OLD FORT, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Plans for another major addition to the trail system around Old Fort are moving forward, with the G5 Trail Collective and U.S. Forest Service seeking information from contractors interested in building a planned trail in Pisgah National Forest.
The G5 Trail Collective, in partnership with the Forest Service’s Grandfather District, recently issued a presolicitation notice for Trail C2, one of the largest planned components of the Old Fort Trails Project.
The notice is an early step in the process. It is intended to identify contractors that may be interested in the work and gather feedback about how long construction of a project of this size could realistically take.
The notice does not represent a construction contract award.
Trail C2 was included in the original plans for the Old Fort Trails Project, a long-term effort to develop a 42-mile trail system in the area.
According to the G5 Trail Collective, C2 is expected to be one of the largest and most important components of the project. The planned trail would provide a backcountry experience and restore a connection that was part of the area’s trail system before an earlier trail was decommissioned.
The proposed C2 alignment generally follows the route of a trail that was decommissioned in the late 1990s or early 2000s. Some limited portions of the former trail would be incorporated into the new route, according to the G5 Trail Collective.
The Forest Service formally approved the Old Fort Trails Project plans in 2021. The original announcement called for 42 miles of new, accessible trails intended to serve people of different abilities and backgrounds.
Dogwood Health Trust provided funding for construction of the project’s first six miles, with construction scheduled to begin in early 2022.
The project has continued to expand.
In February 2024, the Forest Service said 10 miles of trails were under construction in the Grandfather District. At the time, six trails were expected to open by the end of 2024, including multi-use trails that would expand connections to the Gateway Trail System and hiking-only trails that would create additional loops.
The G5 Trail Collective said that phase of construction was made possible in part by an investment from the North Carolina General Assembly.
By June 2025, eight miles of new trails had opened in the Old Fort area, according to Conserving Carolina.
The trail expansion is also part of a broader effort to use outdoor recreation to support economic development in Old Fort. The G5 Trail Collective has said the trails were attracting an average of about 250 users per day.
Other trail work also is underway in the area.
Construction on Phase II of the Old Fort Trailhead Expansion began this summer and includes a connection to the Fonta Flora State Trail. The project was expected to be completed in late summer or early fall, according to the project’s June announcement.
The G5 Trail Collective’s latest presolicitation notice represents an early step toward potentially moving Trail C2 into construction.
The G5 Trail Collective is part of Camp Grier, an outdoor education and recreation nonprofit based in Old Fort.
More information about the Old Fort Trails Project is available here.