(a) In order to provide for the ever-increasing outdoor recreation needs of an expanded population and in order to promote public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas of the State, the Appalachian Trail should be protected in North Carolina as a segment of the National Scenic Trails System.

(b) The purpose of this Part is to provide the means for attaining these objectives by instituting a North Carolina Appalachian Trail System, designating the Appalachian Trail lying or located in the North Carolina Counties of Avery, Mitchell, Yancey, Madison, Haywood, Swain, Graham, Macon, and Clay, as defined in the Federal Register of the National Trails Act as the basic component of that System, and by prescribing the methods by which, and standards according to which, additional connecting trails may be added to the System. (1973, c. 545, s. 2; 2015-241, ss. 14.30(f), (m).)