Olmsted Network Launches Digital Olmsted Trail

A powerful new tool explores the 6,000 landscapes touched by the firms of Frederick Law Olmsted.

The Olmsted Network is proud to announce the launch of the Olmsted Trail, an interactive digital resource exploring the past, present, and future of the 6,000 landscapes shaped or imagined by Frederick Law Olmsted and his successor firms. Spanning 47 U.S. states and four continents, this legacy has left an indelible mark on public spaces worldwide, and the Olmsted Trail makes it easier than ever to explore and understand that living history.

The Olmsted Trail features an interactive map and enhanced search tools that provide access to detailed information on over 6,000 landscape projects designed or imagined by the firm. It streamlines access to a wide array of resources, including historic and contemporary photographs; information on present-day stewardship initiatives and advocacy efforts; and hundreds of thousands of digitized plans, letters, and other documents from the Olmsted Archives, courtesy of the National Park Service. Select "featured" pages-highlighting notable projects like Central Park, Mount Royal, and Yosemite National Park-offer points of interest, virtual guided tours, and deeper insight into today's preservation opportunities and challenges.

Every site included on the Olmsted Trail is part of a rich history of American landscapes designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, his sons, and their successors. His revolutionary ideas on shared public space-and its importance to the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and society as a whole-are as important today as they were over a century ago. Years of research and partner dialogue have informed the design process for the Trail, transforming it into a tool for not only historians, landscape architects, and park stewards but for anybody interested in learning about Frederick Law Olmsted's visionary designs and the living legacy he left behind.

"The Olmsted Trail invites people to see these landscapes not as isolated places, but as part of a shared and evolving story," said Olmsted Network President Sue Breitkopf. "By connecting past design to present-day stewardship, we're opening new ways for communities to engage with and care for these spaces."

The Olmsted Trail will continue to grow and evolve with the participation of the Olmsted Network's partner organizations, representing over 150 public parks, historic sites, and regional green space systems throughout the United States and Canada. As new content and featured sites are constantly being added, we encourage visitors to check back often and explore.