Cave Country Trails is hosting a forum to gather public opinion about how to proceed with a plan to link existing trails in Barren, Edmonson, Hart and Warren counties into a connective network. 

The forum starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Cave City Convention Center.

CCT will unveil its current preliminary map of the prospective trail network at the forum, according to project director Helen Siewers.

The map, which she didn’t provide geographic details about, was based on community input received at four forums, one in each affected county, in February and March, she said.  

“We had good participation at the meetings not just in terms of numbers but in quality of input,” she said. “I think that there’s just a recognition that outdoor recreation is good for the area.”

The benefits aren’t limited strictly to public health, she said, adding that having a wide-ranging network of trails could be a tourism draw or convince tourists to see more of what the area has to offer, Siewers said. 

“What we’d like to do if we can is encourage people to stay a little longer,” she said.    

The project is based on an idea Sharon Tabor, executive director of the Cave City Tourist and Convention Commission and member of CCT, had in 2014.

Originally she wanted some more extensive trails around Cave City to bring more cyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts into the area, she said.  

“Tourism is a major part of Cave City and we were looking for a way to bring more tourists in,” Tabor said.

More trails made sense as a potential tourist magnet because many of the city’s tourist attractions are already based on outdoor adventure, she said. 

She ran the idea by Russell Clark, a landscape architect with the National Park Service, who suggested that the scope of the project be expanded across much of the region, Tabor said. 

Sandra Wilson, president of Cave Country Trails, said CCT wants input on its prospective map. 

Public opinion is important to the project because CCT doesn’t want to assume it knows what’s best for everyone. “There are a lot of different types of trails and different types of trail users,” she said.    

In gathering information and perspectives for the project, CCT has consulted groups of people interested in hiking, cycling, mountain biking, horse riding and water trails.  

Wilson, who also didn’t give geographical details about the map, said it is a loose prospective plan, adding that the precise location of each path has yet to be determined and will still be influenced by public opinion. 

“It’s a wish list,” she said. “It’s nothing set in concrete.” 

Tuesday’s forum is currently the only one planned, though there could potentially be more, depending on what CCT deems necessary based on the input it receives, Wilson said.    

— Follow Daily News reporter Jackson French on Twitter @Jackson_French or visit bgdailynews.com.