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Dirt Rag Articles
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Situated between the destination sites of Tanasi and Tsali, the recently constructed Jackrabbit trails are the latest addition to this mecca of the Southern Appalachians. Located in a small western North Carolina community near the town of Hayesville, this trail system has been constructed on a peninsula of beautiful Lake Chatuge on the North Carolina-Georgia border. Its stacked-loop design helped meet the goal of creating a trail system that appeals to all skill levels. For starters, the all-access Central Loop is family-friendly with a perfect length of 3.1 miles. In contrast, the one-mile High Point trail has a 75ft. rock crossing, elevated ladder bridge, steep inclines and descents to create a challenge for advanced riders. Most trails are fast and furious, with bermed turns, dirt jumps and whoop-de-dos. Others, such as SABA Beach, are tight and twisty. Jackrabbit offers great lake views while meandering through the woods alongside stately oaks and a multitude of flora and fauna.
Currently the system offers close to 15 miles of singletrack while work continues on adding technical trail features and trailhead amenities. A connector trail is in the planning stage, which will tie the trailhead to its neighboring campground (of the same name). The trails are also convenient to the towns of Hayesville, North Carolina and Hiawassee, Georgia, which offer lodging choices from quaint B&Bs to five-star resorts.
It wasn't by accident that this network of trails turned out to be one of the area draws. Like many other success stories, having a core group of individuals who share a common goal and a well-thought-out action plan was key to its success.
It began in early 2001, when I was approached by the administration of the Clay County School system (where I am employed as School Nurse) who knew of my love of cycling. They asked if I would be interested in helping to coordinate a mountain bike component for a newly formed after-school and summer program for middle school students, called Pathways. I worked closely with the Pathways Director, Cindy Curtis, to plan this specific activity for the program. It was very difficult to find appropriate entry-level trails, neither too technical nor too lengthy, that the students would enjoy. We would travel out of our county, and many times out of the state, for such trails. This sparked the question in my mind: "Clay County is surrounded by forested public lands, so why don't we have any mountain bike trails?" If trails existed locally, then more people could be introduced to the sport, and those who already enjoyed it could bike more frequently.
In late 2002 I began making inquiries to the Tennessee Valley Authority and the U.S. Forest Service, Tusquittee Ranger District, about gaining access to public lands for the purpose of building trails. It was readily evident that this project would take a collaborative effort between committed organizations that share common goals—promoting mountain biking not only for our community but for the whole region, to help promote environmental conservation and "green" tourism. A tight collaboration began between the Southern Appalachian Bicycling Association (SABA), the USFS Tusquittee Ranger District, and the Clay County Communities Revitalization Association (CCCRA). The potential economic impact of a well-designed system of trails was a no-brainer for the CCCRA's involvement, and they continue to be instrumental in writing grants and obtaining funding for this project.
Funding was very difficult during the initial planning stage, but we were fortunate to have HandMade in America as an avid supporter. HandMade (www.handmadeinamerica.org) is based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina and serves as a support system for small-town revitalization, economic development and heritage tourism. This organization has been a great friend to Clay County. Jackrabbit not only received funding from Clay County Travel and Tourism, but also from the neighboring community of Hiawassee, Georgia, demonstrating its regional impact.
Examples of donations from the private sector have included labor and use of machinery to clear and grade a 400ft. parking area; two pontoon boats that were auctioned with proceeds to benefit the trail; labor to construct a covered bridge; and monetary donations that were crucial for matching grants. SABA member Fred Lewis and I have donated the use of our homes not only to archeologists during the environmental assessment phase, but yet again to a trail crew for two and a half years to help cut the cost of trail construction.
School and community involvement is paramount in a small, rural area lacking large corporate sponsors. During the planning and construction phase, the students at Pathways helped SABA with fundraising efforts by selling bicycle raffle tickets. Senior students at both Hayesville and Murphy High Schools did senior projects on "building sustainable trails" for school credit. Boy and Girl Scout Clubs have also conducted projects on-site.
The entire process was not, however, flawless and without error. In the initial excitement and anticipation of having our very own local trail system, flagging and clearing was begun without sufficient knowledge of basic design principals based on sustainability. It was not until SABA recruited trail guru Mike Riter of Trail Design Specialists to do an initial walk-through that we realized the mistakes made in the initial layout. To gain more knowledge, SABA requested a visit from the IMBA Trail Care Crew, who were on-site in November of 2005, marking the beginning of actual trail construction. Afterwards, funding was obtained to have Mike Riter return to help construct some kick-ass trails that have perfect flow and the ultimate "yee-haw" factor.
As popular as the trails have been to mountain bikers, they are equally popular among those traveling by foot. Not only does the local hiking club (Mountain High Hikers) schedule routine hikes at Jackrabbit, but they are widely used for trail runs by individuals and school cross country teams. SABA would like to continue to enhance trail access, promote environmental education and inspire conservation. Plants of interest have been identified and marked with the goal of creating signs containing this information.
The past seven years have been like a whirlwind. I have been told that I do nothing but eat, sleep and drink "Jackrabbit." Every project needs someone to be the catalyst or driving force, and this has been "my baby," but I sure have been lucky to have a lot of great nannies! Most of those involved in this project are employed full-time, with most of the planning/trail design/clearing and finish-work taking place on weekends or evenings. A multitude of sacrifices have been made by those conducting trail clearing in preparation for machine construction, along with hours spent with writing and submitting grant proposals. Those who helped create this masterpiece have formed a bond that will truly last a lifetime.
Therefore, in a nutshell, it shows that even though one individual may give birth to a certain project, it takes a community to raise it. After many years of hard work, we can now say that it's time to go "Ride the Rabbit."
For more information, check out www.sabacycling.com.
| Exclusive Dirt Rag Web-Only Extras For Access Action: Jackrabbit Mountain Bike & Hiking Trails | | Check out Dirt Rag's massive archive of Access Action articles at this link. |
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| Comment from jcotton on 2009-10-24 |
| Thanks for these great trails.I am 69 years old and have ridden trails from moab to ft.meade,fl. and I must say the trails are some of the best. they are very flowing and fun.When local trails are wet and muddy,jackrabbit is high and dry.Very well constructed.Thanks again,happy trails and GOD bless. |
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| Comment from John and Sarah B on 2009-10-12 |
| Thanks for all your hard work. We have really enjoyed walking on that beautiful trail. |
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