Partners to break ground on Palmetto Trail at Stumphouse Mountain

A ground breaking ceremony takes place at 11am Tuesday morning at Stumphouse Tunnel Park in Walhalla on a state-of-the-art mountain biking trail system anchored by the Palmetto Trail. The key partners are Palmetto Conservation Foundation (PCF), which is building the mountains-to-sea Palmetto Trail across South Carolina; the City of Walhalla, which owns Stumphouse Tunnel Park; and the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce, which is working with city, county and state leaders to stimulate tourism and economic development. The community is invited to the ceremony, explains Palmetto Conservation Foundation Executive Director Natalie Britt. “We are really excited because we have been working for the past two years to create a comprehensive multi-use trail system at the beautiful Stumphouse Mountain property. This system is going to add a much needed use to outdoor recreation in the area with mountain biking. So, we are going to have trail riding available for beginners all the way to intermediate. We’re also going to have some great walking trails available. The nice thing about this section that is being built is it also connects into the mountains to see Palmetto Trail, which is a 500-plus-mile trail system that runs from Awendaw, South Carolina, all the way up to Oconee County. So, this is a critical link in completing that system as well as providing a multi-use trail system within the park.” Stumphouse Tunnel Park is located off Highway 28 about seven miles north of Walhalla. The Palmetto Trail and mountain bike trail system at Stumphouse Tunnel Park is the first section of a planned 12-mile extension of the trail. For more information, visit www.palmettoconservation.org.