GULF SHORES, Ala. — Included in a new group of recognized National Recreation Trails, is the Gulf Coast’s Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail.

Last week, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar designated 22 trails in 13 states to be part of the National Recreation Trails program, adding more than 525 miles of trails to the National Trails System.

The announcement comes just days before the celebration of the 17th annual National Trails Day on June 6.

“From coast to coast, the National Trails System helps connect American families with the wonders of the outdoors,” Salazar said. “These new National Recreation Trails, built through partnerships with local communities and stakeholders, will create new opportunities for fitness and stewardship, while creating a lasting legacy for our children and grandchildren.”

The Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail is a 7.5 mile multi-use, handicapped accessible asphalt and boardwalk trail, winding through the pristine coastal forests within the city of Orange Beach and Alabama’s Gulf State Park.

Each of the new trails will receive a certificate of designation, a letter of congratulations from Secretary Salazar, and NRT trail markers.

These trails join a network of more than 1,050 previously designated trails that total more than 12,500 miles.

The NRT program is jointly administered by the National Park Service and the USDA Forest Service in conjunction with a number of other Federal and nonprofit partners, notably American Trails, which hosts the National Recreation Trail Web site.