Path to Fun and Fitness

Longleaf Trace in south Mississippi offers 41 miles
of foot-powered outdoor adventure

By Debbie Stringer

A south Mississippi rail line built more than 100 years ago to serve the fledgling timber industry now offers outdoor adventure for all ages, fitness levels and physical abilities.

The Longleaf Trace is a 41-mile asphalt trail up to 14 feet wide and built atop a portion of the old Mississippi Central Railroad extending from Prentiss to Hattiesburg. Access is open to the public free of charge. Use of the trail is restricted to cyclists, walkers, runners, skaters, wheelchairs and battery-powered golf carts. Fuel-burning vehicles are not allowed.

The approximately $5 million project, owned and operated by the Pearl and Leaf Rivers Rails to Trails Recreational District, is Mississippi's first Rails to Trails Conservancy project. It is part of the nation's growing roster of rail-trails, abandoned rail lines converted to multi-purpose recreational pathways.

The trail, which opened three years ago, is attracting users from across the United States and other countries. Many of them are pleasantly surprised when they first visit Longleaf Trace, said Herlon Pierce, trail manager. "People coming in from all over the country are usually in awe that our trail is paved," he said. Most other rail-trails have a dirt or slag surface.

Trail users may be families on weekend outings, health-conscious retirees, athletes in training, students and church groups. The trail's easy accessibility, smooth surface and gentle grade make it especially suitable for wheelchair use.

The trail is inspiring many area residents to take up fitness walking and bicycling, some for the first time in their lives. Bicycle clubs have been formed to provide members opportunities for group outings, and bicycle rentals are becoming more commonplace.

Some people are even using the trail for daily commutes to jobs and school. Pierce estimated annual visits to the Trace will reach 100,000 this year.

Trail features
Between Prentiss and Hattiesburg, the trail crosses streams, passes small lakes and meanders through rural pastures, mature hardwood forests and small towns. Users can enjoy scenic views of rural and small-town Mississippi at a pace that enhances the experience.

Trailside amenities include mile markers, restrooms, scenic overlooks, trail maps and information. All facilities are well maintained and litter-free.

Both ends of the trail terminate at "gateways." The Prentiss gateway features a small park with gazebos, restrooms and picnic facilities. Forty-one miles to the southeast, Gateway Southern Miss, on the University of Southern Mississippi campus in Hattiesburg, houses the trail manager¹s office, a bicycle shop and meeting/classroom space.

USM, an active partner in the project, administers the gateway and provides assistance in marketing and other areas. USM also plans to use the facility as part of its outdoor recreation program.

"To us this is a classroom," said Dr. Joe Paul, USM vice president of student affairs, during the recent dedication of the Hattiesburg gateway.

The Longleaf Trace is the only project of its kind in the nation to partner an educational institution, business and corporate sponsors, city and county governments and individuals, Paul said. "It's an example of how good life can be when we all work together," he added.

All aboard
Longleaf Trace is the result of 10 years of planning, fund-raising and construction — and cooperation among three county and five municipal entities.

The project began in 1994 when attorneys Stone Barefield of Hattiesburg and Bobby Garraway of Bassfield sought federal funds under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) to convert the abandoned rail line to a recreational trail. To qualify, project organizers were required to raise 20 percent of federal funds.

James Moore, owner of Moore's Bicycle Shop in Hattiesburg and an ardent trail supporter, organized volunteers in a grassroots campaign to obtain corporate sponsorships and individual donations. "Over a period of two years we raised over $200,000 to demonstrate to our local leaders that this was a project worthy of consideration," Moore said.

Barefield and Garraway helped draft state legislation to allow the formation of recreational districts anywhere in the state. As a result, the Pearl and Leaf Rivers Rails to Trails Recreational District was formed to acquire funding for and operate the trail. The district comprises three counties, Jefferson Davis, Lamar and Forrest, and five cities, Hattiesburg, Sumrall, Bassfield, Carson and Prentiss — all located on the rail line.

Each county agreed to provide financial support for the construction and maintenance of the trail, which when combined with donations gave the project the 20 percent it needed to qualify for federal funding.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation purchased the rail line from Illinois Central, then leased it to the recreational district. The first phase of the project, comprising 39 miles from the Prentiss gateway eastward, was completed in fall 2000 after nearly two years of construction.

In September, a dedication ceremony in Hattiesburg marked the opening of the three-mile section that extends the trail into the USM campus.

Enthusiastic response
Public response to the trail has been overwhelmingly positive. "We didn't realize it would be so nice," said cyclist Bonnie Anglin of Hattiesburg.

She and her husband Fred ride their bicycles about 30 miles daily on the trail. Occasionally they extend the trip a few miles to enjoy lunch at a Sumrall restaurant.

"We are ecstatic to be able to bike without dodging cars and soft drink bottles," Fred Anglin said.

Dodging deer is the Anglins' only worry as they pedal past farm fields and under forest canopies. A multi-level deck overlooking a beaver dam on the trail near Epley is one of their favorite rest stops.

"I think the nature is one of the most appealing aspects of [the trail]," said Donald Robbins of Bassfield, a trail user and chairman of the Jefferson Davis County Economic Development District. "It's a quiet, serene environment, and there are a lot of places on it you can¹t hear any road traffic," Robbins said.

Robbins co-chairs the annual Birthday Challenge on the trail, a non-competitive event sponsored by the Prentiss Chamber of Commerce. Participants run, walk, skate, cycle or wheelchair one kilometer of the trail for each year of their age. Last year's event attracted about 400 participants from 10 states.

"Some marathon runners from Wisconsin said this was the most beautiful trail they had ever been on and that they¹d be back," Robbins said.

Business opportunity
The Longleaf Trace has inspired business ventures ranging from concession stands and golf cart rentals to horse stables. Towns along the route have yet to take full advantage of its economic potential, said Pierce.

Heath Sumrall, owner of Sumrall Depot in Sumrall, built his business on the trail to provide hourly golf cart rentals, minor golf cart and bicycle repair and refreshments to trail users. He plans to add bicycle rentals, a game room and a cafe. "I'd say about 75 percent of my business is aimed at Trace users," Sumrall said.

Moore's Gateway Bicycle Shop, located at the USM gateway, encourages trail use by making bicycle rental more convenient. Customers can rent a bike and pedal out the door to the trail.

"We try to make it easy for them to sample the trail," Moore said. "If they do, we know they'll be back and be regular users of the trail."

Moore also devised a service to get more USM students on bikes: he sells reconditioned, quality bicycles with the option of a buy-back at the end of the semester.

"Whatever obstacles are keeping people from using the trail, someone comes up with a way to solve that problem," Moore said.

If transporting bicycles to the trail is a hassle for cyclists, A.J. and Catherine Bond offer a solution. Their rustic Clyde Depot, built on their property along the trail near Epley, offers bicycle storage. It also serves as a rest stop with sheltered picnic tables, a parking lot, soft drink and snack vending machines and a restroom.

"It hasn't been a money maker, but it's been fun," said Catherine Bond with a laugh. "We've met some nice people."

Depot users are invited to sign a register. So far, signatures filling eight composition notebooks indicate travelers from as far as South Africa.

The Bonds often use the trail themselves. Mr. Bond routinely cruises four miles in his golf cart to Sumrall for haircuts.

Work in progress
Longleaf Trace is still in its infancy, Pierce said. The recreational district board is working to procure an additional three miles of railroad right of way to extend the Trace to the Hattiesburg depot downtown.

Pierce foresees the creation of trail offshoots, or loops, on existing roadways to offer users side trips into communities and points of interest along the trail.

This concept is especially exciting to Moore, who sees the trail as more than just a recreational facility. He hopes it becomes an everyday transportation route for residents, commuters and students.

"³Let's finger out into the communities and connect schools, parks and residential neighborhoods to this trail," Moore said.

For more information on the Longleaf Trace, call 800-638-6877 or visit the Web site at http://www.longleaftrace.com/.