119th (2025–2027)
S. 3720
This bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to study whether the Bay Area Ridge Trail, a roughly 550-mile multi-use trail circling the hills and mountains around the San Francisco Bay Area, should be officially designated as a national scenic trail. The trail already connects more than 75 parks and open spaces in northern California, and the study would evaluate its suitability for this federal designation under the National Trails System Act. The Interior Department would be required to conduct the assessment in consultation with relevant state, tribal, and local government agencies, as well as interested organizations such as the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council. This legislation mainly affects communities and land managers in the San Francisco Bay Area region, along with outdoor recreation groups and agencies overseeing the parks and open spaces the trail passes through. The bill does not itself create the trail designation but sets in motion the feasibility review process needed before any such designation could occur.