What makes our trails so important to all of us?

I know what they mean to me personally. No doubt you have your own reasons why trails are near and dear to your heart.

Tomorrow is National Trails Day, a good opportunity to get outdoors with other like-minded folks around Maine and across the U.S. to celebrate our trails--all of our trails.

Image courtesy of the American Hiking Society

“It’s a day to bring all trail users together; an all-encompassing human-powered day to hike, paddle, bike, ride a horse; to dedicate, improve and build trails,” Ivan Levin, Trails Program Manager for the American Hiking Society, the national sponsor of National Trails Day, told me in a recent conversation.

There are more than 200,000 miles of trails in the U.S. providing access to our natural surroundings, according to Levin. Trails allow people to not only get out and explore and recreate outdoors, but to reap enormous physical and mental health benefits while doing so.

“Now in its 15th year, National Trails Day has grown from 50 events in 1993 to more than 1,200 nationwide in 2007,” Levin said. “It’s become a national environmental awareness event.”

Saturday, June 2nd--tomorrow--is National Trails Day... a good day to get outside and celebrate!
Photo by Carey Kish

Indeed it has. So get on out there tomorrow and show your support for Maine trails, lend a hand, and have some fun with your outdoor friends, new and old.

Check the American Hiking Society website for all the NTD '07 events happening in Maine--there are 22 listed--tomorrow.