Wildflower Way Coming Soon to the Edwin M Griffin Preserve

We are excited to announce that a new trail is coming soon to the Edwin M. Griffin Nature Preserve - Wildflower Way! This ADA accessible extension of PAL's The Dan trail system will extend from the end of The River Birch Trail near McCracken Middle School and run through the Preserve to the Beechwood trail entrance. Laura Ringo, Executive Director of PAL, Play. Advocate. Live well., says she's excited to bring this accessible trail to the Preserve so that more people may have a chance to enjoy this beautiful natural area.

Work on Phase 1 of the project will begin this Fall on the trail currently known as the Loblolly Trail. Phase 2 of the project will run parallel to the Cottonwood trail along the Spartanburg Water sewer right-of-way on Dupre Drive up to the Beechwood Trail entrance. Spartanburg Water is helping with the project by re-scheduling their planned right-of-way clearing to line up with installation of the trail to help prepare the area for trail installation. Guy Boyle, CEO of Spartanburg Water, thought it was a great opportunity to not only do their due diligence to protect our city's infrastructure, but also support PAL and SPACE by reducing costs for the project that makes nature accessible to more Spartanburg residents.  Right-of-way clearing is scheduled to start along Dupre Drive in mid-October.  

The Edwin M. Griffin Preserve is also home to Spartanburg's beloved natural surface Cottonwood Trail. Don't worry - we're not paving the Cottonwood Trail. There's room for both! Wildflower Way will run adjacent to the Cottonwood Trail with a vegetative buffer in between. Sam Parrott, Executive Director of SPACE, plans to use this opportunity to improve forest health and increase biodiversity in this section of the Preserve. "The west side of the Preserve is thick with invasive plants like privet, kudzu, and autumn olive. Once the new trail is installed, SPACE will replant the area with native forbs and wildflowers, hence the name, Wildflower Way," says Mr. Parrott. "This will provide much needed high quality habitat for our local pollinators and wildlife."

Construction on the new project will begin this fall and continue through 2024. Email info@spartanburgconservation.org with any questions or concerns.