Hundreds of Thousands of Americans Drawn to Trails

July 7, 2016

Golden, CO—American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day^® (NTD) motivated outdoor enthusiasts all across America to venture into parks and forests on June 4, 2016. Individuals, trail clubs, non-profits, businesses, and land managers hosted thousands of events from coast to coast in honor of NTD.

This year event hosts offered Americans more trail activities than any other year since 1993, when NTD was first launched. Nationwide, 2,391 activities including hiking, biking, horseback riding, trail maintenance, paddling, geocaching, trail dedications and children activities took place in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. NTD events enticed more than 168,000 adventure-seekers to explore parks and trails.

• 70,900 hikers and trail runners hit the trail at 1,148 events traveling a cumulative distance on foot of 296,400 miles—a distance equivalent to hiking around the Earth 16 times!
• 8,200 cyclists attended 100 bike rides and pedaled a cumulative distance of 164,200 miles.
• 4,000 paddlers attended 72 paddle trips covering 29,500 miles.
• 1,700 equestrians attended 21 horseback trips and rode a cumulative distance of 20,900 miles.

Volunteers made great improvements to critical trail sections across America. Trail stewardship projects brought out 25,900 trail volunteers taking part in 466 projects, building and maintaining 1,200 miles of trails—a value of $2.8 million in sweat equity. “For the last 24 years, individuals from coast to coast have rallied in support of America’s magnificent trails system on the first Saturday of June each year,” remarks Gregory Miller, American Hiking Society President. “The growth and impact of NTD over the years reveals America’s enthusiasm for trails and outdoor experiences. We are looking forward to an even more impactful NTD next year for the 25^th anniversary of NTD.” 

American Hiking’s National Trails Day® is made possible by the generous support of Corporate Sponsors – Columbia, Hi-Tec, Eddie Bauer, Therm-A-Rest, Buff, Superfeet, Save The Redwoods League, and Federal Partners – National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Federal Highway Administration, and U.S. Forest Service.

Founded in 1976, American Hiking Society is the only national, recreation-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s hiking trails, their surrounding natural areas and the hiking experience.  To learn more about American Hiking Society and its mission and programs, visit AmericanHiking.org  or call (301) 565-6704.