TRAIL OF TEARS STATE PARK BLAZES THREE NEW TRAILS

The Trail of Tears State Park near Fruitland is adding more of what it's named for -- trails.

For the first time in possibly 20 years park officials are opening paths through some of the scenic areas in the 3,000-acre park. Trail of Tears Superintendent Hershel Price said the park's two major trails, the Peewah and Sheppard Point, have been around as long as he can remember.

"I don't know when the last time we cut a new trail," he said. "They might have been working on the Peewah sometime in the 1970s. Sheppard's Point is probably a little newer."

Two of the park's three new trails, which were started in May, have been completed, while the third might be finished sometime next month.

Park naturalist Denise Dowling, who has been instrumental in the paths' progress, said there is a lot to be considered in cutting new trails. She went through the areas that were considered favorable for a new path and marked a scenic route. Then Debbie Schnack, who is a supervisor with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, went back over that path and made adjustments.

Dowling said she was looking for a path that would highlight the natural beauty of the area and possibly bring hikers through a variety of habitats. Many times trail designers will follow already established game paths or fishing trails to cut down on the time and expense of blazing a completely new trail.

"I like to get people in to see different parts of the park," she said. "You might see different animals in those kinds of habitats."

Schnack's primary concern was to keep the path as level as possible to ensure that it was easily scaled and followed the natural lay of the land.

Once a course was established, three workmen were brought in to help clear the path of undergrowth and an occasional tree. This is the most time-consuming and labor-intensive aspect of the project.

The first two paths completed are a total of a mile long and run behind the visitor's center. It took about 160 hours for workers to cut those short paths. The trail under construction is 3 miles long and workers have been cutting that one since late spring.

A volunteer group of children will come to the park Saturday, Dowling said, to help finish that trail. She doesn't know if even the 130 teen-agers who will be working that day will be enough to complete the path.

One of the trails behind the visitor's center is a third of a mile long and runs from the center to the Scout's campsite. Dowling wanted that trail to keep the Scouts from having to walk on the road to the center.

The third path is the smallest and runs in a loop behind the visitor's center. This one will be used primarily for day trips with grade school children.

The paths have to be 2 to 4 feet wide, not too steep, and cutting them in the fall is beneficial. Workers can better see the blue flags that mark the paths without leaves on the trees, and new undergrowth will not spring up as quickly as they cut it down this time of the year.

Price said the park needed new trails to allow visitors to take advantage of the park's diversity. The newest trail wanders through a wooded crest overlooking Lake Boutin.

Both Price and Dowling said the biggest expense of the new trails is the years of maintenance they will require.

"It's an annual thing," Dowling said. "Over the winter time you have the trees coming down. In the spring, we have all those wicked storms. The worst thing about summer is having the poison ivy grow over and get really bushy."

But even with the added expense and trouble, new trails are essential for the park.

"People just love to come out and have a hike for a day," Dowling said. "It also gives people a chance to see other areas of the park they haven't been able to see before. A lot of people aren't real secure with just going cross country and knowing they are going to find their way back.

"They want a trail so they know they'll get back eventually."