Tentative National Trails
The following list of trails all tentatively qualify for a "National Trail" designation but are still under study by the Department of the Interior. They all exist in some form of completion and every one will offer you a great wilderness experience.
We list these to assist you in finding a wilderness challenge that is either near you or something that is up to your personal outdoor skills. All of them can be trekked for most, if not all, of their noted distances.
Every year a few hearty hikers take out "Thru Permits" for an entire trail. However, shorter trips for a day, the weekend, or even longer hikes into extremely scenic and historic wilderness areas can be accomplished. Some offer "Family Hikes" of short duration and easy walks for hikers of all ages. Check with the local authorities for current trail information and permits, if needed.
Some of these trails will eventually be designated as "Scenic" and others as "Historic". Once approved by the DOI they require another approval from Congress. Once this occurs, their continued value to us all as a wilderness experience will be protected forever by the National Park Service.
For other trails already on the register of national Trails, please see the National Scenic and Historical Trails list. It identifies 27 existing and under construction trails all over the nation.
Trail Name |
Length in Miles |
Approximate Location |
North Country Trail |
4,600 |
About 1,800 miles now certified as "off road". From Appalachian Trail in Vermont to the Lewis and Clark Trail in North Dakota. It goes through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. |
Kittanning Trail |
Unknown |
From Shirleyburg in Huntingdon County to Kittanning, Armstrong County Pennsylvania. |
Oregon Trail |
2,000 |
From Independence Missouri to near Fort Vancouver, Washington. |
The Long Trail |
270 |
Follows the main ridge of the Green Mountains in Vermont from the Massachusetts border to the Canadian border. |
Mormon Battalion Trail |
1,850 |
From Mount Pisgah Iowa through Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona to Los Angeles, California. |
El Camino real |
20 |
Along the Southern boundary of the St. Johns River from Fort Caroline National Memorial to the St. Augustine National Park Monument. |
Bartram Trail |
Unknown |
Follows the path of 18th Century naturalist William Bartram through Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. |
Daniel Boon Trail |
200 |
From the vicinity of Statesville North Carolina to Fort Boonsborough State Park, Kentucky. |
The Desert Trail |
Unknown |
A plan in progress from The Canadian border in Montana through Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and California at the Mexican border. |
Dominguez-Escalante Trail |
2,000 |
Originates in Santa Fe New Mexico and follows the San Juan, Dolores, Gunnison and White rivers in Colorado and then to Utah lake returning to Arizona and ending at its starting point in Santa Fe. |
Indian Nations Trail |
200 |
From the Red River in Oklahoma through the former Indian Nations to the Oklahoma-Kansas boundary line. |
Pacific Northwest Trail |
1,000 |
From the Continental Divide in Glacier national Park , Montana to the Pacific Ocean in Olympic national Park, Washington. |
Illinois Trail |
535 |
From the Lewis and Clark Trail at Wood River Illinois to the Chicago portage national Historic Site Following the Illinois River and the Illinois and Michigan Canal. |
General Crook Trail |
25 |
From Camp Verde, Arizona to Fort Apache. |
Beale Wagon Road |
45 |
Through the Coconico National Forest, Flagstaff Arizona and the Kaibab National Forest. |
The De Soto Trail |
Unknown |
Traces the approximate route of Hernando De Soto in 1539 from Florida through Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana. |
Coronado Trail |
Unknown |
Follows the approximate route of Coronado through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. |
The Old Spanish Trail |
2,700 |
Several branches beginning in Santa Fe New Mexico proceeding through Colorado and Utah returning to Los Angeles California. The Northern Branch beginning near Espanola New Mexico through Colorado and ending near Crescent Junction Utah. |
Great Western Scenic Trail |
3,100 |
Not a trail but a corridor of trails that will accommodate many types of travelers. It extends from the Arizona-Mexico border to the Idaho-Montana border with Canada. |
Metacomet-Monadnock-Mattabesett Trail |
180 |
Southward through Western Massachusetts on the Metacomet - Monadnock Trail then across central Connecticut on the Metacomet and Mattabesett Trail ending at Long Island. |
The Long Walk Trail |
Unknown |
A series of routes which the Navajo and Mescalero Apache Indian Tribes were forced to walk as a result of their forced removal from their lands. Generally located within a corridor extending through portions of Canyon de Chelley Arizona, Anton Chico, Canyon Piedra Pintado and Fort Summer New Mexico. |