National Trails System

Pony Express Monument in Marysville, Kansas.

The Wagner Perspective

"It is important that mail facilities, so indispensable for the diffusion of information, and for the binding together of the different portions of our extended Confederacy, should be afforded to our citizens west of the Rocky Mountains." - U.S. President James Knox Polk

Before railroads or automobiles, people in America had to travel by foot, horse, boat or wagon. Some of these routes from our nation's early days still remain today as reminders of our historic past. A National Historic Trail (NHT) such as the Pony Express National Historic Trail is an extended trail that follows original routes of travel of national historical significance.

 

Map image of the Pony Express, Mormon Pioneer, Oregon, & California National Historic Trails.

NPS Image

In 1968, Congress enacted the National Trails System Act and in 1978, National Historic Trail designations were added. The National Historic Trails System commemorates these historic routes and promotes their preservation, interpretation and appreciation.

National Historic Trails recognize diverse facets of history such as prominent past routes of exploration, migration, trade, communication and military action. The historic trails generally consist of remnant sites and trail segments, and thus are not necessarily contiguous. Although National Historic Trails are administered by federal agencies, the responsibility for managing trail resources remains in the hands of the trail managers at the federal, state, local and private levels. Of the 19 National Historic Trails, 15 are administered by the National Park Service, two are jointly administered by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management, one is administered by the Bureau of Land Management, and one is administered by the USDA Forest Service.

Learn more about the National Trails System, including National Historic and National Recreation Trails.

Cartographers, from the National Park Service Interpretive Design Center, have created a map of the entire system of national historic and scenic trails. You are welcome to view or download a PDF version of the National Trails System map.

 

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  NHT? What could that be?

  What is an National Historic Trail?

  Many folks wonder what a national historic trail actually is. Hear from trail staff about how we define these important parts of history.

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  Want to know more?

  Learn about the Trail

  Take a deeper dive into history and culture! Learn more about the people, places, and stories of the trail.