Could the Kentucky Trail Town program be an Answer to Economic Development?

38th Annual Appalachian Studies ConferenceMarch 27-29, 2015

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, Tennessee

Could the Kentucky Trail Town Program be an Answer to Economic

Development?

Peter H. Hackbert, Berea College

13 States of Appalachia

Where we do our

service for 7 years

Berea Kentucky

Source: Ezzell,T., Lambert, D., and E. Ogle. Strategies to Economic Improvement in Appalachia’s

Distressed Rural Counties, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Washington DC: ARC. February 2012. 4/2/2015 Peter H. Hackbert, Berea College 4

Source: Ezzell,T., Lambert, D., and E. Ogle. Strategies to Economic Improvement in Appalachia’s

Distressed Rural Counties, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Washington DC: ARC. February 2012. 4/2/2015 Peter H. Hackbert, Berea College 5

Source: Ezzell,T., Lambert, D., and E. Ogle. Strategies to Economic Improvement in Appalachia’s

Distressed Rural Counties, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Washington DC: ARC. February 2012. 4/2/2015 Peter H. Hackbert, Berea College 6

Small Rural Appalachian Community Economic Development (CED)

Traditional ED Strategy / Tool

Alternative ED Strategy / Tool

CD Capacity Building Strategy / Tool

Economic Development Approaches

Economic Outcomes

Other Outcomes

Direct, Short-term

Indirect, Long-term

• Industrial development• Business retention / expansion• Workforce development• Tourism

• Entrepreneurship• Downtown development• Arts / Creative economy• Cluster-based development• Residential development

• Transportation• Broadband / Internet / Social Media • ED finance• Philanthropy• Strategic planning• Leadership development• Organizational development

1. Recruit firms from the outside2. Strengthen/expand existing firms3. Promote development of new firms

• jobs• firms• prosperity• wealth

• social• civic• environmental

Source: 2007 Comprehensive Eastern Kentucky Adventure Tourism Plan, Dallas TX,

Pro Consulting

Drive Time Analysis

Recreational trails and rivers can really help boost a community’s tourism traffic.

A Trail Town is a destination along a long-distance trail or adjacent to an extensive trail

system.

Appalachian Trail

TransAmerican Bike Trail South

TransAmerica Trail, through Berea and Eastern Kentucky

Wagon Road 1720-1763

Wilderness Trail

Populations

1,602

357

175

1,764

747

1,081

EPG learned about the value of trails in small towns through Becky Anderson and the HandMade Program and Small Town Program in Western North Carolina. We have driven these trails and visited these small town business owners.

Case Study 1

Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, West Virginia

Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, West Virginia

Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, West Virginia

Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, West Virginia

Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, West Virginia

Case Study 2

Abingdon, VA

Abingdon, VA

⅓ retired

3 hours

56%

Trip Advisor

$337 per day

$735 per trip

Creeper Trail – Old Alvarado Station

Old Alvarado Station

Virginia Creeper Trail Bike Shuttle & Rental

City Revenues 1978: $90,350

City Revenues 2014:

$1,177,600

Case Study 3

Warriors Trail

Boone Trace Trail

Wilderness Trail

Skaggs Trace

TransAmerica Bike Trail

TransAmerica Bike Trail

TransAmerica Bike Trail

Bluegrass Bike Trail

Boone Trace Trail

4 Worksheet A - Usage of Trail by Month and User WorksheetESTIMATED # of YEARLY USERS

TRAIL SYSTEMS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC

Cyclist Trails and Loops

1 TransAmercan Bike Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 3,000

2 Peytontown Loop Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 1,500

3 Red Lick Valley Artisan Loop Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 1,000

4 African American Heritage Loop Trail1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 300

5 Anglin Fall Bike Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 400

6 Indian Fort Bike Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 1,300

7 County Stores Trail -

8 Martins Trail -

9 BeeBee White Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 4,500

10 Mayde-Menelaus Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 1,000

11 Peggy Flats 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 600

12 Lackey Airport Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 500

13 County Airport - John Ballard Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 500

14 Hagen's Mill Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 500

15 KY 21 Moran Summit Loop 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 300

16 Paint Lick Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 250

17 Poosey Ridge /KY River Trail 1 2 2 3 4 4 3 2 2 1 250

Hiking Trails

18 Boone Trace Trail 1 2 2 2 3 4 3 2 1 100

19 Central Kentucky Route 1 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 3 1 200

20 Indian Fort Hiking Trail 1 1 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 2 1 5,000

21 Ellipse Trail1 1 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 7,000

22 Cross County Hiking Trails 1 1 2 3 4 3 3 3 4 3 2 1 2,000

23 Artisan Center Hiking Trails 1 1 2 2 2 3 4 4 3 3 2 1 1,000

24 City Park Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 3 3 2 1 6,000

Mountain Biking System

25 S-Tree Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 3 3 2 1 300

26 Turkeyfoot Trail 1 2 3 3 4 4 3 3 2 1 300

Bike Hike Trail System

27 Indian Fort Bike Hike Trail 1 2 2 2 4 3 3 4 3 1 500

28 Anglin Falls Bike Hike Trail 1 2 2 2 4 3 3 4 3 1 500

Water Trails System

29 Silver Creek (seasonal) 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 100

30 Owsley Reservoir 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 2 1 300

Other Trail Systems

31 Bluegrass Bike Trail 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 100

Curtis Penix And Givan Fox, Adventure Hikers

Boone Trace Trail Hiker Reception

What’ Next?

Trailheads

Trailheads

Destination Signs

Destination Signs

Trail Identification Signs

Trail Identification Signs

Regulatory (Usage Control) Signs

Regulatory (Usage Control) Signs

TransAmerica Trail, through Berea and Eastern Kentucky