The City of Florence has officially opened a new biking trail that was four years in the making. It’s the first professionally built mountain biking trail at Wildwood Park. This new development has been in the works since 2019 and is the first of six planned for the park. Ereo Wilson is the director of the Shoals Mountain Bike. The nonprofit organization helps create outdoor recreational development in The Shoals. He says this new trail is called a ‘green’ trail. That means it’s an easier route for new riders and new hikers.
“Design-wise, it is a bike-specific trail, in terms of the way it is built. It is definitely ideal for biking,” said Wilson. “But with that being said, it is a public access park that we have also designed so that people can hike or walk, run, walk their dogs or whatever the usage may be this trail is definitely open to that.”
Wilson also says he’s excited to see the ways the route can bring the community together.
“If trails were never developed on this land, then the people that live here would more than likely never interact with it,” he said. “And to have such a beautiful landscape in town, these trails are going to encourage people to interact with nature but also each other.”
Wildwood Park is located minutes away from the University of North Alabama on Waterloo Road.