National Scenic Trail is a designation for protected area

Protected area

Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...

s in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 that consist of trails of particular natural beauty.

National Scenic Trails were authorized under the National Trails System Act of 1968  (Public Law 90-543) along with National Historic Trail

National Historic Trail

National Historic Trail is a designation for a protected area in the United States containing historic trails and surrounding areas. They are part of the National Trails System....

s and National Recreation Trail

National Recreation Trail

National Recreation Trail is a designation given to existing trails that contribute to health, conservation, and recreation goals in the United States. Over 1,000 trails in all 50 U.S. states, available for public use and ranging from less than a mile to in length, have been designated as NRTs...

s. National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails may only be designated by an act of Congress.

List of National Scenic Trails

Trail Name	Year Established	Length Authorized (miles)
Appalachian National Scenic Trail Appalachian Trail The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...	1968	2,174
Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance mountain hiking and equestrian trail on the Western Seaboard of the United States. The southern terminus is at the California border with Mexico...	1968	2,638
Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Continental Divide Trail The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail is a United States National Scenic Trail running 3,100 miles between Mexico and Canada. It follows the Continental Divide along the Rocky Mountains and traverses five U.S. states — Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico...	1978	3,100
North Country National Scenic Trail North Country Trail The North Country National Scenic Trail , which stretches approximately from Crown Point in eastern New York to Lake Sakakawea in central North Dakota in the United States, is the longest of the eleven National Scenic Trails authorized by Congress...	1980	4,600
Ice Age National Scenic Trail Ice Age Trail The Ice Age Trail is a designated National Scenic Trail in the United States that will run some through the state of Wisconsin once completed. The trail is administered by the National Park Service, and is constructed and maintained by numerous private and public agencies including, most notably,...	1980	1,200
Florida National Scenic Trail	1983	1,400
Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail Potomac Heritage Trail The ', also known as the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail or the PHT, is a designated National Scenic Trail corridor in the northeastern United States that will connect various trails and historic sites in the states of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia...	1983	700
Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail Natchez Trace Trail The Natchez Trace Trail is a designated National Scenic Trail in the United States whose route generally follows sections of the Natchez Trace Parkway through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi...	1983	695
Arizona National Scenic Trail Arizona Trail The Arizona National Scenic Trail is a National Scenic Trail from Mexico to Utah that traverses the whole north-south length of Arizona. The trail begins at the Coronado National Memorial near the US-Mexico border and moves north through parts of the Huachuca, Santa Rita, and Rincon Mountains; it...	2009	807
Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail Pacific Northwest Trail The Pacific Northwest Trail , now designated as the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, is a 1200 mile hiking trail running from the Continental Divide in Montana , through the northern panhandle of Idaho, to the Pacific coast of Washington's Olympic Peninsula...	2009	1,200
New England National Scenic Trail New England National Scenic Trail The New England National Scenic Trail is a National Scenic Trail in southern New England, which includes most of the three single trails Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, Mattabesett Trail and Metacomet Trail. After the Metacomet-Monadnock-Mattabesett trail system, the trail is sometimes called Triple-M...	2009	220
|Total:	18,734

See also

• National Historic Trail
  National Historic Trail
  National Historic Trail is a designation for a protected area in the United States containing historic trails and surrounding areas. They are part of the National Trails System....
  
  
• National Recreation Trail
  National Recreation Trail
  National Recreation Trail is a designation given to existing trails that contribute to health, conservation, and recreation goals in the United States. Over 1,000 trails in all 50 U.S. states, available for public use and ranging from less than a mile to in length, have been designated as NRTs...
  
  
• List of long-distance footpaths

External links

• The National Trails System Act of 1968