Gov Nixon highlights new trails in Current R State Park area as tourism growth | thesalemnewsonline.com

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Business owners in Dent and Shannon counties have long grown accustomed to a summer season and an off-season in terms of local tourism. Fall tourism, however, was confidently on display Saturday at Current River State Park when Governor Jay Nixon cut the ribbon on the new Centennial Trail.

“I always felt that if the state could get a centerpiece, like what we’ve done at Echo Bluff, you’d see great growth down here in all sorts of private opportunities, and stretch the tourism season beyond just summer,” Nixon said in an interview with The Salem News during the christening hike of the trail. “I’ve always seen this fun and economic opportunity for this region, and I think we put a real marker down at Echo Bluff to accelerate that. Tourism is clearly an opportunity to expand local businesses in Dent and Shannon counties while protecting the resources we already have. You can already see how busy it is down here during a hot summer weekend, and the economic benefit that generates. If we can keep those dollars coming year round, it can help limit some of the migration of young folks out of this region.”

The 1.4 mile Centennial Trail is one of three recently opened by Missouri State Parks in Current River State Park. They are joined by two more trails at next-door Echo Bluff State Park. Together more than 15 miles of trails have been laid between the two parks in 2016, with the promise of more to come. Nixon said the current plans are to blaze a trail to Round Spring in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways and open another trail into the Roger Pryor Pioneer Backcountry.

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Gov Nixon highlights new trails in Current R State Park area as tourism growth | thesalemnewsonline.com

MoBikeFed comment: The Parks, Soils, and Water Tax, which funds Missouri State Parks and trails like these, is up for renewal on the Nov 8th, 2016, ballot.

Find out more about the tax renewal at:

https://soilwaterparks.com