165,000 miles of adventure
On national forests every day is National Trails Day. There is a trail for everyone, year-round.Across the country, 165,000 miles of Forest Service managed trails wind up, down and through the landscape. End-to-end, those trails could circle the globe more than six times, making the Forest Service the proud managers of the biggest trail system in the world…
#Recreation, #HikingTrails, #NationalTrailsDay, #Trails
National Forests and Grasslands App
Your Pocket-Sized Forest Service GuideWe rely on our phones more than ever. Third-party apps can be outdated or inaccurate. Visitors have told us loud and clear—they want authoritative trail and recreation info straight from the Forest Service. Introducing the National Forests and Grasslands app…
#Maps, #Recreation, #HikingTrails, #Trails, #Visitors, #InteractiveVisitorMap
Three cheers for volunteers
Join Woody Owl and friends on National Public Lands Day as we lend a hand and care for the (public!) lands! (Forest Service photo by Cecilio Ricardo)
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur AsheFor more than 100 years, USDA Forest Service volunteers have embodied…
#NationalPublicLandsDay, #Environment, #Partnerships, #Trails, #Recreation
Repairing the great outdoors
Last year we talked about national forests being like our favorite sweaters — much loved but getting a bit frazzled around the edges and needing some repairs. The kind of unraveling that happens to older vault toilets, bridges, trails and more.So, as Aug. 4 rolls around for the fifth year of the Legacy Restoration Fund established by Great American Outdoors Act, let’s check in on five projects…
#GreatAmericanOutdoorsAct, #Trails, #TrailMaintenance, #Restoration, #Recreation
Trail Management Toolbox - Terms
Below is the agency’s online dictionary of common trail terminology, with definitions, photos and illustrations. These terms may appear in various trail publications and Forest Service policy. If there is a conflict in the definition, Forest Service policy is the authority. Many of the diagrams or illustrations are adapted from engineered plans featured on the Plans for Trail and Trail…
#Trails, #Recreation, #Infrastructure, #Construction, #Streams, #Soil, #Restoration
Trail Maintenance and Construction Notebook
This field guide is for agency staff, partners, volunteers, and all who help build or maintain trails. First published in 1996, this 2025 edition is the fourth revision of the notebook. It includes detailed descriptions of how to plan, build, maintain, improve, and decommission (or obliterate) all types of trails and trail structures. The new edition features updated construction techniques, diagrams, and sustainability concepts.