Whether you’re on a trail for the destination or the journey, it’s impossible to escape their remarkable powers. For many, hiking can be transformative. You’re the same person at the end of the day, but you are a better version of yourself—physically and emotionally. For communities, the power of trails can help mitigate the effects of climate change and even protect vital wildlife habitat.

But perhaps more than any other green space, trails have the power to connect. They fundamentally connect our landscape and even transcend state lines. They bring us in touch with our neighbors, our communities, and with ourselves. Trails are powerful, but even the country’s most iconic scenic trails are at risk.

Though a trail may receive a national designation, portions of a trail and its viewshed may be on private land and sold for development at any moment. That’s why Trust for Public Land helped protect the New England National Scenic Trail—known locally as Metacomet-Monadnock Trail—which in its entirety, runs from Massachusetts’ northern border to the southern border of Connecticut. That’s 215 miles of hiking!

With our partners at the Appalachian Mountain Club, National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, TPL helped safeguard 205 acres as an addition to the Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge, including 1/3 mile of the New England National Scenic Trial. If not for TPL, this segment would have been closed and hikers would be forced off the ridgeline onto a longer road walk, fracturing the structure of the trail as a whole. We’re continuing to work with our partners to protect this entire beloved trail system so more people can benefit from the amazing power of trails.