Out here in the forests of the Northwest, it's not quite that cut and dried.A path would be a natural path caused by humans and/or animals walking along it. It would be narrow and completely unsuitable for horses or vehicles of any sort.
A trail can be a well-established path, sometimes repaired or improved by workers. It is almost always wider than a path and may be (in sections or overall) suitable for horses, bicycles, and perhaps vehicles.
Interesting, in that in the eastern US it is the opposite--parks have trails, and paths are narrower, sometimes naturally made by animals--usually only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time.Out here in the forests of the Northwest, it's not quite that cut and dried....
I have a couple of "trails" on my property that certainly are not suitable for bicycles or other vehicles.
On the other hand, we have "paths" in our parks out here. They are well-maintained, rather wide and frequently paved.
In a place I'm familiar with in the far northeast of the US, trails go up and down and wind around through a forest, like the Appalachian Trail, but microscopic in size compared to the AT, and they are supposedly 6 feet wide for firefighter access (people carrying equipment on their backs). Paths are shorter and narrower and provide shore and beach access.Interesting, in that in the eastern US it is the opposite--parks have trails, and paths are narrower, sometimes naturally made by animals--usually only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time.
Probably the most well-known and longest trail in the eastern US is the Appalachian Trail - Wikipedia .