Economic Impact and Health Article

Report on the Multi-State Use of the Daniel Boone Trace Heritage Health Project

Peter Hackbert, Berea College and Louisa Summer, Berea College

Appalachian Studies Assocation Conference,

April 6-9, 2018
Cincinnati Ohio,

Economic Impact of Regional Appalachian Trails

Trails that are still in the visioning or project stage have much to learn from the experience of more mature trails, especially ones that share geographic and demographic characteristics and similar funding challenges, management and operation structure. Mature trails with reputations as “destination” can serve as role models. A “destination trail” is one that people will travel to – a trail that has lure, a “wow” factor, and leaves lasting impressions.

Trail tourism professionals warn against viewing the development of a trail and the associated trail town approach as a standalone solution to the myriad of challenges rural communities face to gain revenues through recreational initiatives. However, making efforts to better connect communities to trails and improve business services can make a positive and lasting difference in trail communities. Whether a formal program is in place local communities can begin to cultivate a culture that celebrates trails, and position places to better connect to them. And while the BT trail towns initiative focuses on getting trail users to visit and spend money in communities, one BTT objective should be the longer-term goal to creating communities that families and small businesses want to move to. Making towns more attractive and welcoming to trail users also makes them more attractive and welcoming to potential residents and businesses.

This section reviews recent studies of trail systems, their users and nearby local businesses to better understand the economic impact of the trail and to begin forecasting of the potential economic impact of the Daniel Boone Trace Trail and its overlap to the proposed USBR 21.

The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania to Cumberland Maryland, a 150 mile multi-state rail-to-trail route, has been conducting studies and surveys from 1998-2015 through The Progress Fund initiative and its partners. The GAP estimated trail usage is 940,000 users in 2013, generating an estimated overall direct economic impact of $50 Million reported in a 2012 study, an average daily use spend of $18 per day, and average overnight guest spend of $124 per night (2014). The business activity along the GAP from research studies from 2007-2015 report that 137 new trail-related businesses opened in the GAP trail towns since 2007. There were 72 GAP business closing during the same period, resulting in a net gain of 65 new businesses and 270 net new jobs created.

There were also business expansions along the GAP during the 2007-2015 period. Twenty-five businesses expanded and 15 changed hands. Estimated sales related to the GAP trail towns in 2008 was 25%; 30% in 2012, 34% in 2013 and 40% in 2014. During the 2007-2015 period the GAP as a destination, and the Progress Fund as a lender provided loans to 32 unique trail town related businesses. The funding included financing to 12% new businesses, 36% of the business expansions and 20% to of those businesses that changed ownership. In total, $8 million in loans were provide by The Progress Fund to businesses which leverage an additional $6 million in private investment.

In 2013, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) conducted a study of six connected trails that make up the central leg of the developing 270- mile Erie to Pittsburgh Trail (EPT) located in northwest Pennsylvania. The Erie to Pittsburgh Trail from Titusville to Parker, a 62 mile route, was completed in 2013 and reported an estimated 159,000 trail users, an overall economic impact of $7.48 million, and average day user spend of $21 per day and an average overnight guest spend of $80 per night. The business impact of the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail reported in the 2014 sample survey identified that 61% of the businesses planned to expand in 2015, with 70% saying expansion was related to the trail use, and estimated sales related to the trail traffic was 10% in 2013, and 19% in 2014.

The Blacklick to Ebensburg Trail of 36 miles, called the Ghost Town Trail, a part of the Trans-Allegheny Trail system in Pennsylvania was completed by the Rails to Trails Conservancy in 2009. The Ghost Town Trail reported a trail usage of 76,000, overall estimated economic impact of $1.7 million, an average day user spend of $13 per day and average overnight guest spends of $78 per night.

The Trans-Allegheny Trail Main Line Canal Survey respondents represented over 55 unique zip codes. The majority of these zip codes were from Westmoreland County, Indiana County, Cambria County, and Allegheny County in Pennsylvania. There were also zip codes from other states including Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Results reported that 61% of the respondents found out about the trail through word of mouth, 80% of those surveyed said that if trails were connected the respondents would consider a long or multi-day trip, 68% of respondents were looking for restaurants or cafes and on average each respondent spent $10 per day on meals, snacks and beverages.

The Trail Town Program’s General Trail User Great Alleghany Passage Survey completed during July – October 2015 reported that 56% of the respondents were between the ages of 46-65, 34% used the trail more than once a week. The most preferred lodging accommodations were camping at 46%, followed by hotels at 37% and Bed and Breakfasts at 37%. The top services and amenities respondent reported were restaurants and cafes at 81%, and public restrooms and water at 80%. Thirty-three percent of the respondents reported that they would be willing to pay 6-10% more if a product was environmentally or sustainably made.

Seventy-seven percent of the GAP trail user survey respondents were more likely to patronize a business that has a bike rack and bike storage unit. For food options, 65% preferring a local or regional favorite and 57% looked for locally grown or raised food opportunities. The next closest responses were lodging/camping (57 percent), bike shop (55 percent), tavern/bar/brewery (50 percent), and convenience store/grocery (47 percent). Eighty-five percent of the GAP trail user survey respondents typically found out about local businesses and attractions through Internet and social media; 52 percent rely upon word of mouth and local travel guides. The 2015 survey asked respondents, “What would encourage you to make longer trips (check all that apply)?” The most common responses were local shops, water recreation, and events. Museum and cultural sites ranked somewhat lower, and sight-seeing tours lowest.

The Trail Town Program’s General Trail User Survey respondent most commonly purchased items were beverages, meals, and ice cream/snack food. Only a quarter of trail users reported purchasing equipment, rentals, or repairs while on trips; 27 percent had purchased clothing. About 80 percent of pondents reported that they typically purchase meals during trips. This is significant and supports the ***finding the most respondents are on trails for recreation purposes over exercise and commuting. survey found that 81 percent of trail visitors use the trail for recreation, compared to 70 percent for health and fitness, and 13 percent for training, and 12 percent for commuting.

***The Trail Town Program’s General Trail User Survey participants were queried on perceived barriers to successfully attracting trail visitors. Stakeholders and Partners responded similarly, with “gaps in the trail system” as the top barrier. Other frequently mentioned challenges included (2) lack of way-finding / community connectivity to the trail, (3) gaps in business services, and (4) limited or ineffective marketing. Among the other challenges: logistical challenges of planning a trip, limited support or understanding of trail tourism by local tourism promotion agencies, no overall tourism attraction strategy in place, quality of business services / attractions, the area lacking a “culture of hospitality,” and lack of general visitor appeal / nothing “special” about the area.

The Hall of Fame Virginia Creeper Trail has become a boon for the 1,000 residents that constitute the community and economy of Damascus, Virginia. The Virginia Creeper Trial also serves as a trail town for the Appalachian Trail, Trans-American National Bicycle Trail, the Iron Mountain Trail, the Daniel Boone Heritage Trail, the Crooked Road Musical Heritage Trail and Virginia’s Birding & Wildlife Trail and lies within a short distance of hundreds of miles of other hiking, horse, and biking trails. Abingdon, well known for its Heartwood Artisan Center, and the Barter Theatre has a strong local food movement, hand-crafted arts and crafts industry which serves as a trailhead or destination to the emerging adventure tourism segments of biking and hiking.

Damascus serves as the gathering point for the annual Trail Days May festival that draws 30,000 visitors representing the crossing points between the Appalachian Trail and a point along the Virginia Creeper Bike Trail that extends 34 miles from Whitetop Station, Virginia to Abingdon, Virginia.

One of the most valuable pieces of information learned from this evidence-based Virginia Creeper community was the difference between a “Creeper” and a “Barter”. Economic studies of visitors to Abingdon indicate that Creepers, they are referring to the adventure tourists that come to Abingdon to participate predominately on the Creeper Trail are different than Barters, referring to tourists that travel to Abingdon to predominately experience the historical Barter Theater, and the artisan community. However, an insight learned was that Creepers will Barter, but Barters won’t Creep.

One third of Abington, Virginia travelers are retired and are traveling no more than three hours away predominately from the east and south, and primarily from West Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. However, Abingdon gains very little tourist visits from the west. Fifty six percent of travelers used the Internet to plan their trip and on average stay 2.2 nights. On average, a tourist while in Abingdon spends $337 per day. Studies also revealed that Abingdon tourists spend a total of $735 for the overnight trip.

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in 2015 hosted the first West Virginia-based group bicycle tour or “Sojourn” in and around Morgantown West Virginia bringing approximately 100 people to the area for a 122-mile, three-day bike ride through four counties and seven rails-trails. The economic impact to the Morgantown area was $38,176. The following year, 130 people participated in the West Virginia Sojourn, with a reported $31,000 economic impact to the local communities as a demonstration of the ability to the North Bend Rail Trail to influence trail development through evidence of trail users generating significant local spending.

Trails and trail systems product more jobs per dollar spent. A study commissioned by the American Assocation of State Highway and Transportation Officials, (AASHTO) on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) job creation found that transportation enhancements (trails, walking, hiking) ***projects create 17 jobs (design, engineering, and construction) per $1 million spent, more than any other type of project.

Trail systems create stronger communities. While the Erie(?) Canalway Trail in Upstate New York, attracts trail users from across the country, residents from communities along the 360-mile trail account for almost 90 percent of the trail use. In addition to the 1.5 million visitors annually along the trail, local users spend over $165 million in their own communities.

***There are so many potential BTT audiences with a range of travel tendencies: locals or visitors; long distance cyclists or day trippers; multi-recreationalists or single sport enthusiasts; “all trail” or trails as part of a more immersive visit. Other researchers classify cycling tourist as: near and far holidayers, near and far day trippers, cycling tourers, near and far residents. One way to look at trail users is through the lens of preferred trail use and trip length. And other researchers frame classification as self-centered traveler, ride-centered travelers, event-center travelers and urban or rural centered traveler. For each of these, there is a broad range of users ranging from shoestring, economy, and budget to comfort travelers. Exploring these audiences in relation to tourism and economic impact goals, as well as which audiences constitute the majority of existing and potential trail users, will be necessary for the BTT to move forward with marketing.

The BTT may look to how the National Scenic Trails address marketing to local and visiting trail users. The Appalachian Trail has become the most iconic footpath in the country for the possibility that it holds for people to walk over 2,000 miles. This is what makes the trail iconic, and yet thru-trekkers make up only one percent of trail users. In the case of BTT it is quite possible that the “big dream” (biking the entire BTT of contiguous miles) may be what enables the BTT to build its name and reputation. That said, all other audiences (the vast majority of those on BTT trail in the municipalities and counties) need to be wooed as well. The North Country Scenic Trail provides another example of a long-distance trail that is now focusing its marketing on day and section hikers with its “100 Mile” campaign (encouraging people to sign up to complete 100 miles throughout the year). There are a number of different audiences to which the BBT trail will appeal (and already do). Better understanding these audiences and how best to reach them will become of utmost importance in marketing the BTT experience.

In conclusion, three myths are demystified by the evidence-based economic impact trail research. First, trails do not make money. Turning a trail into an economic driver through a series of connected trail towns overshadows what any one town can accomplish. Second, crowds do not matter. When trail travelers stay overnight they spend 6X more per day if the trail can attract overnighters for long, multi-day trips. Third, trail towns have difficulty profiting alone. If the trail system becomes a region-wide effort, one trail town location is not enough to plan for a multi-day trip. A network of trail towns offer places to stop along the trail offering dining, repair stations and access to amenities during an entire trip give trail travelers enough reasons to stay and explore.

Health Benefits Emerging from a Pilot Study of the Boone Trace Heritage Trail

Currently the federal government pays 28 percent of all health-care costs in the United States. A study of Lincoln, Nebraska, found that every dollar spent on trails returned $2.94 in direct medical benefits. Having access to walking and jogging trails is associated with a higher percentage of people meeting current activity recommendations compared to those who didn’t have access to trails. Investing in an active trail system eliminates a host of negative health-related risk factors in trail users – relieving strain on federal health-care programs and American taxpayers while catalyzing community development. More than 75% of adults in the US have one or more chronic health conditions which are responsible for 7 of 10 deaths annually. Chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, hypertension, dementia, diabetes and obesity account for 86% of health care costs in the US. Studies show that the nationally recommended guidelines of just 30 minutes of physical activity five days per week can improve health by decreasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, various forms of cancer, depression and anxiety. Furthermore this activity helps maintain bone health, increase cognitive functions, and improves overall quality of life.

Recent results suggest that trails can play a key role in public health. Individuals living closer to the green spaces were 44% more likely to meet national physical activity guidelines, and adults who exercise outdoors were physically active for longer periods than those who were indoors, by an average of 30 minutes per week. Recognizing the importance of outdoor physical activity, doctors have even begun prescribing walks in green spaces to their patients. More than 200,000 deaths per year in the U.S. from strokes and heart disease could be prevented through adoption of healthier lifestyle that includes 30 minutes of daily physical activity.

A Pilot Study

This pilot project is a study of the behavioral effects resulting from the completion of a critical link in the “last mile” connecting one element of the Boone Trace Trail to the last mile to the Berea College to the Pinnacles on the Indian Fort Mountain. The BTT is a multi-state, multi-county, multi-use trail from Cumberland Gap Kentucky to Fort Boonesbough KY, and part of the larger USBR 21. This critical link includes the construction of a bicycle and pedestrian multi-use trail at the end of the John B. Stephenson Trail to Short Line Pike forming a continuous 5-mile shared use path from the trailhead in Berea Kentucky to the Pinnacles on the Indian Fort Mountain. This study focuses on the economic, health, recreation, and transportation changes resulting from the bridge connection.

The construction of the “last mile” of bicycle and pedestrian pathway creates a rare opportunity to conduct a before-and-after analysis of the impacts from a regional link in non-motorized transportation infrastructure. Few studies have been conducted to estimate the use, benefits of, or future impact from a greenway before it is built as a means to support the decision to construct the facility. Some research comparing trails has shown that trails in good condition and offering amenities have higher rates of usage. Few studies have attempted to quantify the economic benefits of trails, including the impacts to public health through physical activity gains. Although research has shown that cyclists will go out of their way to use trail systems and that users were not deterred by intersections, little has been done to study the impacts from the removal of larger barriers to active travel. Only one study was found where observed data prior to trail construction were compared to observe data collected following construction, to truly measure a facility’s impacts.

The BTT researchers have conducted phase 1 intercept surveys and user counts to collect data on the three separate trail segments of the BTT in 2017, and they propose to repeat the process one year later, adding a data collection point on the newly constructed “last mile” segment. The before-and-after data (“pre-mile” and “post-mile”) will be compared to determine changes in trail use affecting transportation, health, and economic behaviors that may have resulted from construction of the multi-use path.

A common experimental design is a “pre-post” study in which measurements are obtained in the before period, an intervention is administered, and a follow up measurement is collected and compared afterward to determine the effect of the intervention. Borrowing from the pre-post methods in research design, evaluations of travel behavior, and using a hybrid of behavioral measures to collect the multidisciplinary data linked to the objectives of the study, the research team proposes a ‘before and after’ approach to evaluate the impact of the critical linkage on the BTT.

The BTT research team conducted intercept surveys and manual counts on two weekdays and two weekend days in May/June 2017 prior to the “last mile” construction and proposes again approximately one year later in May 2018 to control for seasonality. This evaluation examined the difference between “pre-mile” and “post-mile” periods. Observational data, intercept user surveys, along with infrared sensors were used to estimate the number and type of users. Data were collected for 12 hours (6:00 am - 6:00 pm) on two weekdays in July 2017. Data from user surveys were analyzed in tandem with hand counts to develop an estimate of the total number of annual visits. Weather data from previous research was used to create relative ratios of use for the year.

The health impact model used the relationship between exposures to trail use, verses no use, to estimate all-cause mortality using the model established by leading researchers and the World Health Organizations Health Economic Assessment tool. The pilot results indicate that the approximate number of annual trail users combined was 7,784. Out of this number, the number of individuals who would be expected to die if they were not walking regularly was 71. In addition, the number of deaths per year that are prevented by this level of walking was 13. Future data will provide annual usage, frequency and duration as the multi-use path is connected and therefore lengthened.

The findings and conclusions are expected to aid rural communities in developing an understanding of how networks of trail systems add economic benefits and by attracting outsiders and residential health benefits of multi-use trail systems.

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