Saturday is National Trails Day. Since 1993, the first Saturday of June has been set aside as a way to celebrate our nation’s trails, either by recreating on them or working to improve them.
Today, we highlight 5 National Trails Day events with particular promise.
If you’re not doing anything a week from Saturday … it’s nobody’s fault but your own.
A week from Saturday, June 4, the first Saturday in June, is National Trails Day. As it’s been since its inception in 1993, it’s a day set side for us to celebrate our nation’s trails at NTD-designated events, of which there are 368 nationwide.
We get so much from our trails in a year. Is it too much to ask that we give a little back on just one day? That day being this Saturday, June 5?
For a few decades now, the first Saturday of June has been National Trails Day. It’s a day when we celebrate our trails, sometimes by doing maintenance, sometimes by simply taking a hike. In North Carolina this National Trails Day, 15 events have been registered with the American Hiking Society, which sponsors the annual event.
Back in March, way back in March, the American Hiking Society faced a dilemma. National Trails Day, observed the first Saturday in June since the early 1990s, would have to look different this year.
In the past, the day was marked by hundreds of events nationwide at which people would gather to build trail, maintain trail or simply to hike. It was an opportunity to gather with others and celebrate the trails we love. It was as much about enjoying the company of fellow hikers as it was about the trail itself.
When National Trails Day got its start in the early 1990s, it was gauged by the number of events and participants.
And today?
“Media impressions,” of which there were more than 900 million in 2018.
For the past 25 years, the American Hiking Society has decreed the first Saturday in June to be National Trails Day, a day of celebration for our beloved hiking, biking and equestrian trails. Events around the country celebrate by holding trail workdays, hikes and various celebratory events. It’s a great opportunity to get out and let your local trails know how much you appreciate them.
