Archived Outdoors

National Trails Day breaks records

The numbers are in, and this year’s National Trails Day, organized at locations across the country by the American Hiking Society on June 4, offered more trail activities than any other year since the inaugural year 1993. 

Nationwide, 2,391 activities including hiking, biking, horseback riding, trail maintenance, paddling, geocaching, trail dedications and children’s activities took place in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, enticing more than 168,000 adventure-seekers to explore parks and trails.       

The activities resulted in 296,400 miles hiked, 164,200 miles biked, 29,500 miles paddled and 20,900 miles traveled on horseback, as well as 25,900 trail volunteers putting in $2.8 million of sweat equity in trail projects. 

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.