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TALLAHASSEE - The Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP)
Office of Greenways & Trails is proud to announce National
Recreation Trail (NRT) designations for the Blackwater Heritage
State Trail, the Nature Coast State Trail and the Tallahassee-St.
Marks Historic Railroad State Trail. These three State Trails,
managed by the DEP Office of Greenways & Trails, join an elite list
of more than 1,000 trails across the United States that are deemed
exemplary for their local and regional significance based on
criteria established by the National Recreation Trails program.
“We welcome this national recognition for three outstanding
Florida trails that are not only vital recreational resources for
Florida’s citizens and visitors but they also help boost the tourism
that is so important to the state,” said Jena Brooks, Director of
the DEP Office of Greenways & Trails. “In 2009, these state trails,
together with Florida’s other official state trails and the Cross
Florida Greenway, experienced the highest annual visitation ever
with a total of over 4 million statewide visitors, generating an
estimated $95 million of economic impact.”
In announcing the 2010 NRT designations, U. S. Secretary of the
Interior Ken Salazar said, “We are very proud of these trails and
the spirit of partnerships and resource conservation that they
represent. Trails provide millions of Americans with healthy
recreational experiences and often their first encounters with the
natural world.” National Recreation Trails are components of the
National Trails System and recognize existing trails that connect
people to recreational resources and improve their quality of life.
The Blackwater Heritage State Trail in Milton is a 8-mile
rail-trail which connects to the 1.5-mile Military Heritage Trail
managed by the Naval Air Station Whiting Field. The Trail features
several creek crossings and an abundance of native wildflowers for a
pleasant tour of the Northwest Florida countryside. The
Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail was Florida’s
first state rail-trail and provides a 16-mile path that runs from
south of the Capital City through Wakulla County to the coastal
community of St. Marks. The 32-mile, paved Nature Coast State Trail
follows a peaceful, rural route that connects Cross City, Trenton
and Chiefland and features an historic railroad trestle bridge that
crosses the Suwannee River near Old Town.
The 2010 NRT trails will be officially recognized in conjunction
with National Trails Day,® which is sponsored by the American Hiking
Society, on June 5, 2010. The DEP Office of Greenways & Trails will
join with the Florida Trail Association in hosting a National Trails
Day® celebration to be held at the Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic
Railroad State Trail on June 5 at the Wakulla Station Trailhead. In
addition to announcing the NRT designations for these Florida
Trails, the Florida Trail’s newest Gateway Communities of the cities
of Sopchoppy and St. Marks and Wakulla County will be recognized.
The event is designed to highlight the many trails and outdoor
recreation opportunities available in Wakulla County and the Big
Bend region.
Florida has been named by American Trails as “Best Trails State
in America,” recognizing the efforts of DEP’s Office of Greenways &
Trails (OGT) and its many partners for their coordinated efforts to
establish Florida’s statewide system of trails. OGT provides
community assistance, trail acquisition and development funding, and
public outreach to expand the statewide system of greenways and
trails. OGT also manages eight state trails and the Marjorie Harris
Carr Cross Florida Greenway. The Greenway is Florida’s longest green
corridor, stretching 110 miles from the St. Johns River near Palatka
to the Gulf of Mexico near Inglis. Of the eight state trails, six
are rail-trails, which are railroad corridors converted to
recreational trails for hiking, biking, skating, equestrian
activities and alternative transportation.
To learn more about Florida trails, visit
FloridaGreenwaysandTrails.com.
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2010 State of Florida