Several park visitors were swept off the bridge to their deaths in recent years during periods of high water. The crew members were among thousands of mostly youthful workers who labor to maintain the trails that thread through America’s public lands. The National Park Service recorded 325.5 million visits to its parks last year, up 4 percent over the previous year and the second busiest year on record. But the 236,000 miles of trails that wend their way through the parks, forests and deserts are often neglected and are certainly undervalued. That poses dangers to hikers and impedes access to the wonders that can be found on public lands.

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Organizations: Forest, National Park Service Locations: Yosemite, Talladega, Allegheny, Michigan , Minnesota, Wisconsin