Building the Bends

There's a brand-new trail at Seven Bends State Park — and it took a decade, a federal grant, and a whole lot of volunteer sweat to build it. Janet Michael is joined by Kary Haun (Shenandoah County Tourism) for a bonus conversation with Kyle Lawrence of the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition about the new shared-use trail connecting the park to the George Washington National Forest. Kyle breaks down what actually goes into planning and building a sustainable mountain trail, why hikers and trail runners will likely outnumber bikers on this one, and how e-bikes are opening the sport up to more people. They also talk phase-two plans, trail-use data and heat maps, and where to go if you're just getting started. Plus, a quick rundown of what's happening around the valley this weekend. Links & Resources Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition — svbcoalition.org Shenandoah County Tourism — visitshenandoahcounty.com THE VALLEY TODAY with Janet Michael — A decade of conversations. New podcast episodes drop weekdays at 11 AM. Catch the show on The River 95.3 and Fox Sports 1450 AM weekdays just after noon. Subscribe and listen at thevalleytodaypodcast.com — available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please take a moment to leave a rating or review — it helps more listeners find us. Connect with us: Facebook — facebook.com/ValleyTodayFanPage Instagram — instagram.com/thevalleytoday