Popular Florence recreational trail to expand by four miles

FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — Florence’s High Hill Creek Bike and Run Park is adding four miles to its recreational trail — an expansion made possible thanks to a community-supported land buy.

The existing trail offers just less than five miles of single track for biking, running and hiking and is popular thanks to its easy access and favorable topography.

City Planning Director Jerry Dudley said officials eventually want the trail to exceed 10 miles.

The most recent expansion was completed in part because of help from the local Atomic Mountain Biking Group.

“They have been great partners in all of this,” Dudley said, adding that they’ve helped maintain the path while boosting its publicity.

“It’s been a great partnership with the city,” he said.

Geoff Atkins, an area biking enthusiast and team director of the Florence Magic City Rollers, said the longer trail is exactly what’s needed.

“We’re very excited to draw people in from outside the community, because you really need to be in the eight to ten (mile) range for length of trail to attract someone to drive an hour or two,” he said.

Officials expect the trail to be ready for use later this year.

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Tomika Jackson joined News13 in April 2024 as a multimedia journalist. She started her journalism career in 2000 with previous stops at WALB TV10, CBS47 & WTOC11 in Savannah, Georgia. Tomika is a Georgia native and Valdosta State University graduate. Follow Tomika on X, formerly Twitter , and Instagram . You can read more of her work here .

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