The American Discovery Trail (ADT) is made up of new trails and portions of old ones to form a continuous line from Delaware to California. It is the outgrowth of an effort by Backpacker magazine and members of the American Hiking Society to create a nationwide trail system that they hoped would come to within 15 minutes of all U.S. residents. The ADT does not meet that ambitious criteria, but it does come to within 20 mi of 32 million residents. Despite the trail's varied attractions, the National Park Service determined that the ADT does not fit any of the criteria to be part of the National Trails system: scenic trails, which are located primarily in wilderness areas; and trails that follow paths with historic significance. The ADT uses some streets and sidewalks through urban and rural communities, and, although several historic trails are included in the ADT, they are only portions of it. Thus, the ADT Society is trying for the third time to amend the National Trails System Act to create a new category for discovery trails. The society is touting the ADT's recent designation by the U.S. Department of Transportation as one of 16 National Millennium Trails. Volunteers in each state along the trail are marking its course and creating detailed maps for travelers to follow from town to town. The ADT Society expects the final trail to span 6,500 mi through mountains, plains, forests, and deserts from sea to shining sea.

BLAZING AMERICA'S NEW COAST-TO-COAST TRAIL

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