When you live in a major metropolitan area like Atlanta, getting to a trail system can be a major endeavor. Depending on the day, you might spend an hour or more in traffic driving just a few miles. So, having a trail system close to home is a real plus.
Bartow County, GA, recognized that fact and is turning a beautiful piece of property into a new trail system so its residents won’t have to leave the area to ride trails. With four miles already completed and another four miles set to open this summer, Barstow County hopes to become a riding destination for both local residents and visitors to the Atlanta area.
Bartow County developed Wilderness Camp in response to resident demand for more recreation
Bartow County acquired the 254-acre property known as Wilderness Camp back in 2012 as a dedicated greenspace. According to Claire Mulkey, the Grant Writing Specialist for Bartow County, greenspace is defined as “permanently protected land or water which may be used for passive (non-organized sports) recreation, preserved in its natural state, set aside for water source protection, or designated as a historic/archaeological site.”
The county made the decision to develop shared-use mountain biking and hiking trails on the Wilderness Camp property as part of its 2018-2028 Joint Comprehensive Plan. This decision was informed by a community survey conducted during the planning process. 46% of residents ranked access to recreational and leisure pursuits as very important, and 60% considered the preservation of rural settings and natural resources as very important.
With its own grant-writing department, the County obtained grant funding to design and build new trails at Wilderness Camp
Local governments usually don’t have any full-time grant writers on staff, but Bartow County has its own grant writing department. This allows the county to keep abreast of newly announced state and federal funding opportunities, as well as match the priorities identified in its Joint Comprehensive Plan to annual funding opportunities, according to Mulkey.
One such opportunity was the Land and Water Conservation Fund grant administered by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Bartow County submitted a pre-application to the grant program in October 2020, asking for $150,000 in grant funding to construct a trailhead parking lot, four miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, a vault restroom, picnic area, and bike workstation. The DNR invited Bartow County to file a full application in the spring of 2021, and, once it gave environmental clearance to the property, awarded Bartow County the full amount it requested in November 2022.
Once it had funding, the county quickly got to work building trails
Bartow County hired IMBA Trail Solutions to design and create a concept trail system plan to submit to the DNR along with its grant application. After it obtained the grant money, the county brought Trail Solutions back to complete the field design and trail corridor, flagging the four miles of phase one trails. Once that was done, the county hired Tailored Trails to build the trails while its road department constructed the parking lot.
Mulkey told Singletracks that “Bartow County matched the $150,000 grant award with approximately $188,000 in local funding to bring Phase 1 of the trail system to fruition.” The first phase was built during 2024 and had its grand opening in January of this year.
But even before phase one had begun, Bartow County worked on obtaining funding for phase two
Though it hadn’t yet received approval of its grant application to fund phase one of Wilderness Camp, Bartow County started working on funding phase two of the project in the fall of 2021 by submitting a pre-application to the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). It requested $200,000 in grant funding to construct an additional four miles of trail, along with a bridge that would connect the phase one and two trails to the area of the property designated for future phased trails.
“After being issued an invitation to submit a full application in the spring of 2022, Bartow County was notified of the successful award of $200,000 in RTP funding in the fall of 2023,” said Mulkey. The county credited Tailored Trails with creating the phase two concept plan that it submitted with its pre-application.
Phase two was designed by Tailored Trails and flagged by MTB Atlanta
Once Bartow County acquired funding for phase two, it hired Tailored Trails to do the detailed design work for phases two and three of trail construction, with four phases total eventually planned. Phases two and three will add an additional 10-11 miles to the trail system.
Bartow County and MTB Atlanta entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide trail support and stewardship. It then hired the chapter to flag the trail corridor for phases two and three.
“MTB Atlanta has the only professional trail building program in the Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association (SORBA),” said its current executive director, Brett Davidson. MTB Atlanta Pro Trails was created in 2019, and it has built and maintained close to 50 miles of new trails in Metro Atlanta since its inception.
Phase two consists of four miles of intermediate-friendly trails with a narrow backcountry feel that are both scenic and fun. “It has views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and really rocky terrain, thanks to the Brevard fault that runs through the area,” said Davidson.
Construction on phase two is currently underway and is scheduled to be completed this summer
Bartow County hired Contour Trail Design to build out phase two, which includes the addition of a pre-fab bridge that will ultimately connect phases one and two with future trails that are part of phase three of the park. Randy Conner, who founded Contour Trail Design, and his son Zach Conner are currently working on phase two and plan to have it completed by July.
“The trail will have cross-country flow with some chunk. We’re throwing in some rock features using rock that’s already available on the land, along with green ridearounds.” Conner noted that the local rock is unique. “It’s round rock that looks like concrete with river pebbles mixed in.”
Conner and his son are halfway done with the phase two trail. They are grateful to the county for being so accommodating and anticipate that they might be finished before the July deadline. He thinks riders are going to enjoy the new trails once they’re open. “We’ve tried to maximize the climbs and descents. Plus, the creek is really beautiful where the new trail is located. We put the trail on a bluff overlooking it to enhance the view.”
As phase two nears completion, Bartow County is looking ahead to phase three
Mulkey told Singletracks that Bartow County is currently in the process of applying for funding for phase three trails at Wilderness Camp. It hopes to expand the trail system to 14 miles at final build-out.
“It is thanks to the forward-thinking and conscientious planning of Bartow County leadership, including Sole Commissioner Steve Taylor and Parks and Recreation Director Greg Hight, that Bartow County has been successful in pursuing both federal and state grant opportunities to fund essential outdoor recreation facilities such as the Wilderness Camp Trail System,” said Mulkey.
Updated April 14 at 9:15am MDT to accurately reflect the contribution of Tailored Trails on the design of phases two and three.
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