To amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Bay Area Ridge National Scenic Trail, and for other purposes.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7254 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7254

To amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the
 Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Bay
       Area Ridge National Scenic Trail, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 27, 2026

 Mr. Huffman (for himself, Ms. Lofgren, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Garamendi, Mr.
    Thompson of California, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Simon, Mr.
Liccardo, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Swalwell, and Mr. Panetta) introduced the
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the
 Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Bay
       Area Ridge National Scenic Trail, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that the Bay Area Ridge Trail--
            (1) is a scenic nonmotorized multi-use trail that extends
        approximately 550 miles;
            (2) consists of approximately 415 completed miles and
        another approximately 140 miles of the route are yet-to-be
        completed;
            (3) is located near the urban areas of the Nation, and
        allows people access to the scenic ridgelines of the Bay Area;
            (4) provides maximum outdoor recreation potential to a
        large diverse population and many year-round visitors to the
        Bay Area;
            (5) provides for the enjoyment of nationally significant
        scenic, historic, and cultural qualities including the Pacific
        Ocean, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, State and local
        parks, among others;
            (6) passes through a diversity of environments, including
        marsh, grassland, mountain, canyon, rivers, and forests;
            (7) includes landforms that exhibit significant
        characteristics, including the Golden Gate Bridge, the San
        Andreas fault, volcanic areas, geologic formations, and
        wetlands; and
            (8) connects with side trails and regional connector trails
        such as the Bay Trail, Vine Trail, and Coyote Creek Trail,
        which provide additional public access and connect to major
        population centers.

SEC. 2. BAY AREA RIDGE NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL FEASIBILITY STUDY.

    Section 5(c) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(c))
is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(50) Bay area ridge national scenic trail.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Bay Area Ridge National
                Scenic Trail, a multi-use trail extending approximately
                550 miles along the ridgelines of the hills and
                mountains surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area in
                Northern California and connecting over 75 parks and
                open spaces.
                    ``(B) Study.--Not later than 1 year after the date
                of the enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary of
                Interior, in consultation with interested
                organizations, including the Bay Area Ridge Trail
                Council, shall complete and submit to Congress the
                feasibility study for designating the Bay Area Ridge
                Trail as a national scenic trail.
                    ``(C) Consultation.--The study under this paragraph
                shall be conducted in consultation with each Federal
                and State agency that administers lands through which
                the trail described in subparagraph (A) passes.''.
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