Access to 10,000 miles of US national park trails has been restored

A three-year project to restore access to 10,000 miles of national park trails has been completed in the US. Its aims include encouraging people to get outdoors and benefiting the 330 million people who visit national parks each year.

The initiative is a collaboration between the National Park Foundation, the nonprofit partner to the National Park Service, and food company Nature Valley, which donated $3m (€2.46m) to the three-year project. It has supported service corps crews removing invasive species, clearing corridors, repairing structures, building boardwalks and managing other repair projects to make trails in 19 parks across 16 states more accessible to visitors.

One project centred on Bridalveil Fall, one of the most striking landmarks in Yosemite National Park, by improving the visitor experience and helping to protect the natural resources of the area. Another helped rehabilitate picturesque trails and preserve historical sites at Glacier National Park, and supported invasive plant control and native plant restoration at Lunch Beach in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Part of the Arizona National Scenic Trail was restored at Grand Canyon National Park, and five miles of degraded trails that serve as key access points to the Appalachian Trail were repaired at Shenandoah National Park.

An aerial view of Shendandoah National Park in Virginia — Work was done in Shenandoah National Park © Jon Bilous/Shutterstock

Nature Valley is extending the partnership for three more years and has committed an additional $3 million to restore access to 10,000 more miles of trails and to support outdoor exploration grants. To access the complete list of national park locations with restored trails, please visit the website here.