by Patty Huff

Regional Trails have been popular throughout the United States for years, and north and central Florida have been active in securing funding and building trails ever since the SUN (Shared-Use Non-motorized) Trail Program was established in 2015. Now, when the Collier to Polk Regional Trail is completed, southwest Florida will connect to two other significant regional trail systems: the Florida Coast to Coast Trail and the Florida Gulf Coast Trail.  It will provide a continuous multi-use trail to include Collier, Hendry, Glades, Highlands, Hardee, and Polk counties. According to their website, the trail will connect small towns, natural areas, and working lands to help users experience the region's culture, environment, and history.

This trail will also encourage more towns to become Florida Trail Towns. In 2019 Everglades City was the 9th town to be designated in the State of Florida. Now there are 19, but it is still the only one south of Lake Okeechobee. This is an opportunity for other towns along the corridor to apply for designation (https://floridadep.gov/parks/ogt/content/trail-town-program).

To learn more about this Trail and to comment, visit website https://colliertopolktrail.com.