Trail of Tears National Historic Trail National Park Service Fall Update 2025 (U.S. National Park Service)

NP

National Park Service (NPS)

National Trails Office
Regions 6, 7, & 8 (NTIR)

A man looks at a camera wearing a straw brimmed hat and uniform shirt. — NPS Photo

Management Updates

Budget

Provided at Trail of Tears Association (TOTA)
Board Meeting

NTIR Staffing

2025 Changes in Staff

A shaded aerial image of rounded hills, depicting a trail through a canyon. — Faulkner County, Arkansas. Specific location not shared due to sensitive cultural resource information.
NPS Image

Resource Information Management (RIM) Updates

GIS Specialist Evan Zelezny-Green has begun to digitize potential trail trace of the Trail of Tears NHT from LiDAR hillshades. This effort will assist the office in knowing where potential heritage resources of the NHT are and alerting land managers/leads under federal National Environmental Policy Act actions or National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 undertakings.

Trail of Tears Historic Route brown road sign. — Trail of Tears NHT Historic Route sign.
NPS Image

Design & Development Updates

Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT)

The state-wide sign plan has been ordered. A total of 115 signs will mark the historic route of the Trail across DOT-managed rights-of-way. Signs will be shipped directly to ARDOT for installation and are expected to arrive in early winter.

Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)

In August, TDOT and NTIR finalized a signage agreement to implement a state-wide sign plan marking the historic route across DOT-managed rights-of-way. Signs are expected to be ordered early next calendar year, once NTIR finalizes a contract. Under this agreement, 141 signs will be ordered and installed.

A brown sign for the trail of tear hamburg hill — Trail of Tears NHT sign, with directional arrow to the Hamburg Hill Trailhead.
NPS Image

USFS United States Forest Service, Illinois

Illinois Signage: In partnership with the Forest Service, 67 signs were ordered to mark the historic route of the Trail across the entire state of Illinois in September. These new signs will replace old and ageing signage previously installed across the state and along Forest Service managed roads.

County Wide Sign Plans On Order
Fiscal Year (FY) 2025

Giles County (East)

Iron County (replacement signs)

Reynolds County (replacement signs)

Trail of Tears NHT site identification sign for the Long House. — NPS Image

Site Identificaiton (ID) Signs Ordered in FY 25

Gasconade Hills Resort and The Historic Longhouse

Images of people standing in front of signs outside on a trail. — NPS Image

Port Royal CTTP Project

In July, the park selected an A&E contractor, who has completed the topographic survey and produced a first draft of the construction drawings. The park is currently engaging with the tribes and TOTA to request letters of support and to obtain their informal review and comments on the plan.

Large exhibit panel with images and signs. — NPS Image

Steelville, Missouri

Site Plan, Orientation Panel, and Interpretive Exhibits – Steelville Community Park/Henry E. Davis Homestead

NTIR staff worked with community partners from the Steelville Trail of Tears Remembrance Committee, Middle Tennessee State University Center for Historic Preservation, and TOTA this year to develop a conceptual level site plan, design one new 36” x 48” orientation panel, and provided review and approval for use of trail logo for three new interpretive panels [text and graphics provided by MTSU, design/layout/fabrication by Fossil Graphics].

NTIR staff traveled to Missouri in June to participate in a community charette for the Steelville Trail of Tears Monument. They also met with the Remember the Removal Riders that same day.

The panels all arrived last week and will be installed soon at the park as part of a new walkway and planned monument area in the park that will be developed in the future.

aerial view of area for a design concept. — NPS Image

People stand looking at an outside exhibit sign. — NPS Image

History, Interpretation, & Partnerships (HIP) Team

Northwest (NW) Arkansas Heritage Trails Association and Regional Planners Initiative

In December 2024, NTIR staff visited several trail sites in NW Arkansas and met with the NW Arkansas Heritage Trails Association and Regional Planners to discuss partnership and development opportunities for Trail of Tears and Butterfield Overland NHTs. Since then, NTIR staff has participated in several quarterly mtgs organized by the partners to continue collaborating on trail initiatives in the area.

Trail of Tears NHT sign showing distances. — NPS Image

Water Route Project

Site id and trail end distance signs were ordered as a part of a TOTA grant funded interpretive project to interpret and mark sites along the water route in Arkansas.

Collaboration with Professor Sean Jacobson
(University Of North Alabama)
Trail of Tears History Class

Staff met with Prof. Jacobson (member, TOTA Alabama) to discuss a partnership with his Trail of Tears history class—potentially the first ever offered at UNA. NTIR staff will speak to Prof. Jacobson’s class about NTIR’s role in preserving, protecting, and promoting the Trail of Tears. As part of their class projects, students will draft essays about important trail sites in Alabama for inclusion on NTIR’s website as web articles and Places Pages.

Circle with Trail of tears national historic trail. — NPS Image

NPSDigital

Virtual Passport Cancellation Stamp

Additional information on becoming a passport stamp partner trail site. Go.nps.gov/NHTPassportStamps

NPSApp New Features - Check it Out!

Physical Alternative Description
Places page trail site is now visible without a screen reader. What is that? Audio Description (alternative description) ensures that all visitors, including those who are blind, have low vision, or other disabilities, can fully experience our National Parks.

A/V (audio and visual) files updates, passport stamp updates and more!

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail National Park Service Fall Update 2025