A half-mile portion of trail in the George Washington Memorial Parkway at Turkey Run Park has officially reopened after a March ribbon-cutting ceremony with members of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) and the National Park Service (NPS).
"This project is a great example of the success we can have when park staff work together with partners and volunteers to meet the needs of visitors," Charles Cuvelier, superintendent of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, said in a release. "We embrace the collaboration, trust, and open communication we have with partners and are grateful to PATC and the volunteers for making this project possible."
According to the release, the Turkey Run Park project took four years, which resulted in it providing simpler access to the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.
“Volunteers, under the leadership and guidance of volunteer Robert Fina, were able to build a massive wooden staircase of over 100 steps that descends nearly 170 feet in under .2 of a mile,” Joe Lombardo, PATC president, said. “This daunting task required the skill and dedication of experienced crew leaders to design and execute a unique trail rehabilitation plan that provided improved access and was sensitive to the natural setting of the park.”
The PATC was formed in 1927 and was initially created to build a section of the Appalachian Trail. Currently, the group maintains the 240-mile AT section from Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park to Pine Grove Furnace, Pennsylvania, the entire 250-mile Tuscarora Trail, and 650 miles of other trails across Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
Turkey Run Park is open all year between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. It is located in Virginia on the George Washington Memorial Parkway near I495.
