The Appalachian Trail is the grand-daddy of long distance trails. First envisioned in 1921 by Benton Mackaye as a greenway from Maine to Georgia, the trail hugs the crests of the Appalachian Mountains.

The Florida National Scenic Trail is the one national scenic trail that does not cross state lines. What it does do is explore the subtropical lushness of Florida, from the Big Cypress National Park and Preserve to the wilds of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

The Ice Age Trail traces the glacier moraine from Lake Michigan to the Saint Croix River in Wisconsin.

The North Country Trail crowns the country, stretching from the Adirondacks in New York State to the Great Plains of North Dakota.

The Natchez Trace is a southern belle of a certain age. It follows an old Native American route that connects Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, near the Mississippi border.

The revitalized Potomac Heritage Trail stretches along the historic Potomac River from Maryland on up to Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands.