BUCKHANNON – The city park will be getting a new attraction, courtesy of the volunteer Upshur County Trails group that has already spruced up miles of trails at Buckhannon-Upshur High School.
The group is now working on a new bike trail at the city park on Park Street. Member J.J. Ford said he wants to make a trail that children and families can enjoy.
“I got the inspiration from the bike trails in Thomas,” Ford said. “They make a loop that is specific for kids, and it’s fun and flowing and doesn’t take much skill. So I wanted to do something that if you were a kid, your parents were going to have to drag you off kicking and screaming, because you’re having so much fun.”
Ford said the trail at the park will be easier to get to than the ones at the high school.
“It’s also right in town and is easily accessible by kids, because our trails that are at the high school, the only safe way to get there is to be taken there in a vehicle,” he said. “I want kids who can’t drive to have the access to this kind of activity and just ride their bikes down. That’s what I grew up doing.”
The trail won’t be too long — less than a quarter of a mile — and will most likely be dug out by the end of the summer and will just need to be fine-tuned.
“The goal is to get more kids on bikes, more people introduced to the sport,” Ford said. “If kids are really big into this, and they’re wanting to get to do more with it, maybe they’ll walk into the bike shop downtown, or just ask more questions about that, and then try to get their parents to take them out to the other trails to ride those as well.”
Ford said Upshur County Trails is always looking for more people to help create and maintain local trails for hiking, running and biking. If anyone is interested in participating, you can contact the group through their Facebook page.
