By: Stephanie Reynolds
Do you want thousands to millions more dollars in your community? Build a trail
Do you want more jobs in your community? Build a trail
Do you want better mental health, less anxiety, less depression in yourself and your community? Build a trail
Do you want less burden on the healthcare system and a reduction of financial burden on individuals, families, and the healthcare system? Build a trail
Do you want 24/7/365 advertising for your town? Build a trail
Do you want kids who are off their phones and have better eye health, less weight gain, reduction of diabetes, greater lung health, and greater mental health? Build a trail (then take your kids on it)
Do you want less pollution? Build a trail
Do you want more business in your store? Build a trail by your store
Hello, my amazing folk! I just had the opportunity to do a webinar entitled, Trails and Economic Development: Showcasing Impact. It was so much fun! The Rails to Trails Conservancy who held it was amazing to work with and my fellow panelists were fabulous!
Now, this might sound like a boring topic for a webinar, however, it is anything but. I mean, “trails” and “money” are both very fun things to talk about, right?
Here are facts from the first panelist, Emily: Trails and outdoor rec brought in $9.5 billion (with a B) to Utah. Their Division of Outdoor Recreation awarded over $23 million in grants across 142 rec projects statewide. They have installed dedicated ATV and trail bike tracks in the state (with BATHROOMS!)
WOWOW! I would love some of that money for our county, wouldn’t you?
The next panelist, Kennedy, was from Wisconsin where outdoor rec generated $11.2 billion (again, with a B) to the state GDP and supports 96,867 jobs.
Folks, when you hear people brush off trails as a luxury please understand that is nonsense. Billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs are not “luxuries.” They put food on the table; build roads; and support families’ physical, financial, and mental health. Just because there isn’t a cash register at the trail head doesn’t mean that the trail isn’t bringing thousands or millions of dollars in every year.
Emily focused on the statewide programs, then Kennedy zoomed in a little closer to a city—Eau Claire, a city with a population of 80,000. Through their paved and unpaved trails programs, users of those trails support $4.1 million in local business activity. Imagine that much influx of revenue to Limestone County!
Then it was my turn. Instead of focusing on the state or county, I chose to focus on Elkmont. Why? Because it is the town that has the Richard Martin Trail running right through the center. It is smaller than Athens and easier to see the impact of individuals on the trail.
I also took a different tack. It’s fun to talk big money and grand studies, but what about the impact on the PEOPLE, the individual business owners? That is the pulse I wanted to take, so I interviewed some of the amazing people of Elkmont to see how they felt about having the Richard Martin Trail running right through their town and how it affected their businesses. There wasn’t one person I talked to who didn’t love having the trail through town.
My favorite quote came from the mayor, Tracy Compton: “Nobody comes from 40 miles away to see your new sidewalk, but they will come for the trail.”
And right he is. People from across the state, across the nation, and even across the continent have come to spend beautiful days on the trail. This is “weightless revenue” for our area. They eat, shop, sleep, fuel, spend time on the trail, and then head home. Horse people especially tend to travel farther, with more people, and have more disposable income. We want to make the trails welcoming for them and for the walkers, runners, and bikers. Plus, trails really are “green” every season—people go on trails all year round. Many venues and attractions don’t have that sort of pull.
But it’s not just about revenue (though that is significant), it is about your life and the quality of it. Time outdoors is proven — PROVEN — to decrease blood pressure, anxiety, depression. In fact, there was a study that shows that people recovering from gall bladder surgery healed more quickly if they were by a window looking out at nature than those who were not by a window (seriously, you can Google it)!
Money, physical health, mental health—all benefits of having trails, and the more trails the better. We are partnering with many trail organizations in the state and nation to build more and connect those we have for the good of all. I want to make the entire state walkable — “A pack, a snack, and a long way back” is my motto.
So what can you do? First just go on a trail! Find your favorites! Come see me in the tourism office, and I will help you find your perfect trail!
Then talk them up. Talk to your legislators, your neighbors, your medical offices. Ask for more. The more “buzz” we can get for the trails, the more we can build and all, each one of us, benefit from them.
By: Stephanie Reynolds, Athens-Limestone Tourism Association
June 20, 2025
