Show your support for sustainable trail building in Garrett County, MD!

​We are a nonprofit, volunteer organization dedicated to the development of a well used network of high-quality, sustainable trails that provide access to Garrett County’s historic, municipal, and environmental treasures. Garrett Trails believes outstanding trails are important to the economic development of the County and will promote good health and well-being for County residents and visitors. 

After cancelling our two main fundraisers in 2020 and 2021, the Taste of Garrett County in May and the Garrett County Gran Fondo in June, we have focused our efforts on demonstrating to you why we are worthy of your support.

• Over 7 new grant requests were submitted in 2020, including asks for new trail construction in 2021, and funds to start the Garrett Trails Adaptive Trails Program. We are in the permitting process for new trail construction in the Fork Run Recreation Area, which will connect existing trails to Adventure Way Road and Wisp Resort on the north side of the system. Grant awards from Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration Recreational Trails Program and the Community Trust Foundation are bringing that long anticipated new trail to life. With a grant from the Tucker Community Foundation we purchased an all terrain wheelchair to share with the community on suitable trails including local town trails, the GAP and the Meadow Mountain Trail. We are excited to learn more about the adaptive communities perspective on hiking and biking, and will pursue funding and partnerships that make our trails more robust and inclusive!
• In 2020 we partnered with the MD Department of Transportation, MD Department of Natural Resources and the Garrett County Board of Commissioners to see the newest section of the Meadow Mountain Trail (MMT), graded and capped with gravel, from Otto Lane to New Germany Road. That section of the MMT is also part of the developing Eastern Continental Divide Loop (ECDL), a 150 mile forest, road and water trail connecting Garrett County to the Great Allegheny Passage.
• Annual trail maintenance at the Honorable Paul Sarbanes Trail, Fork Run Recreation Area, Meadow Mountain Trail and Visitors Center Trail continued with the help of our outstanding volunteers. We went out and mowed, trimmed weed, cut back multiflora rose and made small repairs to bridges, as well as installed five gates on the perimeter of Fork Run to permanently end UTV trespassing. We're also working with the US Army Corp of Engineers to further develop the Sarbanes trail for your enjoyment! 
• The North Loop (2 miles), of the Margraff Trail System was flagged, cut back and reopened for your enjoyment, and benches were built and placed by a local Eagle Scout candidate. While it will take several years of committed hard work, we're looking forward to restoring Margraff to a destination of choice for hikers and bikers.​                                        

Each one of our projects represents a potentially new service or product that can be leveraged by our community to attract visitors and encourage economic growth. Far from just trail planners and builders, we are also members of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, collaborating with local businesses and government to promote and feature Garrett Counties valuable trail resources in their marketing campaigns.

We are a small organization with a big impact, and through our partnerships the effects of our efforts spread through the community exponentially. Thank you for becoming one of those partners!