Skip to main content
HR 3251 115th Congress House Public Lands and Natural Resources California Colorado Delaware District of Columbia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Land use and conservation Maryland Missouri Nebraska Nevada Ohio Parks, recreation areas, trails Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations Utah West Virginia

National Discovery Trails Act

Introduced: July 14, 2017 See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 115th Congress ended
It never became law before the 115th Congress (2017–2018) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 28, 2017
Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.
Jul 14, 2017
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Jul 14, 2017
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

National Discovery Trails Act

This bill amends the National Trails System Act to establish as part of the national trails system national discovery trails, which shall be extended, continuous interstate trails located to provide for outdoor recreation and travel and to connect representative examples of America's trails and communities.

The bill authorizes the designation of such trails on federal lands and, with the owner's consent, on nonfederal lands.

The 6,000-mile American Discovery Trail extending from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware to Point Reyes National Seashore in California, splitting into northern and southern routes at Cincinnati, Ohio, and rejoining at Denver, Colorado, is designated as a national discovery trail.

The bill sets forth requirements for designation of a trail as a national discovery trail.

The appropriate federal department for each national discovery trail shall: (1) administer the trail in cooperation with a competent trailwide volunteer-based organization; and (2) submit a comprehensive plan for the trail's protection, management, development, and use.

What's happening now July 28, 2017

Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3251: National Discovery Trails Act. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-3251/
MLA
"H.R. 3251: National Discovery Trails Act." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-3251/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3251, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-3251/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3251: National Discovery Trails Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-3251/)
Report a problem