The Cherokee County Water & Sewerage Authority (CCWSA) has decided to sell all 640 acres of their land - upon which the bulk of the Yellow, Purple, and Orange trails reside. (The CCWSA property is depicted in green on the trail system map.) The asking price has been reported to be in the vicinity of $15 million. (Please search through your couch for that $15 million you know you put somewhere.)
Etowah Hiking Trails - Trail System
As the map above indicates, the primary access point for the Etowah Hiking Trails system is Boling Park, a riverfront park in the city of Canton, Georgia. The Boling Park entrance to the trail system sits at the northern end of the park's parking lot, in the far right-hand corner.
The White, or Trace, trail (depicted in black in the above map) is the backbone of the Etowah Hiking Trails system. All other trails come into contact with the Trace trail at some point.
As the map indicates, the trail system largely resides on land owned by the US Army Corps of Engineers (yellow) or the Cherokee County Water and Sewer Association (CCWSA, light green). Although no marked trails exist beyond the bridge at Jug Creek (White trail) a logging road at the bridge will take the traveler further into the Trace, eventually crossing into Cherokee County Greenspace.
Recent clear cut logging operations on CCWSA property have negatively impacted many of the trails. The Orange trail, in particular, suffered a great deal of damage. The Red trail is no longer viable. While sections of the Orange trail have been destroyed, much of it has been restored, so that the trail retains a continuous link between the White trail and the New Hightower Church. (The spur leading to Huckleberry Hill has been destroyed, but plans are being formulated to restore the connection.)
Boy Scout Troop 241 and the Sutallee Trace Trail Stewards work cooperatively to restore, maintain, and expand the Etowah Hiking Trails. As of January, 2021, the trail system is comprised of 10-15 miles of footpaths. In addition to formulating plans to restore the Orange trail's patch to Huckleberry Hill, efforts are being made to re-route the Purple trail away from the clear cut. Addition of other trails is also under consideration.