GAOA LRF National Trails System Spotlights

National Parks Service, Hawai'i

The historic Alanui Aupuni and Ka’awaloa Road dates to the mid-1800s and represent fine examples of trails built by the Kingdom of Hawai’i. The Ala Loa is an ancient trail, dating back at least 500 years. Three of the four sections of these trails are contributing elements to the Kealakekua State Park Historic District, and the trails are on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places. This project restored and corrected deferred maintenance (vegetation removal, dry set masonry stabilization and resetting curbing damage) along the seven-mile section of trail. It also helped in the perpetuation of traditional Hawaiian dry-stack masonry techniques and provides future education and interpretation programs related to cultural and natural resources. 

U.S. Forest Service, California / Oregon / Washington

The U.S. Forest Service is the lead administering agency for the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail along the crest of the Pacific mountain rnage between Mexico and Canada.

Fires, natural disasters, and dense vegetaion growth have significantly degraded trail condition and access. The trail-wide GAOA LRF project is working with the Pacific Crest Trail Association, Washington Conservation Corps, and American Conservation Experience to address deferred maintenance along the trail through all 17 national forests to sustain continuous public access for the future generations. The project will address $4.6 million in deferred maintenance. Work is expected to be complete in late 2026. 

Bureau of Land Management, South Dakota

The Centennial Trail was created in 1989 to celebrate the 100th year of South Dakota statehood, and passes through State Park, National Park, National Forest, and Bureau of Land Management lands. Trail users experience a full range of natural environments, including open high plains, forests, meadows, riparian areas, and rock outcrops. This project replaced an unsafe creek crossing at the site that provides access to picnic areas and the Centennial Trail. 

National Park Service, Maryland

Catoctin Mountain Park provides quality recreational opportunities in the Catoctin Mountains while protecting and conserving the park's natural and cultural environments in the spirit of New Deal conservation programs. Portions of Catoctin Trails were originally designed and constructed by the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. 

This project completed a multi-phase plan to maintain the trail. A Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew of 15 -to-18-year-olds removed encroaching brush from trails, repaired water bars to control trail erosion, painted structures, maintained deer exclosure fences, and removed invasive plants.