Wilderness Gateway State Trail facts for kids

The Wilderness Gateway State Trail is a special hiking path being created in North Carolina, USA. It's part of the state's park system and will stretch across four counties: Burke, Catawba, McDowell, and Rutherford.

This exciting new trail is planned as a hiking trail that will connect several important places. These include the Town of Valdese, the City of Hickory, the historic Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, South Mountains State Park, and Chimney Rock State Park. The project is a team effort between local governments and the state of North Carolina. The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation (NCDPR) helps to organize its development.

Building the Wilderness Gateway Trail

The idea for this trail started with people wanting to create a state park. This park would have been along the Jacob Fork River and Henry Fork River in Catawba County.

Early Ideas for a State Park

On May 17, 2018, a person called a State Senator named Andy Wells introduced a bill. A bill is a proposed law. This bill was presented in the North Carolina General Assembly, which is like the state's parliament. The bill suggested creating a Jacob Fork State Natural Area in Catawba County.

Even though this bill did not become a law, many people liked the idea. During the fall of 2018, several local governments showed their support. The governments of Catawba County, the City of Hickory, the City of Newton, and the Town of Long View all passed resolutions. A resolution is a formal statement of support. They all supported the idea of a state park along the rivers.

Land for the Trail

The City of Hickory owned about 160 acres (65 hectares) of undeveloped land. This land was along the Jacob Fork River and had access to US 321. The city had bought this land in the 1990s for a business project that never happened.

In early 2019, the city gave this land to the Foothills Conservancy. This group works to protect natural areas. The city's donation helped the Conservancy get more land. They used the value of the city's land to help them buy another 188 acres (76 hectares) next to it in April of that year. The Foothills Conservancy plans to hold onto these properties. They will keep them until the NCDPR is ready to take them over for the state park system.

Creating the State Trail

While the Foothills Conservancy was getting land, another bill was introduced. This new bill was about creating the Wilderness Gateway State Trail. Lawmakers realized that the headwaters (the beginning) of the Jacob Fork and Henry Fork rivers are in South Mountains State Park.

They thought that allowing a state trail along these rivers would help people get to the existing state park more easily. It would also let the NCDPR buy more land along the rivers in Catawba County. The bill asked the NCDPR to study possible routes for the trail. It also asked them to find ways to make it easier to get to South Mountains State Park from Interstate 40. The NCDPR had to report their findings by December 1, 2019. This bill was signed into law on June 3, 2019.

In September 2020, the Foothills Conservancy received a large grant. A grant is money given for a specific purpose. They got $1.2 million from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund. This money was used to buy 1,126 acres (456 hectares) in McDowell County for the trail. This shows how much support there is for creating this important natural pathway.