In 26 years, the longest paved trail in the United States will reside in Georgia.
Last weekend, it broke ground in Washington County.
The Georgia Hi-Lo Trail held a groundbreaking ceremony as it debuted its “model mile” on the grounds of the Forest Grove Preserve on Highway 242, across from May & Smith Funeral Home.
By 2050, the 211-mile trail will run from Union Point to Savannah.
Racing through the rural beauty of some of the most historic cities and towns in Georgia, in its completion, the trail will also become the longest arboretum in the country.
The Hi-Lo Trail will span through Greene, Hancock, Washington, Johnson, Emanuel, Bulloch, Effingham, and Chatham Counties – from upper-middle Georgia to the state’s coast.
It will connect to the existing 39-mile Firefly Trail that runs through Clarke and Oglethorpe counties from Athens to Union Point, which will be completed by the end of this year.
After 5 years of thoughtful planning and meticulous preparations, Phase 1 began on Saturday, July 27, with the groundbreaking of the WACO “Model Mile.”
Soon, each county that the trail passes through will join Washington County by creating a small stretch of the path at vital points within their county.
The initial 2.2-mile segment of the Georgia Hi-Lo Trail in Sandersville will begin at the Ridge Road Elementary School and run to the southern end of the Forest Grove Preserve, which is a member of the National Register of Historic Places.
A portion of the “model mile” on the property of the Forest Grove Preserve served as the site of the inaugural groundbreaking after the Annual Sandersville Sizzler 5K Trail Run and Mountain Bike Race this past weekend.
The event was a fundraiser for the Georgia Hi-Lo Trail and followed a week’s worth of fun during Kids Bike League at Forest Grove.
Kids Bike League is an annual week-long camp that serves 8 counties and offers children in grades 2 through 6 the opportunity to ride state of the art equipment while under professional instruction, all while fostering an appreciation for the surrounding nature.
The Georgia Hi-Lo Trail also presents the Athens to Savannah Bike Ride each October. First established 25 years ago, Hi-Lo assumed operational control in 2020.
Riders can opt to pedal the 3-day road map or the 4-day gravel map.
The nonprofit Georgia Hi-Lo Trail project was started in 2019 by Sandersville native Mary Charles Howard.
She was motivated to found the initiative after relocating her young family back to Washington County from Athens several years ago. Howard was an avid bike rider in Clarke County and realized the lack of available trails in Sandersville and surrounding areas upon her move home.
Howard anticipates the trail to be an economic resource for rural communities, providing a road-separated and safe track for cyclists and walking pedestrians.
The Georgia Hi-Lo Trail will be 12-feet in width. Once connected with the Firefly Trail, it will run 250 miles.
