
The Alabama Trails Foundation (ATF) supports trails that bring Alabamians together. Trails provide an opportunity to get outside, to move and exercise, to experience nature at a time when we all need a little space to decompress. Trails provide economic impacts in communities large and small, from tourism dollars and from workforce development. Trails help tell the stories of Alabama’s past, all while bringing us together on a common path moving forward.
Concentrating on programs that require the leadership from a nongovernmental organization with a mandate from the State of Alabama, the Alabama Trails Foundation continues to deepen our relationships with state and federal agencies. We have dug into larger projects that require a deep understanding of policies and legal requirements. We are making multi-year investments in building the fundamental elements of sustainable trails.
Alabama’s corporate leaders demonstrated their support for the Pinhoti and the east Alabama communities by making major gifts and grants to ATF managed projects. We are grateful to Coca Cola United, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, Regions Bank, Goodrich Foundation, Norfolk Southern, and Honda USA, and Alabama Power Foundation for leading the way.
We’ve spoken with organizations across Alabama, shared our trails knowledge and love of
this spectacular place, and continued to grow our network. We’ve worked with state and federal partners as part of our ongoing mission to improve Flagg Mountain, including building an online reservation system for the cabin shelters, shepherding the site becoming a National Historic Register site, and supporting bringing water to the mountain. We’ve begun working with the Alabama Tourism Department to help prepare for the 2025 Year of Alabama Trails campaign.
No matter the project, we’ve pushed to make sure that Alabama’s trails are recognized, supported, and working to be best in class.
The Year of Trails
Partnering with the Alabama Tourism Department on the 2025 Year of Trails, we’ve brought our expertise on trails and trail users to bear. Our work in 2024 involved supporting the creation of collateral materials for the Year of Trails, from finding “models” who were actually trail users, to focusing on those trails that are ready for an influx of new visitors, we provided guidance, contacts, and context.
2025 and 2026 (there are just too many trails in Alabama to fit into one year) will be the Year of Trails, making sure that the country and the world know about Alabama’s outstanding network of trails. In recent years, the tourism department’s themed “year of” campaigns have promoted the state’s sports heroes, its small towns, its great outdoors, music legends, and this past year, birding. The Alabama Trails Foundation will be a guiding force in highlighting the greatest of these trails.
Alabama’s Premier long distance hiking trail – A multi year commitment!
Investing in the Pinhoti Trail benefits all of Alabama
- Expands Our Economy: By bringing the Pinhoti to a sustainable standard, we can keep Alabama’s outdoor recreation dollars within our state. The Pinhoti is uniquely located along the Talladega Mountain range and is a sought-after destination.
- Empowers Rural Communities: The Pinhoti can provide opportunities for east Alabama’s rural communities by expanding access to outdoor recreation and helping these communities attract top talent and entrepreneurial investments.
- Connects Communities: The Pinhoti can provide common ground for people of all ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds to explore beautiful landscapes.
- Celebrates Our History: The Pinhoti Trail route is deeply embedded in Native American history and early European settlement.
- Showcases Our Natural Beauty: The Pinhoti Trail traverses relict and restored mountain longleaf forests and provides scenic overlooks of the Tallapoosa River and Coosa River valleys.
- Builds Healthy People: Trails promote health and wellness by providing opportunities for physical activity and providing proven mental, social, and psychological benefits for trail users.

Pinhoti Trail: Supporting Trail Volunteers
The Alabama portion of the Pinhoti Trail is almost entirely maintained by volunteers. Using their own equipment, they cut downed trees, and whack weeds out of the trail’s path. To support them in keeping abreast of safe practices in saw use and having good PPE (personal protective equipment), the Alabama Trails Foundation sponsored a chain saw training workshop in spring 2024.
The Alabama Trails Foundation contracted Dennis Helton, Helton Forestry Enterprises, a certified saw trainer, to conduct the agency-approved training curriculum and oversee field evaluations. The training was held in the National Forest, and twenty participants successfully passed the evaluation and received new PPE.

Stewardship in Action: Planning on Federal Lands
In May 2024, the ATF submitted the proposal for the Jogloma Scott Lake Improvement Project to the National Forests in Alabama leadership. This 270-page document included the reports from the specialists, including the Cultural Resources Report, a Historic American Engineering Report, an inspection of the dam, soil surveys, mapping of the vegetation, designs for the bridge, boardwalk, trail rerouting, restoration of erosion and abatement of illegal vehicle use, as well as a plan to mitigate impacts from construction activities. Under the leadership of newly appointed Forest Supervisor, Linwood Butler, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service made completing the last stages of planning a priority!
The final planning stage was a true private-public collaboration, with the Alabama Trails Foundation working with the Forest Service resource specialists. Together this team dug deep into the proposed project to assure that the federal mandates were adhered to. The area was surveyed for endangered, threatened, and sensitive plants and animals, adjustments were made to insure none of these species would be impacted, and to ensure healthy sustainable forests in Alabama. The Alabama Historical Commission and the Federally Recognized Tribes were consulted. Five potential federal nexus issues were examined to determine that the project could be categorically excluded from an Environmental Analysis.
As 2024 came to an end, the Jogloma Scott Lake Improvement Project made its way through the final review and official approval of a NEPA compliant document. Construction is slated to begin in early spring 2025. Thanks to Innovate Alabama, Alabama Power Foundation, USDA Forest Service, Honda, and the Alabama Legislature through the Alabama Commission on Higher Education for their ongoing support.




Partnerships, Projects, and Governance
National Celebrate Trails Day is always a good time to get out, meet trail enthusiasts, and perhaps recruit some new trail users. The Alabama Trails Foundation participated in Celebrate Trails Day events in Hoover, Pepper Place (Birmingham), Jacksonville, and Piedmont this year.
The Alabama Trails Foundation also supported Pinhoti-fest, a weekend celebration in Sylacauga, Alabama, which welcomes hikers as they start the fall hiking season.
The 100 Alabama Miles Challenge is an ongoing program designed to inspire Alabamians to walk, run, hike, bike, swim, paddle, ride, or roll 100 miles each year and to do so by exploring the thousands of miles of trails available at Alabama’s parks, nature preserves, and rivers. In 2019, the Foundation began supporting the Challenge as one of its Primary Projects.

Talladega College Partnership
Working with Dr. Andy Coleman, Biology Department Chair of Talladega College, ATF hired Athaliah Townsend, a senior at the school. Long term plans for this partnership are to develop a multi-year program that engages Talladega College students in trail activities and gain their insights on new ways to engage a wider community of potential trail users.
At right: A great day of talking trails with Talladega College students! Special thanks to Athaliah Townsend, ATF intern, for her hard work organizing and sharing info about trails on campus in fall 2024!
ATF Board Planning Session
Board members David Perry, Paul DeMarco, Rob Fowler, Terry Smiley, Ann Haas, Wendy Jackson, Taylor Pursell, Tom Carruthers, and Graham Smith joined ATF staff at Pursell Farms, just minutes from Flagg Mountain, for a day of planning, and looking forward to the Year of Trails in 2025 and beyond. The board reiterated support for continuing our ongoing work along the Pinhoti, while recognizing that the time has come to broaden our reach to all corners of the state.
Partnership with Jacksonville State University Continues
Supporting the next generation of trail managers. ATF provided funding to research assets, hazards, and invasive species along the Pinhoti Trail. ATF is working with JSU faculty and graduate students to better define environmental sustainability of the Pinhoti. Students are collecting valuable data on placement of trail amenities, potential hazards, and invasive species. Beyond informing the management of the trail, this data has contributed to two research projects. One project focused on hydrologic impacts (including flooding), while the other focused on vegetation overgrowth along the trail.
Pinhoti Master Plan Wins Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects
Richly deserved recognition for two of Alabama’s premier trail systems! The American Society of Landscape Architects’ Alabama Chapter acknowledged two planning projects that are informing trail improvements in Alabama. The Alabama Pinhoti Trail Built Environment Master Plan was awarded a top Honor Award for Analysis & Planning, and the Red Rock Trail System was awarded an Excellence Award.

Flagg Mountain Named to the National Register of Historic Places
Special thanks to Alabama Forestry Commission and The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development for being partners working to recognize this important landscape in Alabama.
The Alabama Trails Foundation (Foundation) works to develop Alabama’s potential as a nationally recognized trails destination. The Foundation partners with other non-profit organizations, state and federal agencies and local governments to catalyze significant destination trails to become premier recreation resources and economic engines for Alabama. To execute this mission, the Foundation assigns resources to three major areas; Organizational Capacity, Primary Projects, and Fiduciary Projects.
2025 Alabama Trails Foundation Board and Officers
Officers
Paul DeMarco, President
Rob Fowler, First Vice President
Wendy Jackson, Second Vice President
Maggie Cunningham, Secretary
Ann Haas, Treasurer
David Perry, Past President (2023-2024 president)
Board Members
Katherine Avants
Tom Carruthers
Maye Head
Taylor Pursell
Terry Smiley
Graham Smith