Sponsors (6)
Official title: Amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating Washington's Trail-1753 as a national historic trail, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 14, 2026 by John Karl Fetterman · Last progress May 14, 2026
The bill protects and promotes a 500‑mile historic corridor—boosting recreation, preservation, and local tourism—while imposing coordination requirements, possible land‑use limits on adjacent owners, and modest federal costs.
Local communities and visitors gain a designated, protected ~500-mile historic/scenic corridor that expands recreation, heritage tourism, and related visitor spending along the route.
The National Park Service receives authority to plan, interpret, and conserve the route's historic resources, supporting preservation and coordinated stewardship.
Landowners and local governments along the route may face new land‑use restrictions or coordination burdens tied to the designation, which can limit local decision‑making and add compliance costs.
State and local governments will need to coordinate with the federal designation, creating administrative complexity and potential planning burdens across multiple jurisdictions.
Federal designation could create modest costs for taxpayers if the National Park Service develops, interprets, or provides infrastructure and services for the trail.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds Washington’s 1753 diplomatic route (about 500 miles) to the statutory list of National Scenic and Historic Trails, authorizing congressional designation.
Adds a new entry to the National Trails System list to authorize Congress to designate "Washington’s Trail—1753," an approximately 500-mile historic route from Williamsburg, Virginia, to Fort LeBoeuf (now Waterford), Pennsylvania, following George Washington’s 1753–1754 diplomatic journey. The change amends the statutory list of National Scenic and Historic Trails in federal law and directs the National Park Service/Secretary of the Interior to include the route among authorized trails. The bill is a short, targeted statutory amendment that expands the inventory of officially authorized trails; it does not itself appropriate funds or create a detailed management plan, but it enables future federal actions related to trail studies, planning, and potential protection or management under the National Trails System framework.