Swamp Rabbit Trail nears completion
By: Emily Barksdale
Issue date: 10/24/08 Section: News
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According to the Greenville Hospital System website, the trail is currently under construction and not open to the public. However, there are portions totaling four miles within city limits that can be used until otherwise noted.
The trail is named after the rail line that previously ran behind campus. Community leaders and the Greenville County Recreation District have taken steps after the rail corridor was abandoned in 1993 to preserve the Swamp Rabbit area and make it accessible for residents of the greater Greenville area.
The Greenville Hospital System Swamp Rabbit "is the first project of a county-wide greenways system," said Ty Houck '93, Conservation and Greenways Department Administrator for the Greenville County Recreation District, in an e-mail statement.
Houck, who has been in his position since its creation 15 months ago, continued, "Swamp Rabbit is the preservation of a 10-mile rail corridor whose interim use is for a greenway corridor extending over 17 miles through Travelers Rest, Furman [and] Greenville and eventually extending beyond the boundaries of Greenville County."
The trail touches numerous locations around campus including the lake, Duncan Chapel and Old Roe Ford Roads. Furman provided the funding for these access areas.
Houck said, "Furman has been a tremendous support in so many ways. The university sees great opportunities in providing a pedestrian-oriented transportation network for Greenville County."
He added, "I see Furman being one of the primary destinations of users on the trail and see students using it as a way to meet friends at Leopard Forest Coffee or to take their parents down to the Liberty Bridge."