Eli Lavender, C’17, Special to the Messenger
Imagine holding seven figures, a handsome stack of greenbacks. Grasp, if you can, a greater fortune lying within your reach, a stone’s throw from the heart of Sewanee. Realize this treasure shrouded in the surprising guise of the Mountain Goat Trail has never been riper for the taking.
The trail is the abandoned rail bed of the Mountain Goat Railroad which once carried coal from Palmer, through Monteagle and Sewanee, toward its culmination at Cowan. With the closure of the last coal mine in the 1980s, the rail ties were torn away and the local economy stripped of the mining jobs which fueled it. Many of Sewanee’s neighbors felt the force of this loss firsthand. To this day, many communities endure depression.
The Cumberland Plateau is not the only victim of a rusting industrial sector. Countless rail beds across the nation have fallen into disuse. Today, the rails-to-trails movement aims to reverse this misfortune. According to the website of the nonprofit organization Rails-to-Trails, their mission is “to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines to build healthier places for healthier people.” Understated here, the movement’s benefits reach far beyond physical health. More remarkably, trail tourism builds healthier economies.
The impact of trail tourism is real. In Leadville, Colo., the closure of the local mine produced a paucity of employment not offset until the completion of the Mineral Belt Trail. Opened in 2000, the trail roams about lush aspen groves, tracing the route of the region’s long-standing mining lines against the towering backdrop of the Sewatch and Mosquito Mountains. Months after its dedication, the awe-inspiring scene had become a tourist magnet, with the town already reporting a 19 percent increase in sales tax revenue. And, the trail is popular among many locals who claim they receive customers who travel to Leadville solely to experience the trail. Thanks in no small part to the trail’s presence, Leadville has again struck prosperity.
The Virginia Creeper Trail, which worms through 34 miles of Appalachian Virginia, is another example of the rails-to-trails movement’s success.
While the Mountain Goat Trail has not reached its completion, the Mountain Goat Trail Association (MGTA) is working to bring the same success to this local abandoned rail bed. Janice Thomas, the president of the MGTA board, said the completion of the trail will provide a throughway separated from speeding auto traffic that will allow adults, children and stroller-strapped infants the opportunity to intermingle amid the natural marvels of our forests. Funding this enormous undertaking has been a challenge; state funding was secured through the Tennessee Greenways grant, which has provided the finances necessary to join Sewanee to Monteagle.
Finances are not the only concern of MGTA. They are also concerned with tourism. Often, at least 20 miles of finished trail are necessary to draw strong tourism. To fully conquer the tourist market, cyclists must be enticed off the trail into local towns and stores. Other programs have accomplished this by creating cycle-friendly urban spaces, complete with bicycle racks and cycling lanes. However, the greatest reward for the program would be tapping the overnight cycling market. Overnight cyclists spend an average of $100 a night in local restaurants, hotels and a variety of other businesses.
Rural trails earn between three and four times the profits of their urban counterparts. Nestled under the unspoiled canopy of the Cumberland wood, the Mountain Goat stakes a prime location.
Though neglected, the Mountain Goat Trail has not been forgotten. Presently, the potential of this gem glistens under a verdant variety of flora. Once completed, the polished product will unite distant communities as a source of recreation and revenue. With greater funding and broader support, the Mountain may soon welcome many familiar faces and distant patrons alike along the Mountain Goat Trail.
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