On November 17th, we hope that everyone has their favorite hiking shoes on and is ready for an adventure because this day is National Hiking Day. Anyone celebrating this day has plenty of trails to choose from in the U.S.

Just in the United States alone, there are over 193,000 miles of trails on Federal lands and 42,000 miles of trails on State land in the National Trails System. A person could spend every day of the year hiking these trails and still have more left to hike, so everyone better get busy celebrating this holiday and discovering some of the trails that exist out there in the wild.

The History Of National Take A Hike Day

National Take A Hike Day was created by the American Hiking Society. As could be expected, they created this holiday to help encourage more people to head out into the wilderness and enjoy their favorite trail.

After all, hiking is an activity that can make the hiker feel more connected to the natural world and allow them to forget the problems of modern society—if only for a few hours.

However, as great as hiking is as an activity, it’s not something that should be taken lightly. Hikers need to be properly prepared for hiking by wearing the proper clothing for the season, having a good pair of hiking shoes, and bringing with them food and water.

A List Of Some Of The Best Trails In The U.S

Once a person has the equipment they need and is ready to celebrate this holiday, all they have to do is to find the best trail near them. Fortunately, there are a ton of different trails in the United States, so anyone celebrating this holiday should have no problems finding one that suits their needs.

Below are some of the best trails in the U.S—divided into National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails categories:

National Scenic Trails:

• Appalachian Trail: Established in 1968 and covers 2,185 miles.
• Continental Divide: Established in 1975 and covers 3,100 miles.
• Ice Age Trail: Established in 1980 and covers 1,200 miles.
• Pacific Crest Trail: Established in 1968 and covers 2,650 miles.

National Historic Trails:

• California National Historic Trail: Established in 1992 and covers 5,665 miles.
• Pony Express Historic Trail: Established in 1992 and covers 133 miles.
• Trail Of Tears Historic Trail: Established in 1987 and covers 5,043 miles.
• The Old Spanish Historic Trail: Established in 2002 and covers 700 miles.

How To Celebrate National Take A Hike Day

Anyone who wants to celebrate this holiday merely has to strap on their hiking shoes and head out to find a trail. In the U.S., hiking trails are not only available in rural areas and state parks but there are also an increasing number of urban hiking trails available nowadays.

Now there’s no excuse for anyone not to go out and enjoy the splendor of nature. And while they’re doing that, they can use the hashtag #NationalHikingDay on social media to broadcast their favorite trail to the world.