Johnstown’s Jim Mayer Riverswalk Trail was designated Wednesday as one of 19 trails to be added to the U.S. trail system, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced.
The trails will extend the current trail system by more than 370 miles, adding to the more than 1,000 miles across the country, according to a U.S. Department of the Interior press release. Pennsylvania was one of 17 states to have a trail added to the system.
“By designating these new national trails, we acknowledge the efforts of local communities to provide outdoor recreational opportunities that can be enjoyed by everyone,” Mr. Zinke said in the press release. “Our network of national trails provides easily accessible places to exercise and connect with nature in both urban and rural areas while boosting tourism and supporting economic opportunities across the country.”
Each of the newly designated trails will receive a certificate of designation, a set of trail markers and a letter of recognition from Mr. Zinke.
The Johnstown trail is 3.1 miles long and wraps along the east side of the city, providing a view of Stonycreek River and Buttermilk Falls, the news release said.
Designated trails can be less than a mile or up to 485 miles in length, and have been designated on federal, state, local and privately-owned land.
Other trails include Michigan’s Iron Ore Heritage Trail, which takes visitors through an area in which coal mines operated in four wars as well as the Industrial Revolution. New Mexico and Texas’s Guadalupe Ridge Trail runs for 100 miles, and includes a traverse over the Guadalupe Peak, Chihuahuan Desert, mixed coniferous forests, riparian woodlands and rocky canyons.
Americans will celebrate the trail system during National Trail Day June 2 with activities including bike rides, hiking and trail restoration projects.
Jenna Wise: jwise@post-gazette.com.
First Published: May 30, 2018, 9:22 p.m.
