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FROM STAFF REPORTS / Editorial 

If you are looking for a serene place to escape to during what has been a stressful four months across Shelby County, look no further than the Pelham Greenway Trail.

The trail, situated in the valley beneath Pelham High School, currently connects the high school to the north end of Pelham City Park and takes you through a winding wooded area alongside a creek.

As we’ve been forced to the confines of our homes for so long, or have struggled mentally with losing a job, being away from family, missing friends or trying to maintain work in a stressful time, finding a moment of peace to enjoy the outside is something many of us could use.

The same can be said about Oak Mountain State Park and other parks around the Shelby County area that offer a tranquil spot to escape to.

Eventually, the Greenway Trail will help connect you to the state park, which creates an exciting future for the area, as it will take you from the high school through the city park, up to the soon-to-be-built Campus 31 and across to the state park.

That will not only offer a long trail system, but will allow for stops along the way to enjoy different options throughout.

The trail also has benches along the way and is paved with a line down the middle to separate travelers going in different directions.

Whether it be the new Greenway Trail, city parks, the state park, Shelby-County run Heardmont Park or other options around the area, there are plenty of choices for local residents to get out and enjoy a moment of peacefulness in nature.

Often times we get carried away with the stresses of life or what we are going to do, but if this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that getting outside and just spending some time away from everything with the people we love can be the ultimate cure to our deepest problems.