The story originally published in The Sylva Herald, March 10 edition. The story was updated with a photo from the opening of the trail on March 13.
A new addition to Pinnacle Park is set to offer visitors more than a walk in the woods. A therapy trail is set to open at 1 p.m. Friday with a ribbon-cutting and a new sign put up to celebrate the opening of the trail. The public is invited.
The trail models a Japanese form of therapy called “Shinrin-yoku,” translated as “forest bath” or “forest bathing,” which is the practice of immersing the senses in nature to enhance well-being.
Because of its holistic therapeutic effects on the mind, body, and spirit, it is referred to in many parts of the world as “forest therapy.”
“By spending leisurely time in nature, we achieve scientifically demonstrated health benefits, and we connect with the natural environment,” said Mark Ellison, a Cullowhee native, and guide for the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. “The Pinnacle Park Certified Forest Therapy Trail facilitates sensory awareness and invites visitors to slow down. This opens the door for nature to heal.”
Nick Breedlove, the director of the Tourism Development Authority in Jackson County, said it can offer more than that.
“Studies have shown that just spending a short amount of time in the forest can lower your blood pressure,” Breedlove said.
Breedlove also described the certified therapy trail as like an “immersion into nature.”
According to Ellison, the Pinnacle Park Forest Therapy Trail is the first certified trail in North Carolina. It has been certified by the ANFT.
“An application is submitted to the ANFT, and the trail must be evaluated before becoming certified,” Ellison said. “That’s mainly because the trail is owned by the town of Sylva, and required approval.”
The town of Sylva and Breedlove were receptive to the idea. According to Breedlove, the certification process took “at least a year-and-a-half.”
Ellison added that for a trail to be considered, it needs to offer “abundant opportunities” to experience nature free from distractions.
A representative of the ANFT must come to look at the trail, write a report, and make any recommendations. Breedlove said that Ellison offered to perform the process.
“It was a win-win situation,” Breedlove said. “Mark compiled a report about the terrain, the floor, and fauna, the accessibility aspects of Pinnacle Park. All of those factored into whether ANFT certifies the trail.”
Ellison also says that the trail will provide visitors brochures at the trailhead to use on their journeys. They will also include invitations or prompts to guide their experience.
“The brochure will also be on a web page that has been created for the trail and an audio version will be available for download as well,” Ellison said.
“I have hiked the trails of Pinnacle Park since the late 1990s and knew this was an ideal location,” Ellison said. “It is truly one of the best settings to experience forest therapy that I have ever been to. It is special.”
Pinnacle Park is located at the end of Fisher Creek Road in Sylva. For more information about the Pinnacle Park Forest Therapy Trail and how to find and navigate through it, visit discoverjacksonnc.com.
