Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Brunswick County maps new trails for horses, bikes at nature park

Expanded hiking trails and new ones for horseback riders and mountain bikers are in the works for the county’s new Brunswick Nature Park, on N.C. 133 at Town Creek.

The county is currently mapping the trails using mobile GPS technology and seeking approval for the plans from the Coastal Land Trust, said Parks and Recreation Director Jim Pryor.

But the park, which opened in December, is already gaining popularity.

“There are some existing natural trails on the property that go through the woods, and we have had some people on horseback out there. We have people out there running and walking,” Pryor said. “It’s getting a lot of activity.”

The Cape Fear chapter of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, or SORBA, is working with the county to design the mountain biking trails, and the beginner’s loop has already been mapped out. The first loop will be two miles long, and the next intermediate loop will cover three to four miles.

“The first loop is something that a beginner could come and ride, and most kids could ride it too,” said Cape Fear SORBA president Greg Brinson. “But there are some gullies and ridges that will give the trail a little bit of a climb. The intermediate loop will have more technical features like rocks and maybe some dirt jumps.”

Brinson said a third and fourth biking loop will also be added eventually, creating between six and 10 total miles of biking trails.

Pryor said the county hopes to have the beginner’s loop open this summer and the intermediate loop finished by fall.

The N.C. Horse Council is also partnering with the county to develop equestrian trails for the park.

“We’ve been involved in the pre-planning for several years now doing the initial layout of the trails,” said Barbara Oslund, Eastern Trails consultant for the council. “The basic design of the equestrian trails will be the same as the others, but you have to look at what kind of user groups are going to be involved. You also look at what’s of interest, so it’s an interesting ride and not just a straight line.”

The county recently applied for additional funding through the North Carolina Trails grant program, Pryor said, and hopes to receive approval in coming weeks.

Oslund said she expects the equestrian trails to draw visitors from across the region.

“There are very few public trails for equestrians in the state, and this will be one of the only parks with public trails, especially in the eastern part of the state,” she said. “So just by being there it will be an attraction. But the land is also just very beautiful.”

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Ken Keegan
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Brunswick County Real Estate

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