Free Daily Headlines

News

Set your text size: A A A

Ecusta Trail advocates cite Upstate trail value

Supporters of the proposed Ecusta Trail have cited a study showing that use of the Swamp Rabbit Trail is growing and that a quarter of its users are tourists.


In its third annual impact study of the Travelers Rest-to-Greenville trail, Furman University found that the number of greenway users climbed to more than 500,000 in 2014, from 432,000 the previous year.
"We believe that the usage of the Ecusta Trail would fall somewhere between the 250,000 that use the Virginia Creeper and the 500,000 that used the Swamp Rabbit this year," Friend of Ecusta Trail board member Chris Burns said. "The Swamp Rabbit is in a more urban setting than we are, while the Virginia Creeper is more rural. It's important to note that of the 500,000 Swamp Rabbit users, 125,000 were tourists, which is a boon to the local economy."