Gov. Robert Bentley has awarded a $35,000 grant to provide a firmer footing for a pair of hiking trails in Coosa County and lay some groundwork for linking state trails to a nation-wide trail complex.
The grant to the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will fund improvements along the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail and the Forever Wild Coosa Hiking Trail. Both trails are in western Coosa County and border Weogufka and Hatchet creeks.
“These two trails are yet another invitation for Alabamians to experience the outdoors and the natural wonders of our state,” Bentley said. “All of us owe a debt of gratitude to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the many volunteers who make these trails possible.”
At the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail, a graveled parking area will be built along with an information kiosk, a pavilion that includes a changing room and a camping shelter along the trail. In addition, the grant funds will enable construction of five footbridges, a camping shelter and four camping platforms to enhance the 11.4-mile Forever Wild Coosa Hiking Trail, opened last spring.
The two trails are connected by paved road, but plans are to link them by a wooded path. The Pinhoti National Trail extends 335 miles from Weogufka through eastern Alabama and into north Georgia. Efforts are underway to make the trail system part of the Appalachian Mountain Trail, which extends from Georgia to Maine.
The Forever Wild Coosa Hiking Trail, constructed by the Alabama Hiking Trail Society on state property, is part of the Great Eastern Trail and the Alabama Piedmont Birding Trail.
The Recreational Trails Grant Program funds projects for walking and hiking, bicycling, boating and paddling, horseback riding and other trails. Local governments and non-profit groups are awarded grants administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and are required to supply local support equal to at least 20 percent of the grant. Funds for the program are allocated to Alabama by the Federal Highway Administration.
ADECA administers a wide range of programs including law enforcement, economic development, recreation, energy and water resources.
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Contact Jim Plott or Larry Childers