Whitewater park plans trail system that could connect to city trails
Rafting, kayaking, swimming, ziplining, rock climbing. Officials have big dreams for Montgomery's Whitewater park, and trails are on the agenda.
Scott Shipley, who designed the park with his firm S2O Design and Engineering, hopes to install a five-kilometer trail this winter. Shipley has been seeking approval from the Army Corps of Engineers to establish the trail. Officials have been working on this for a year and a half.
He expects that the trail would take two to three months to build and cost about $350,000. The trail would be in the swath of wooded land between the whitewater channels and the Alabama River.
“For me what we’re all about is healthy active outdoor lifestyles," Shipley said. "We want people — kids, and families and whatever — to turn off the TV, and put down their iPads, and quit playing Nintendo and get outside and start to have fun in the wilderness. We’ve brought that wilderness experience right to Montgomery.
"And I think it’s super important, right? This idea that, hey, I want to go for a run, and it’s right here, versus, okay, I need to set aside an extra 25 minutes to drive to a trail somewhere, or I have to run inside on a treadmill because I don’t think I want to cross the street 30 times during my run, or I’m worried about traffic, or I’m worried about this or that,'" Shipley said.
Part of the vision for the Whitewater trail will be that it connects to the city's trail system, allowing people downtown to access a natural area within five minutes.
To accomplish that, the city will need to build a section of its trail that crosses Interstate 65, said Will O'Connor, the executive director of River Region Trails.
“Well, the goal of the city’s trail network is to connect people to the places they want to go with alternative transportation options so that you don’t have to drive," O'Connor said. "We expect that the whitewater park will be one of the premier destinations that people will want to go."
Part of creating a culture that supports Shipley's dream will mean that the park will host running events from 5Ks all the way to marathons. Two running events have been announced for the park's grand opening weekend in July.
"Creating that environment right here is important. Creating those running events here and creating a culture of (supporting) each other (to) get outside and get active is also important, right?" Shipley said.
Alex Gladden is the Montgomery Advertiser's public safety reporter. She can be reached at agladden@gannett.com or on Twitter @gladlyalex.
More: My Whitewater Experience Our reporter took on the Olympic-level course at Montgomery Whitewater
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Whitewater park plans trail system that could connect to city trails
