A trio of Alabama and federal agencies are joining forces to oversee upgrades of the Pinhoti Trail, a major resource in the state for hikers, backpackers and other outdoor enthusiasts.
The Pinhoti National Recreation Trail covers more than 330 miles in the southern reaches of the Appalachians in Alabama and Georgia. Its 170 miles in Alabama start at a southern trailhead at Flagg Mountain southeast of Birmingham in Coosa County; from there it works northeastward, passing through Cheaha State Park and crossing into Georgia in Cherokee County, northeast of Piedmont, Ala. Since 2006, it has provided a connection to the Appalachian Trail.
According to information released on Tuesday, the Alabama Forestry Commission, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the USDA Forest Service have agreed to form a governance board. The board will “provide collaborative leadership in developing, restoring, and maintaining the Alabama section of the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail [as] a sustainable outdoor recreation resource.”
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Alabama State Forester Rick Oates, ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship and Alabama’s USDA Forest Service Supervisor, Cherie Hamilton, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Shared Stewardship.
“In Alabama, we recognize the vital importance of protecting our state’s natural beauty and maximizing opportunities for residents and visitors alike to get outdoors and experience it for themselves,” said Ivey. “The Pinhoti Trail is a major asset to outdoor recreation-based tourism in Alabama, and restoration and maintenance of this trail is a team effort.”
“The Pinhoti is so important to Alabama, especially for the hiking community,” said Blankenship. “And there’s been a lot of different groups that are involved on the Pinhoti, with maintenance or upkeep on different sections. But there has never really been a group from state government that kind of spearheaded any of the coordination to make improvements.”
Blankenship said there’s already a comprehensive study laying out priorities for what the Pinhoti needs. In 2019, the Alabama Trails Foundation published “The Alabama Pinhoti Trail Built Environment Master Plan.” The 133-page document can be downloaded from alabamatrailsfoundation.org.
The master plan describes Alabama’s Pinhoti as “a regional treasure that is the result of years of volunteer and government collaboration” that “provides hikers with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the wilderness, as well as experience multiple natural, scenic, cultural and historic opportunities along the trail. Due to the increasing popularity of the trail as a hiking destination for distance or day hikers, the demands on preserving and maintaining the trail have increased. With limited maintenance and funding, it is vital that all resources are allocated to ensure the long-term sustainability of the trail.”
The authors also say that the trail “is supported by passionate volunteers. There are individuals donating over 1,000 hours of volunteer time each year, and these are working hours of hard physical labor in all types of terrain and weather. However, with few exceptions there is little in the way of support from local communities or businesses. When objectively evaluated against the rigor of current definitions of sustainability, the Pinhoti is a threatened resource.” They see signs of hope in “a new engagement by Alabama citizens” organizing for various reasons to support the trail’s potential for economic, social and environmental impact.
The new agreement “really brings together the three largest landowners on the Pinhoti, which is the Forestry Commission, the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Conservation, both through the Forever Wild program and through Alabama State Parks,” said Blankenship. “We all hope to work together to implement improvements on the Pinhoti and bring it up to the National Recreation Trail designation, to get that designation.” The new governance board wants to work with volunteer organizations supporting the trail, Blankenship said.
Blankenship said the master plan “has a good roadmap of the things that need to be done in the Pinhoti.” He said that includes “More shelters, better signage, getting some of the roadwalk out of the Pinhoti, get it off the road and into the woods in a couple of places where it’s on the road.”
It’s too early to tell how soon trail users will see improvements steered by the new board, but Blankenship said he hopes it won’t be long.
“We’re at the beginning but we’re working on some funding opportunities to be able to do some of the work on the trail,” he said. “We hope to have more information about that in the next couple of months.”