There’s a New Trail in Town!
”New” Parasio is finally complete after almost a year of blood, sweat, and tears. Well, mostly sweat…
Nestled in Upper Purgatory, the trail takes you through shaded woods, barren gravelly hillsides, across and up armored creek beds, and past trees draped in Spanish moss. Take a break on a rock bench and enjoy the beautiful view of the grand oak at the big head cut.
The trail is 1.1 miles long one way, so plan accordingly.
Below is map with rough drawing (blue) to show how you can access it and where you end up. There are cages at the entrances, but no signage yet.
![](https://smgreenbelt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1-755x1024.jpg)
Back in August 2023, we began planning the trail. Jon uses clinometer to measure slopes and grades of land. You build trails with purpose of shedding/moving water for sustainability. Flat, straight trails lend themselves to erosion and rutting.
![](https://smgreenbelt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2-956x1024.jpg)
During construction, we use color coded flags to direct trail crew to work that needs to be done. Blue flags mean water needs to leave trail here. Yellow is construction using materials ,like water tables or root protection. Pink= middle of tread. Green= slash to cover short cuts. Orange= anchors to define trails.
![](https://smgreenbelt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/4-1024x744.jpg)
Armored creek crossings.
![](https://smgreenbelt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/5-839x1024.jpg)
We use what we can find in the Natural Areas.
![](https://smgreenbelt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/6-1024x816.jpg)
Large boulders are used for anchors. Need to be big enough not to be messed with…
![](https://smgreenbelt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/7-1024x740.jpg)
Rock bench with a view.