Mowing shows a general disregard for nature by most people.
People generally prefer an unnatural environment that at best mimics nature without any inconvenience. Even in parks well maintained and clearly marked trails see vastly more traffic than people just picking a random path through the woods. People seem to desire hiking trails of arbitrary distances not to actually explore.
The point of trails in parks is to preserve nature and to localize and constrain the damage to it.
We have so little respect for the fungal colonies in the leaf litter that process the organic matter back into sustenance for the trees.