I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3251 
To amend the National Trails System Act to include national discovery 
trails and to designate the American Discovery Trail, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 14, 2017 
Mr. FORTENBERRY (for himself and Mr. HUFFMAN) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the National Trails System Act to include national 
discovery trails and to designate the American Discovery 
Trail, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Discovery 
Trails Act’’. 
SEC. 2. NATIONAL TRAILS SYSTEM ACT AMENDMENTS. 
(a) NATIONAL DISCOVERY TRAILS.—Section 3(a) of 
the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1242(a)) is 
amended by inserting after paragraph (4) the following: 
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‘‘(5) National discovery trails, established under 
section 5, which— 
‘‘(A) shall be extended, continuous, inter-
state trails so located as to provide for out-
standing outdoor recreation and travel and to 
connect representative examples of America’s 
trails and communities; 
‘‘(B) should provide for the conservation 
and enjoyment of significant natural, cultural, 
and historic resources associated with each trail 
and should be so located as to represent metro-
politan, urban, rural, and back country regions 
of the Nation; 
‘‘(C) may be designated on Federal lands 
and, with the consent of the owner thereof, on 
any non-Federal lands; and 
‘‘(D) shall not be construed to modify, en-
large, or diminish any authority of the Federal, 
State, or local governments to regulate any use 
of land as provide for by law or regulation.’’. 
(b) DESIGNATION
OF
THE AMERICAN DISCOVERY 
TRAIL AS A NATIONAL DISCOVERY TRAIL.—Section 5(a) 
of such Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(a)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
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‘‘(ll) The American Discovery Trail, a trail 
of approximately 6,000 miles extending from Cape 
Henlopen State Park in Delaware to Point Reyes 
National Seashore in California, extending westward 
through Delaware, Maryland, the District of Colum-
bia, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, where near 
Cincinnati it splits into two routes. The Northern 
Midwest route traverses Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, 
Iowa, Nebraska, and Colorado, and the Southern 
Midwest route traverses Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, 
Kansas, and Colorado. After the two routes rejoin in 
Denver, Colorado, the route continues through Colo-
rado, Utah, Nevada, and California. The trail is gen-
erally described in Volume 2 of the National Park 
Service feasibility study dated June 1995 which 
shall be on file and available for public inspection in 
the office of the Director of the National Park Serv-
ice, Department of the Interior, the District of Co-
lumbia. The American Discovery Trail shall be ad-
ministered by the Secretary of the Interior in co-
operation with at least one competent trailwide vol-
unteer-based organization and other affected Federal 
land managing agencies, and State and local govern-
ments, as appropriate. No lands or interests outside 
the exterior boundaries of federally administered 
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areas may be acquired by the Federal Government 
solely for the American Discovery Trail. The provi-
sions of sections 7(e), 7(f), and 7(g) shall not apply 
to the American Discovery Trail.’’. 
(c) COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL DISCOVERY TRAIL 
PLAN.—Section 7 of such Act (16 U.S.C. 1246) is further 
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(l)(1) For purposes of subsection (5)(b), a trail shall 
not be considered feasible and desirable for designation 
as a national discovery trail unless it meets all of the fol-
lowing criteria: 
‘‘(A) The trail must link one or more areas 
within the boundaries of a metropolitan area (as 
those boundaries are determined under section 
134(c) of title 23, United States Code). It should 
also join with other trails, connecting the National 
Trails System to significant recreation and resources 
areas. 
‘‘(B) The trail must be supported by at least 
one competent trailwide volunteer-based organiza-
tion. Each trail should have extensive local and 
trailwide support by the public, by user groups, and 
by affected State and local governments. 
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