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Sunday, May 17, 2009

How Trails Get from A to B


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Florida Trail? How the heck did that get here? Well, it's not, but I thought I would tell you today a little bit about the politics of trails, and this was the only "property boundary" picture I could find. Long distance trails need to be connected up, but the land is seldom owned by one entity.

This is today's topic because on the Border Route Trail, there is only one piece of trail that is not on National Forest land, and we will cross it today. The trail almost did not get completed because there was no way to get from Gunflint to Loon Lake. In 1992 a landowner donated the critical connection and the trail could be completed.

On the NCT the most common solution to crossing private property is with a legal easement, but there are a number of options. So I just wanted to say that the next time you are taking a hike on a trail, think for a minute about the legal relationships and discussions that may have occurred just to create a place for you to walk.

See The Blog Plan for the Arrowhead Hike

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