YourVoice.Now Summary
A one-year federal study on whether the 287-mile Benton MacKaye Trail should become a national scenic trail.
The details
The Benton MacKaye Trail runs about 287 miles through Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. It crosses six designated wilderness areas, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and three national forests. Volunteers with the Benton MacKaye Trail Association have built and maintained it since 1980. The Agriculture Department would have one year to study whether it should be designated a national scenic trail, the status the Appalachian Trail holds. The study is a first step, not the designation itself. Congress notes that about 95 percent of the trail already sits on federal land, so upkeep costs would stay low. Findings go back to Congress, which would decide what happens next.
Congressional Summary
Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study Act of 2025This bill requires the Forest Service to study the feasibility of designating the Benton MacKaye Trail as a national scenic trail. The trail traverses approximately 287 miles in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Reported to Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-10-27
- Date Added
- 2026-07-28
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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