TITLE 12 CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Section 3. Parks, Historic Areas, Memorials, and Recreation, 12-3-1 through 12-3-708.

ARTICLE 5 SCENIC TRAILS

12-3-114. Policies to guide department in creating and administering system.

The department shall be guided by the following policies in creating and administering the Georgia Scenic Trails System:

1. A balanced system of trails throughout the state should be sought, including, but not limited to, the following types of trails:
   1. Urban trails. These would be located within or close to urban centers and would accommodate intensive use from urban residents. Activities would include jogging, walking, and touring historic sites and other points of interest;
   2. Bicycle trails. These would be located in urban, suburban, or rural areas and should be easily accessible to population centers. Bicycle trails in urban areas should provide an acceptable alternative to motorized transportation, and the cyclist should be protected from motorized traffic;
   3. Horse trails. These may extend through urban, suburban, rural, or wilderness areas and should be accessible to population centers. Supporting facilities may include stables, corrals, drinking water, primitive campsites, and shelter;
   4. Rural hiking trails. These would be accessible to, but not within, population centers and may traverse areas of historic or scenic interest, pastureland, and woodland. Activities would include hiking, walking, jogging, touring, camping, and fishing. Support facilities may include simple toilet facilities, drinking water, primitive campsites, and picnic tables and benches;
   5. Primitive hiking trails. These would be primarily to provide the beauty and inspiration of the wilderness experience to an increasingly urban society. They may traverse small areas of pastoral land or roadway but would be largely in undisturbed wilderness areas. Any facilities should be primitive in nature and widely separated;
   6. Historical trails. These would emphasize important events in the history of Georgia and would be appropriately marked to allow the user to become familiar with such history;
   7. Bikeways. These would be publicly owned and maintained paved paths, ways, or trails designated and signed as bicycle routes and located in urban, suburban, or rural areas. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this article, the routes of such bikeways shall be determined by the local governing authority wherein such bikeways would be located and shall be approved by the Department of Transportation;
   8. Combination trails. These would be trails consisting of combinations of any of the types of trails described in subparagraphs (A) through (G) of this paragraph;
2. The use of the trails should be limited to those activities for which intended, and appropriate steps should be taken to enforce this policy;
3. The physical facilities provided for the trails, such as trail markers, signs, toilet facilities, shelters, drinking water, campsites, picnic tables, and parking areas, should be in keeping with the intended use of the trails and with health, sanitation, and safety requirements but should make minimum changes in the natural environment consistent with those objectives;
4. Assistance and encouragement should be provided for local governments in the development of trails, and a procedure should be adopted whereby such trails could be regulated and maintained as a part of the system;
5. The advice, cooperation, and assistance of other state agencies, local governments and agencies thereof, and private associations and organizations should be sought in developing and maintaining the system;
6. Planning and developing the system should be coordinated with the regional commissions and the Department of Community Affairs;
7. Trails should be planned, constructed, and maintained on a long-term basis, and in connection therewith long-term control of the land making up the trails should be established by the acquisition in fee simple of rights of way to such land or by leases, easements, or other appropriate long-term agreements; and where feasible, rights of way should be of sufficient width to preserve the recreational, scenic, or historical uniqueness of the trail; and
8. A program for the education of the public on the effective use and care of trails should be established.

(Ga. L. 1972, p. 142, § 5; Ga. L. 1975, p. 799, § 2; Ga. L. 1989, p. 1317, § 6.3; Ga. L. 1992, p. 6, § 12; Ga. L. 2008, p. 181, § 19/HB 1216.)