A group of nine young adults is blazing a trail through parts of eastern Kentucky. The Americorps team is improving trails in Letcher County and at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. Kentucky Tourism Spokesman Gil Lawson says hikers, bicyclists, and horseback riders will all benefit. “Most folks can put on a pair of either hiking shoes or tennis shoes and get out on a trail. Some people like to do things with bicycles and horses. But, we are fortunate in Kentucky that we have trails in a lot of places, not just one area. We’ve got trails in urban areas and rural areas,” said Lawson.State Tourism officials sought assistance for the Sheltowee Trace and Pine Mountain trails. Lawson says they’ll also check the trails for any damage done by winter weather.
“I’m not aware of any that were actually blocked, but after winter we always check our trails to make sure that they’re not. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of clearing some limbs or fallen branches or things like that. If there’s been a wash out, sometimes there’s some erosion control measures that have to be taken,” added Lawson.
Over the next month, the Americorps team is scheduled to do some trail work at Natural Bridge State Park. Lawson says there are 250 miles of trails just in Kentucky’s state parks. He says recreational trails are often cited by tourists as a key Kentucky attraction.
