National Trails Day is Saturday, June 6. This year, the Campaign for America's Wilderness encourages you to get out and enjoy a hike in the wilderness. What better way to recognize a day dedicated to enjoying the outdoors than to explore one of the wilderness areas near where you live?
Wilderness is public land that is permanently protected from development and noisy off-road vehicles, land that will remain just as it is for generations to come. Congress has just made finding a nearby wilderness area even easier, by designating over two million additional acres this year-that's a total of 111 million acres of public land that is permanently protected for you to enjoy, to hike, hunt, fish, photograph, or just admire the view.
National Trails Day was created to inspire Americans to seek out a nearby trail and explore their local community. Events are planned all over the United States to educate participants about the National Trail System as well as ways they can enjoy and volunteer on the trails in their local area and throughout the country.
Why not make a favorite wilderness hike your new National Trails Day tradition? Wilderness areas provide great solitude and peacefulness for your hike, as well as a fantastic environment for birding and wildlife viewing. And you can be sure your children and grandchildren will be able to continue to enjoy these special places for years to come-just as they are today.
For more information on wilderness in your area check out Wilderness.net (www.wilderness.net), or to find a National Trails Day event in your area contact the American Hiking Society (http://www.americanhiking.org).
