Helena-West Helena is taking another step toward becoming a major trail hub in the Arkansas Delta, with new funding aimed at improving connections between the city, the Delta Heritage Trail and the Crowley’s Ridge Gravel Trail.
The City of Helena-West Helena has secured a $15,000 grant from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to support trail planning, signage and future infrastructure connecting residents and visitors with the two regional trail systems.
The funding builds on the city’s selection for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s TrailNation Accelerator, a year-long program designed to help rural and small-town communities plan, connect and activate trail networks. The program is supported by the REI Cooperative Action Fund and brings community leaders and trail advocates together to develop strategies for moving trail projects toward implementation.
“This is another example of Helena-West Helena successfully competing for resources that move our community forward,” Mayor Joseph Whitfield said in the city’s announcement. “We are building the foundation for larger investments in connectivity and economic development.”
Connecting Two Major Arkansas Trail Projects
Helena-West Helena occupies an important location in the developing trail network of eastern Arkansas.
The Delta Heritage Trail State Park is an ambitious rail-to-trail project stretching through the Arkansas Delta. As additional sections are completed, the trail is creating a long-distance recreational corridor connecting communities, natural areas and historic sites across the region.
The Crowley’s Ridge Gravel Trail provides another long-distance riding opportunity, using gravel and low-traffic roads to showcase the distinctive landscape and communities along Crowley’s Ridge.
Helena-West Helena has the opportunity to become more than an endpoint for these routes. The city’s goal is to create connections that bring trail users directly into the community and make it easier for residents to reach the regional trail network.
“Rather than serving simply as the endpoint of two major trail systems, Helena-West Helena has the opportunity to become the place where they meet, connecting residents and visitors with downtown, local businesses, cultural destinations and the broader Delta region,” Whitfield said.
Planning the Next Connections
Over the next six to eight months, the project will focus on identifying and mapping priority connections between Helena-West Helena and the surrounding trail network.
The work will also address signage and wayfinding, identify near-term and future capital improvements, develop planning-level cost estimates and prepare the city to pursue additional funding through the Arkansas Department of Transportation and other programs.
Those planning efforts could help turn the initial $15,000 investment into larger infrastructure projects in the future.
The project will also coordinate proposed trail improvements with transportation, tourism, infrastructure and economic development projects underway in Helena-West Helena and Phillips County.
A Gateway to a 350-Mile Regional Trail Network
The larger vision extends well beyond the city limits.
According to the city, the goal is to position Helena-West Helena as a gateway community within an approximately 350-mile regional trail network.
That could give cyclists and other trail users better access to downtown Helena-West Helena while connecting trail-based recreation with restaurants, lodging, businesses and the area’s cultural and historic attractions.
For Helena-West Helena, that connection between trails and the community is particularly important. Long-distance trail systems can provide recreational opportunities for residents while also bringing visitors directly into small communities that might otherwise be bypassed.
The city’s latest grant is primarily a planning investment, rather than funding for immediate trail construction. But the resulting plans, cost estimates and identified projects could put Helena-West Helena in a stronger position to compete for the larger grants needed to build those connections.
With the Delta Heritage Trail continuing to develop and the Crowley’s Ridge Gravel Trail providing another significant route through eastern Arkansas, Helena-West Helena is working to make sure those trails don’t simply reach the city. The goal is to integrate them into the community and make downtown Helena-West Helena part of the trail experience.
This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens, thank you for supporting our work!