Outdoors: Jackson County’s Certified Therapy Trails Invite a Healthy Connection of Body—and Mind—with Nature

By Gina Malone

In recent years, nature connectedness has come to the forefront with articles and books touting the benefits of stepping away from our often harried lives and into the forest for doses of soothing sights, sounds and smells. Outings in nature such as hiking, walking and forest bathing offer participants an opportunity to experience the natural world they are a part of but also a chance to become grounded and less stressed and to reconnect with themselves.

Since 2012, the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy (ANFT) has promoted this concept of deriving well-being from forests by certifying trails around the country that have completed a comprehensive assessment process focused on the categories of site management, safety, infrastructure, ecosystem health, access and design. Now, Jackson County is home to two certified trails: the Pinnacle Park lower loop section trail and the Jackson County Greenway which celebrated its grand opening as a certified trail in December, becoming only the third certified trail in Western North Carolina but, more impressively, the first all-accessible trail in the US.

“Certified sites may include forests, meadows, urban parks, greenways, botanical gardens or even hospital gardens,” says Debby Singleton, a trail consultant with ANFT. “It is less about dramatic landscapes and more about the potential for quiet encounters with nature. What matters the most is that they offer a place where people can connect with the natural world through their senses.” A retired associate instructor for Health, Physical Education and Parks & Recreation Management programs at Western Carolina University, Singleton is also a multimedia artist and owner of Drawn to Nature which offers guided nature and forest therapy walks, nature journaling hikes and workshops, sketching and plein air painting hikes, workshops and presentations.

“During the certification training [for ANFT] I had to complete a capstone project which followed the certification assessment project for a trail,” Singleton says. “I chose the Jackson County Greenway for my project.” She worked with former students Michael Hopkins, director of the Jackson County Parks & Recreation Department, and Trevor Brown, the department’s outdoor recreation manager, to complete the assessment process and certify the Greenway and also partnered with the Friends of Jackson County Greenways of which she is a founding member. “Through the partnership, we completed the assessment, beta testing of self-guided brochures, signage and the grand opening,” Singleton says. “The ongoing partnership will sponsor guided programs on the Greenway including forest bathing, naturalist walks, bird counts, nature journaling and wellness activities. Our goal is to provide opportunities for the community to connect with one another, offer programs to enhance wellness, and foster education and stewardship for our natural spaces in the county.”

The mostly flat, paved Jackson County Greenway trail follows along the Tuckasegee River and offers benches, covered pavilions, an outdoor learning platform with bench seating, accessible restrooms and parking. “The paved path is wide enough to accommodate multiple users and gentle enough for people who may need to use mobility devices such as wheelchairs or walkers,” says Singleton. “It is open year-round and there is no fee to use it. It’s a wonderful space for families to get outside, friends to meet and walk, people interested in birding or plant identification, kids to learn to ride a bike, walking your pet, access to fish the river, or even tube and paddle. There are multiple uses, in a safe, welcoming space.”

The .45-mile long Pinnacle Park certified forest therapy trail is managed by the Town of Sylva and is located at the end of Fisher Creek Road. The former watershed for the town, it is part of the Plott Balsam Range. “The trail follows a single-track path over bridges, next to trailside wildflowers, through a robust deciduous forest canopy which is home to many birds and wildlife, and a rich ecosystem of mosses, lichens, fungi and salamanders,” says Singleton.

At the trailheads for each of the trails, users will find self-guided brochures with invitations that encourage a slow pace and offer ways to connect with and notice the natural spaces around them. “You can spend as little as 20 minutes with maybe one or two invitations and stay in one spot, or you can take an hour or more and really immerse yourself with each one,” Singleton says. “Each of the certified forest therapy trails in Jackson County offer a unique experience. Each help facilitate a connection with nature to benefit your overall well-being. We are so fortunate and grateful to have these spaces certified and maintained for our community and for the visitors who seek out a connection to nature.”

Learn more at FriendsofJacksonCountyGreenways.org and DiscoverJacksonNC.com. For more information about the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, visit ANFT.Earth.