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History in the making: 42 miles of accessible trails near Old Fort approved


FILE - With the help of local visionaries and grant funding, The Old Fort Trails Project aims to be "one of the most accessible systems in the district and beyond." (Photo courtesy of McDowell County Tourism Authority)
FILE - With the help of local visionaries and grant funding, The Old Fort Trails Project aims to be "one of the most accessible systems in the district and beyond." (Photo courtesy of McDowell County Tourism Authority)
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Western North Carolina's trail systems will be expanding soon now that a local project has been approved.

The G5 Trail Collective announced on Nov. 16, 2021 that the Old Fort Trails Project had been given the official greenlight. The collective says the U.S. Forest Service formally approved the plans and funding for construction of the first six miles of the system had been provided by the Dogwood Health Trust.

COLLABORATION AIMS TO PROVIDE MECCA OF MOUNTAIN BIKING, ACCESSIBLE TRAILS NEAR OLD FORT

Leaders with the project plan to build 42 miles of new, accessible trails for "people of all abilities and backgrounds in Pisgah National Forest," according to a social media post from the G5 Trail Collective.

Volunteers have already started carving out the first six miles of trails and groundbreaking for the project is set to begin in January 2022.

The project comes from a collaboration among Pisgah National Forest’s Grandfather District, the G5 Trail Collective, a local non-profit trails organization, and People on the Move For Old Fort, a Black-led community collaborative.

MCDOWELL COUNTY LEADERS HAVE PLAN TO BRING MORE PEOPLE TO AREA

“Old Fort’s immediate proximity to Pisgah National Forest is something that makes the town unique, but many of the trails have historically been hard to access," Lisa Jennings, the recreation and trails program manager for the Pisgah National Forest’s Grandfather Ranger District, described the project back in 2020. "This community-driven planning effort should result in trails that connect our public lands to the community in a way that serves the growing use of outdoor space in western North Carolina for everyone.”

CLICK HERE to learn more about the project.

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