Attached are some links to internet resources on national forest, roadless areas, and federally designated wilderness areas. This may help you identify potential research areas that are close to you. All of these sites have a map of the United States or a drop down box that will let you select the area you want.

National Wilderness Preservation System

USDA Forest Service

USDA Roadless Area Conservation

I'll append here a post I made two months ago in the "in the Filed" forum, about a trail-finder site, in case members missed it:

This site, which I've just read about in a 5-line item on p. 106 of the Nov. Wired, costs $30 per year and offers "unlimited access to a searchable online database of more than 10,000 hiking paths nationwide." It also has topo maps & other maps, presumably in printable form. Persons more knowledgeable that myself in this topic should review the site and offer comments on it. It looks potentially useful, especially to people who want something simple to use. Below are links to various pages in its site:

Several dozen article-reprints ABOUT the site.

http://www.trails.com:/explore/subscription.asp (Sample pix of maps, etc.)

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