AMERICA'S NATIONAL SCENIC TRAILS.

• Author: KREYCHE, GERALD F.
• Position: Review

AMERICA'S NATIONAL SCENIC TRAILS BY KATHLEEN ANN CORDES, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANE LAMMERS UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS 2001, 306 PAGES, $19.95 (PAPER)

As the old Roy Rogers and Dale Evans song had it, "Happy Trails to You." Moreover, without being too corny, one can easily break into "This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land." This marvelous book tells about the major scenic trails in our great country and, before you finish it, you may be humming those tunes, for it is a joyful read.

In 1968, Congress passed legislation establishing a National Trails System. The bill was signed into law by Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson and dealt with eight national scenic trails, including the Appalachian Trail in the East that runs from Maine to Georgia, and the Pacific Crest Trail in the West, which meanders through California, Oregon, and Washington. The bill also covered 12 national historic trails such as the Oregon Trail and The Lewis and Clark Trail, as well as 800 national recreation areas.

Over 2,000 miles long, the Appalachian Trail traverses 13 states. Not quite so well-known is the Pacific Crest Trail, which courses about 2,500 miles. Still-less-known are the Florida Trail (1,300 miles), the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin (1,000 miles), the Continental Divide Trail from Texas to Montana (3,200 miles), and the Natchez Trace, which goes through Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee (694 miles). Aficionados of the Lewis and Clark expedition will recall that the latter was the trail on which Meriwether Lewis died--an apparent suicide.

Work on most of the trails still is in progress, with thousands of volunteers and government workers engaged in their furtherance and maintenance. In the spirit of...