Last updated: April 23, 2025
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National Historic Trails: Historical Routes of National Significance
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Infographic Description
National Historic Trails comprise nineteen routes spanning 31,000 miles across 41 states. They are routes of exploration, trade, displacement, conflict, military action, and migration. They are designated by Congress for public enjoyment, showcase the diversity of American heritage, and generate citizen stewards.
| 1968 | National Trails System Act (NTSA) passed |
| 1978 | NTSA amended to include National Historic Trails |
| 1978 | Oregon NHT designated |
| 1978 | Mormon Pioneer NHT designated |
| 1978 | Iditarod NHT designated |
| 1978 | Lewis and Clark NHT designated |
| 1980 | Overmountain Victory NHT designated |
| 1986 | Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) NHT designated |
| 1987 | Trail of Tears NHT designated |
| 1987 | Santa Fe NHT designated |
| 1990 | Juan Bautista de Anza NHT designated |
| 1992 | California NHT designated |
| 1992 | Pony Express NHT designated |
| 1996 | Selma to Montgomery NHT designated |
| 2000 | El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro NHT designated |
| 2000 | Ala Kahakai NHT designated |
| 2002 | Old Spanish NHT designated |
| 2004 | El Camino Real de los Tejas NHT designated |
| 2006 | Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT designated |
| 2008 | Star-Spangled Banner NHT designated |
| 2009 | Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route NHT designated |
The maps show the routes of the 19 National Historic Trails (NHT). They stretch across the continental United States and Hawaii. The Ala Kahakai NHT stretches across the coast of Hawaii. The California NHT crosses from Missouri to California through Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. The Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT stretches across New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, DC. The El Camino Real de los Tejas NHT crosses Texas and Louisiana. The El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro NHT stretches across New Mexico and Texas. The Iditarod NHT crosses Alaska. The Juan Bautista de Anza NHT stretches along the coast of California and through southern Arizona. The Lewis and Clark NHT stretches from Pennsylvania to Washington through Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, and South Dakota, and West Virginia. The Mormon Pioneer NHT crosses from Illinois to Utah through Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming. The Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) NHT stretches across Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon. The Old Spanish NHT crosses from New Mexico to California through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. The Oregon NHT crosses from Missouri to Washington through Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon. The Overmountain Victory NHT crosses South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The Pony Express NHT stretches from Missouri to California through Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming. The Santa Fe NHT crosses from Missouri to New Mexico through Kansa, Colorado, and Oklahoma. The Selma to Montgomery NHT crosses from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama. The Star-Spangled Banner NHT crosses through Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia. The Trail of Tears NHT crosses Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, North Carolina, Missouri and Oklahoma. The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route NHT crosses Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.
Find out more at nps.gov/subjects/NationalTrailsSystem
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