It is with great dismay that we watch the budget battles in Congress target bicycle funding. Vercose to our hearts in the Federal Program known as the Recreational Trails Program or RTP. Last fall, the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition successfully administered a $100,000 grant to improve the trails in the North River District of the George Washington National Forest.
Well, we are back at it again and are in the second round of applications for another RTP grant. This time we plan to use the $100,000 to improve the Wild Oak Trail on Lookout Mountain and several projects to improve the trails on Narrowback, one of the most popular mountain bike destinations in the entire North River District. The Narrowback trail complex has seen a tremendous amount of work from the SVBC over the past several years and as such the trails have become more fun, sustainable, and accessible for all users.
The latest grant would re-route the Tillman West Trail that drops West from the Tower down to Tillman Road. The recent Big Run Timber sale provided the impetus for a re-route of the trail as the sale removed trees right along the trail. The new trail will showcase the beautiful views from the Timber Sale and provide a rare opportunity for trail users to see a timber sale up close and personal. The second project will involve re-routing portions of the tower trail along the ridge (this is the section of Narrowback used in the Shenandoah Mountain 100). The following pictures chronicle a day spent walking around Narrowback marking the alignment of future trails!
