ought to prioritize this kind of need," added Kern.
What's the solution? It's not that difficult, he said. The Land and Water Conservation Fund exists for just this kind of job, said Kern.
"Last year Congress permanently funded the Land and Water Conservation Fund," which helps fund expansions of national parks, national forests, and endangered lands, he said. "The Land and Water Conservation Fund comes from the extraction industries. If you're taking limestone out of the ground, silver out of the ground, oil out of the ground, you pay a tiny sum to the federal government for extracting that material. And that tiny amount turns out to be gigantic in terms of the needs that are being supplied by the Land and Water Conservation Fund."
Another surprising thing that Kern brought up in his book was that he doesn't think that all trails that hold that "National Scenic Trail" designation should be considered a National Scenic Trail. Two trails he mentions in that regard are the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail and the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.
One problem with the Natchez Trace Scenic Trail, explained Kern, is it's so close to the Natchez Trace Parkway that you never get away from the sound of traffic.
"You can often even see the cars, not just hear them," he said, adding that "there's so little interest for this thing that they've only created 60 miles out of a 440-mile parkway. They've only created 60 miles of trail. And now here's the killer for you: That 60 miles is broken into five pieces. They've had enough years to make something happen good out there and they haven't done it. Get rid of that sucker. Throw that baby out with the bath."
As for the Potomac Heritage trail, Kern said it's a fragmented mess.
"If you get the government map that's put out by the Park Service it doesn't say Potomac Heritage Trail. It says Potomac Heritage," said Kern. "Well, there's a good reason for that, because there's really no long footpath. In the Potomac Heritage system it's more like a collection of isolated trails, or trails that aren't suitable to be extended, or are part bicycle trail and part hiking trail."
National Scenic Trails, he said, should be able to meet a bare minimum set of requirements, requirements that touch on minimum trail length, trail clubs responsible for maintaining the trail, even minimum and maximum trail grades. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail would be a worthy prototype, said Kern.
To address the equities Kern outlines in his book, he wants Congress to take up the issue.
"I think Congress needs to address several problems with our National Scenic Trails," he said. "I could get on a soapbox on this subject, but I just hope that people will go to my website, sign the petition, and it will get enough people that we can press Congress for an oversight hearing."
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