ECG Summit Wrap Up!

Written by guest blogger Paul LeFrancois, PCC Board Chair

I recently attended the inaugural Southeast Greenways and Trails Summit held October 1-3, in Durham, NC.  This Summit was held by the East Coast Greenway Alliance, gathering together many trails experts, professionals, and enthusiasts around the southeast. The East Coast Greenway connects 15 states, 450 cities and towns, and 3,000 miles of people-powered trails from Maine to Florida —the country’s longest biking and walking route.  It goes through South Carolina on our coastline.

I presented at the Summit on the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, the only national historic trail in South Carolina.  It is located in the upstate area of SC.  I chair the Steering Committee for the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (OVNHT) and Carolina Thread Trail in Cherokee County. Underway now is development of a corridor plan for the OVNHT, which is 37 miles of proposed trail connecting Cowpens Battlefield and Kings Mountain National Military Park. The entire OVNHT crosses four states and is over 320 miles with approximately 87 miles of trail on the ground. It celebrates the march of the Overmountain Men to the Battle of Kings Mountain October 7, 1780. Thomas Jefferson described the Patriot militia victory at Kings Mountain as the “turning of the tide of success” in the American Revolution. The $100,000 project is being funded through the U.S. National Park Service, Carolina Thread Trail, Cherokee County, the City of Gaffney and the Town of Blacksburg. Destination by Design from Boone, NC was hired as the consultant to lead the project. A video aimed at landowner outreach was completed this summer and can be viewed at the following link: