Garrett County -- Getting Traction with Trails

Garrett County, Maryland’s Adventureland, is already known for its wealth of natural resources, man-made recreational venues, and spectacular scenery. With 80,000 state-owned acres of forests and parks (more than any other county,) Garrett has always been a favorite destination for those who love the great outdoors.

Now Garrett County, where mountain biking is a favorite local pastime and well as tourist attraction, is looking for a way to capitalize on the phenomena that already benefits its neighbors in Allegany, Mineral, and Somerset Counties — the Great Allegheny Passage.

This week, Senators Mikulski and Cardin, both avid supporters of trail construction, announced a $30,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to help develop a countywide trail network, approximately 150 miles long, that will connect many of the towns in Garrett County to the Great Allegheny Passage – the portion of the trail that connects Cumberland to Pittsburgh. (The C&O Canal is the segment from Georgetown to Cumberland, where it meets the Allegheny Highlands Trail.)

The grant will be administered by Garrett Trails, a nonprofit, volunteer organization dedicated to developing a trail network to provide access to the county’s historic, municipal, and environmental treasures, and a link to trails outside the county.  In addition to ARC funds, Garrett Trails will provide $20,000 and Maryland Program Open Space will provide $10,000.

Allegheny Highlands, the Maryland portion of the Great Allegheny Passage, follows the old Western Maryland railroad line.  It was completed in 2006 and began reaping economic benefits almost immediately .

An 18-month economic impact study performed by our friends in Pennsylvania found that the trail has become a national and international destination.  It hosts an estimated 750,000 trips annually,
generating over $40 million in annual spending and another $7.5 million in wages.

Pennsylvania was quicker to jump on the economic potential for small businesses, establishing a “Trail Towns” program that worked with the communities and services along the trails to capitalize on the needs of visitors passing through.   Maryland towns like Hancock and Sharpsburg have seen the potential and are likewise developing trail-friendly amenities to lure these pedal pushers.

Even Carpendale, across the river from Cumberland, has figured a way to sidetrack some of this lucrative market via an old railroad trestle over the Potomac and tunnel under Knobley Mountain. This scenic spur to the Great Allegheny Passage will bring countless visitors into the small West Virginia town when it is complete in a few months.

So it’s easy to see why Garrett would like a piece of the action, while also developing an even greater recreational resource and alternative transportation option for its residents.

The “Garrett Loop” will connect with the Great Allegheny Passage at Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, providing access to Grantsville, Deep Creek Lake, Friendsville and Oakland as well as state parks and open spaces in the county.

Garrett Trails is hoping that construction on part of this network can begin in 2011. Identifying connectors and establishing easements is the first step. Hopefully this grant will pave the way
to bringing more people to destinations like Dynamite Shack Trail and Indian Turnip Trail. You can learn more about the existing trails of Garrett County by going here:

Terry has promised the Merry Marketeers a field visit to Garrett County this summer, so learning more about the future trails is going to be part of my explorations.