The 1.4-mile Trails of Rotary system officially opened beside Rotary Field in Stuart on Friday, May 3.
The trail system begins beside the soccer area and is broken into three different trail loops, including a 0.5-mile loop, a 0.6-mile loop, and a 0.8-mile loop.
Rotary Club of Stuart President Sam Harrod said the system includes a trail for everyone.
“If you want a shorter trail, you can take it. If you want to do the whole thing you can do it. It’s really nice down by the creek,” he said.
When first entering the trail system, Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) member and Rotarian Wayne Kirkpatrick said visitors have the option of going straight for the 0.5-mile loop or the 0.6-mile loop, or a slight right for the 0.8-mile loop.
The 0.6-mile “trail goes by the cemetery on one side and then it cuts down the hollow on the backside of the property.” The other two trails “are interconnected on the other end together,” he said.
Kirkpatrick said the large QR code on the kiosk provides visitors with a copy of the trail map on their cell phones.
“There are signposts at every intersection, and they’ll show you left, right, or straight ahead. The backside of the signs denotes parking, so it leads you back here,” he said.
Kirkpatrick said trail visitors can’t get lost.
“You might think you are, but you’re not,” he said with a chuckle. “Once you walk through it one time, you’ll know exactly what you’re doing.”
Harrod said the trail system was in the works for about two years.
“This last year we got a Rotary” matching “grant to fix it up, and we just finished it pretty much this morning. It’s finished and we hope that the neighborhood is going to enjoy it, and any tourists coming through we’d appreciate them using it as well,” he said.
Harrod said Rotary partnered with DRBA and the Patrick County Master Gardeners to design the trail and the plants surrounding it. Plants for the trail were purchased from the Beautiful Earth Garden shop in Lawsonville, N.C.
Patrick County Tourism also helped Rotary with the grant application process by writing a letter of support for the project.
“It was helpful, and we appreciate it,” Harrod said.
He added that Rotarian Liz Pierce applied for a grant that was used to place a bench on the trail system.
“It’s a beautiful bench made of Trex material, so it will last a very long time. We put it sort of on an overlook where it looks down on the stream below. It’s in a nice location,” he said.
Rotary member Anna Clark said a smaller sign with a QR code is stapled below the main sign on the kiosk at the trail entrance. To promote the trail and create awareness of it, Clark said visitors can enter hikes each time they complete one.
“You can do it daily if you want to. It’s just a simple Google form. You upload a photo each time, and you’ll be entered to win a quarterly drawing for some fun prizes,” she said.
Tourism Director James Houchins said he’s thankful for everyone involved in the trail project.
“While you’re on this trail, that’s my family’s cemetery that you will go by. So, it’s a very special place in my heart to have them do that,” he said.
Harrod said Rotary hopes to expand the trail system in the future to connect with the nearby Mayo River Rail Trail.
“We’re hoping to tie in all of that eventually,” he added.
