Dozens of volunteers spent Saturday morning clearing fallen limbs and washed-out gravel from the old rail trail east of Elmhollow, reopening the popular path weeks after a windstorm left it impassable in places.
The trail, built on the bed of the long-closed valley rail line, runs several miles from the edge of town toward the orchards and is a favorite for walkers, runners, and cyclists. Last month’s storm brought down several large trees across the route.
What the crews accomplished
- Cleared more than a dozen downed trees and countless smaller limbs
- Regraded two sections where runoff had cut across the path
- Repaired a washed-out culvert near the second mile marker
Organizers said the turnout, which included several families and a group of high school students, made quick work of what could have taken a paid crew far longer. Chainsaw work was handled by experienced volunteers while others hauled brush to the trailhead.
A short stretch near the culvert remains closed while the repair settles, but the rest of the trail is open again for the season.
Related: Around the Valley · low water on the Cedar Fork River
Further reading: Rail trails
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