By Chris Wasson

The Selma Times-Journal

A green dream could come through Dallas County.

From the sands of Alabama’s Gulf Coast to its northern mountains, a 550-mile trail is being created along the west side of the state thanks in part to the Alabama Hiking Trail Society working with state and federal agencies.

The trust has been working on realizing this dream for a few years and now it looks to be becoming a reality that could impact Dallas County.

“The idea has been there for a while,” said Joe Cuhaj, public relations officer with the AHTS. “We have what are known as ‘dots on the ground,’ or places we were building trails or already had trails in place. Well we have a ton of these dots on the map already.”

The dream is to begin at Fort Morgan and have a continuous trail all the way to the Walls of Jericho, a bowl-canyon and waterfall on the Alabama-Tennessee border.

“We have been working in Dallas County to be able to use much of the surrounding trails that are already there,” Cuhaj said. “I know we have been working with Ocmulgee of the Talladega National Forest and other areas around the Alabama River.”

Selma Tourism Director Candace Johnson said this was an example of a new campaign of “green tourism.”

“A lot of people have gotten into more active tourism like hiking and camping,” Johnson said. “I know the city has been trying to take advantage with the Alabama River and they do a great job of it at Cahawba.”

The new niche just adds another way to draw people into the area, Johnson said

“Any new thing that brings people in is a positive,” she said. “I think it’s great that they are trying to get this to happen, so it’s really exciting.”