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A route, track, or unpaved lane or road constitutes a trail. Path or footpath is the usual name for a walking track in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. In North America, the phrase is also used to describe river pathways and, on occasion, motorways. The phrase was originally used in the United States to describe a passage into or across untamed land utilized by immigrants (e.g. the Oregon Trail). “Trace” is a synonym for “trail” in the United States, as in the Natchez Trace.

Some trails are single-use, allowing just walking, cycling, horseback riding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing; others, such as a bridleway in the United Kingdom, are multi-use, allowing pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians to use them. Unpaved paths are also used by dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles, and trails are used to transport cattle and other livestock in some areas, such as the Alps.

The first trails were established by animals, which were “eventually adopted by humans.” Farmers brought cattle to market along drove roads and created trails between winter and summer grazing. Former industrial roads, such as railway right-of-ways and canal towpaths, have lately been converted into recreational trails.

Many historic roads, such as the Silk Road, Amber Road, and Persian Empire’s Royal Road, existed before the Christian period and traversed vast distances.

The Post Track, an ancient causeway in the valley of the River Brue in the Somerset Levels, England, dates from approximately 3838 BC and is one of the oldest known manmade trackways.

The notion of walking a route or track for fitness or enjoyment evolved in Europe during the 18th century as a result of the Romantic movement’s shift in attitudes about landscape and nature. Walking used to be considered a sign of poverty and was related with vagrancy.:83, 297 Long treks were conducted as part of religious pilgrimages in earlier centuries, and this practice continues today all across the world.

Trail segregation, or designating separate paths for a certain preferred or exclusive usage, is becoming more widespread and diversified. Bike trails, for example, are utilized not just on public roads but also in trail systems available to other trail users. Some paths are designated for equestrians and mountain bikes, while others are only for equestrians or mountain bikes. Non-wheeled usage routes in designated “wilderness areas” may be divided, allowing hiking and horses but not mountain bikers or motorized vehicles.

Trail segregation for a certain use is sometimes followed by limitations on that usage on other trails in the system. Signage, markers, trail design and construction (particularly tread material selection), and spacing between parallel treads can all help to separate trails. Distance, ditching, banks, grading, and vegetation are examples of “natural” barriers, whereas fence, curbs, and walls are examples of “artificial” obstacles.

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