Florala State Park is among 21 other Alabama state parks to be given a National Recreational Trail designation.

The trails are included in a group of 41 selected nationwide for designation this year. The official announcement comes today in Chicago as U.S. Department of Interior officials kick off celebration of National Trails Day.

The latest designations bring the overall number of Alabama trails to be recognized within the past two years to 30. The National Recreation Trails Program recognizes exemplary trails of regional significance to encourage the use and care of existing trails and to stimulate the development of new trails.

Each trail receives special markers indicating its designation and it is promoted as part of America’s national system of trails.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs encouraged and assisted local trail managers to seek the recognition by submitting an application to the National Park Service.

Florala’s Lake Jackson Scenic Trail is a combination paved and boardwalk situated along Lake Jackson, the state’s largest natural lake, and features a wooden boardwalk in a wetlands area that offers a view of plants and wildlife existing in that environment.