The Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy launched the first phase of a multi-year effort to improve the 66 miles of trails across the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
The conservancy will tackle the 15 park units one at a time. The effort began with the Island Ford Trail Project after discussions with park leadership, as its park headquarters are in that unit.
“By December of this year, we will have fully completed new trails at Island Ford,” Conservancy Executive Director Bittany Jones told Rough Draft Atlanta.
When the conservancy members saw the comprehensive Trails Management Plan in 2022 that included improving trail safety, sustainability, and visitor experiences across the 15 park units, they decided to complete it, unit by unit.
Upon the park’s creation in 1978, the National Park Service (NPS) inherited social trails people had been using to get to the river for years.
“The trails we walk on today are just kind of an extension of what those were, and not really built to withstand three million visitors that walk across them every year now,” Jones told Rough Draft Atlanta. “And we anticipate that visitation will only continue to grow.”
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The park has $53 million in deferred maintenance, according to the conservancy. Vacant permanent positions are under a hiring freeze for the underfunded park.
The conservancy funded the $150,000 needed for design and required documentation. In early 2024, Alta Planning + Design led an architecture and engineering study. On-the-ground route planning and NPS led resource assessments at Island Ford were done in August.
The conservancy is seeking bids to hire a professional trail construction crew. Jones expects the construction to cost between $500,000 and $700,000. The organization has raised approximately $250,000 so far.
Construction plans include:
- 2.2 miles of new, sustainable trail construction;
- Resurfacing and repairing existing trails;
- Erosion control and drainage improvements;
- Creation of safer, clearly marked loop routes;
- A redesigned, user-friendly trailhead at the visitor center.
Saturday is National Trails Day. It is also the last day the conservancy has a chance to get a $30,000 matching donation if supporters make donations by the end of the day. Donations can be made through the conservancy’s website.
“I am beyond thrilled that the trail system in the CRNRA is finally getting the critical improvements that it has long needed,” said Sally Bethea, former conservancy board president and a key leader behind the 2018 trail assessment that catalyzed the Comprehensive Trails Management Plan that was adopted in 2022.
The conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official friends’ group and primary philanthropic partner for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.