Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study Act of 2026
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The bill would direct the Department of Agriculture to study whether the 287-mile Benton MacKaye Trail through Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina should be designated a national scenic trail.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would amend the National Trails System Act to add the Benton MacKaye Trail, a nonmotorized scenic trail spanning about 287 miles across Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, to the list of trails under study. It would require the Secretary of Agriculture, working with interested organizations including the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, to complete a feasibility study on designating the trail as a national scenic trail and submit it to Congress within two years of enactment.
The bill does not itself designate the trail as a national scenic trail; it only authorizes and requires the study that would inform any future designation decision by Congress.
Key provisions
- 1Would amend the National Trails System Act to add the Benton MacKaye Trail as a subject of a national scenic trail feasibility study
- 2Would require the Secretary of Agriculture to complete and submit the feasibility study to Congress within two years of enactment
- 3Would require the Secretary to consult with interested organizations, including the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, in conducting the study
Who would be affected
The Department of Agriculture and Forest Service, which would conduct the study; the Benton MacKaye Trail Association and other interested organizations consulted in the process; and residents and hikers in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina near the trail corridor.
Why it matters
A favorable feasibility study could lead to a future bill formally designating the Benton MacKaye Trail as a national scenic trail, which could bring added federal protections, funding, and management attention. Communities along the trail and trail advocacy groups have a direct stake in how the study characterizes the route's suitability.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(c)) (Sec. 2)
Adds the Benton MacKaye Trail to the list of trails requiring a feasibility study for national scenic trail designation
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Deadline for completing and submitting the feasibility study to Congress
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates that H.R. 2768 would cost less than $500,000 over the 2026–2031 period, with no effect on direct spending, revenues, or the deficit.
H.R. 2768 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to study whether the 287-mile Benton MacKaye Trail system in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina should be designated a national scenic trail. CBO estimates the cost of conducting that feasibility study at less than $500,000 over the 2026–2031 period; that spending would depend on funds being appropriated by Congress (discretionary spending) and has no effect on direct (mandatory) spending, revenues, or the deficit. CBO found no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in the bill.
How implementation would work
The Secretary of Agriculture, likely through the Forest Service, would conduct the feasibility study in consultation with the Benton MacKaye Trail Association and other interested organizations. The study would assess whether the roughly 287-mile trail meets criteria for national scenic trail designation under the National Trails System Act. The Secretary must submit the completed study to Congress within two years of enactment, after which Congress could consider separate legislation to formally designate the trail.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 426.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture to study the feasibility of designating the Benton MacKaye Trail (located in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina) as a national scenic trail.
Legislative subjects
Congressional oversight; Georgia; Government studies and investigations; North Carolina; Parks, recreation areas, trails; Public Lands and Natural Resources; Tennessee
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-582