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Great Trails State Plan would link trails in all 100 counties

POLK COUNTY—The state of North Carolina is asking all North Carolina residents to complete 2 surveys that will help create the Great Trails State Plan.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation sent links to the surveys out this week saying that as people across North Carolina are using greenways and trails in record numbers, their input is needed to develop the Great Trails State Plan, which would link trails in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties.

NCDOT is leading the effort to identify existing trails and to define what actions need to take place to connect those trails statewide.

The plan will identify one overall trail network that is focused on connections to state parks and populated areas.

The primary outcome of the plan will be to develop a statewide trail map with an action-oriented network plan. The plan has a 5-year implementation strategy.

The NCDOT’s Integrated Mobility Division is leading the plan, in coordination with the NCDOT Transportation Planning Division and North Carolina State Parks.

There is an interactive map survey and a 10-question survey, with the state encouraging residents to take both surveys. The surveys will close out on Sept. 30.

To visit the map survey people can visit https://www.ncdot.gov/divisions/bike-ped/great-trails-state/Pages/get-involved.aspx.

The surveys ask general questions, including what county the participant resides; how important the project is; how the participant would like to use trails in North Carolina; which destinations the participants think are most important to connect; what are the participant’s favorite trails and questions about state parks along with demographic information.