What’s with the Letters on Trail Markers?

Have you seen a marker like this out on a DNRT property and wondered what it was for?

DNRT has been working over the last year to improve the accessibility of our properties by replacing our traditional plain colored markers with ones that are colored and include a letter on them.  Red trails are marked with an “R”, blue trails with a “B” and so on.  Color blindness affects approximately 1 in 12 males and 1 in 200 females in the United States, and can affect the way many colors are seen.  Taking a walk in the woods can be a challenge when two trails intersect and one or both trail marker colors are not distinguishable to the trail user.  Adding letters to the trail will help confirm which trails are which.