Trail advocates argue that trails promote contact with nature, generate economic benefits for communities, and raise awareness about the importance of nature conservation. Mega trails, thousands of kilometers long crossing different regions, could spread these benefits for extensive landscapes, protecting important ecological and climate corridors. However, these benefits are poorly supported, and few studies evaluated whether these trails show effective conservation outcomes. This study uses a multidisciplinary approach to explore these outcomes and assess if mega trails are effective conservation tools. Based on extensive surveys and interviews along the three most renowned US national scenic trails – NST (Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trail) the influence of these trails on hikers, local communities, and landscapes is investigated. Regarding hikers, the results suggest that the longer the hiking experience, the stronger and broader the sense of place. Hikers motivated by NSTs present a stronger and broader sense of place, and this difference occurs even among day hikers, suggesting a brand effect. Mega trails help create meaning for extensive landscapes, facilitating the understanding of large-scale ecological processes. However, the path leading from sense of place to support for conservation and pro-environmental behavior is complex and seems to be mediated by a connection to nature as a whole. Mega trails also influence residents’ perceptions of trail benefits. Initiatives such as trail town programs and personal experiences influence the gateway communities’ residents’ perceptions more than economic benefits. The engagement of hikers, communities, and other actors to protect trail corridors, scenic views, and landscapes results in legal protection, land acquisition, and other land use actions. Trails with a high level of mobilization result in greater landscape connectivity and can be large corridors to allow species range shifts in response to climate change and habitat destruction. These findings suggest some guidelines for mega trail implementation worldwide, such as investing in the association of trail brands with geographical features or ecoregions and alternate routes to reach a diverse audience. Overall, when properly managed, mega trails seem to contribute to people’s awareness, community engagement, and habitat connectivity, corroborating the discourse in favor of mega trails as conservation tools.