SANDERSVILLE, Ga. — From Athens to Tybee, Georgia Hi-Lo Inc. is paving a path through Georgia.
The groundbreaking for the 211-mile Georgia Hi-Lo Trail is on July 27 in Sandersville.
The trail will connect walkers and bikers from Athens to Savannah.
Executive Director Mary Charles Howard is from Sandersville.
In 2019 she launched the non-profit Georgia Hi-Lo Trail Initiative after “being frustrated with a lack of safe cycling and economic opportunities in her hometown," a report from the Georgia Hi-Lo Trail website said.
Howard was directly inspired by the Firefly Trail, a paved trail running 39 miles from downtown Athens.
In February 2023, the Georgia Hi-Lo Initiative contracted with the nonprofit PATH Foundation to create a plan.
According to the report, the trail will be a 26-year project broken up into three conceptual phases. Phase 1 is the Washington County Model Project.
This initial 2.2-mile segment is in Forest Grove Preserve, a registered Georgia Centennial Farm and also on the National Register of Historic Places.
“PATH is proud to work with Georgia Hi-Lo Trail to help implement the vision to connect and empower rural Georgia,” PATH Foundation Executive Director Greta deMayo said. “We see how trails promote community prosperity and wellness – from spurring economic development and offering alternative transportation options to creating safe, peaceful greenspaces that nurture physical and emotional health.
Along the trail will also be the longest arboretum in the U.S. The initial segment will begin at Ridge Road Elementary, located north of Forest Grove Preserve and continue to the southern end of the property.
The Georgia Hi-Lo Trail will connect to the Firefly Trail in Union Point as an extension of the trail, giving it a combined length of 250 miles.
When completed it will be the longest paved trail in the United States.
The goal is for the trail to be completed by 2050.
“Getting to this day has been a big lift,” Board President for Georgia Hi-Lo Trail, Inc. Mitch Sheppard said. “We have been fortunate to earn support from amazing partners that have helped move this ambitious project forward. None have done more to promote progress than PATH Foundation. Greta deMayo and her team have helped us realize the dreams of Hi-Lo Founder, Mary Charles Howard.”
You can read the full report below:
*The article continues after the report*
At 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sandersville will host the first-ever Sandersville Sizzler Trail Run 5K. The proceeds from the run benefit the Georgia Hi-Lo Trail.
The cost to run in the race is $35 from June 2- July 26 and $40 on race day.
After the race, people can join a party to celebrate the beginning of construction on the trail at 11 a.m.
The trail plans to run through eight counties across Georgia: Hancock, Washington, Johnson, Emanual, Bulloch, Effingham, Chatham and Greene.
The ceremony in Sandersville will launch the beginning of Phase One of the Washington County Model Project, a 2.2-mile segment in Forest Grove Preserve, according to a press release.